Thinking to learn Networking as a career

Career Education & Certification
1

Hi all.

I have been a blockchain analyst since 2020. There are no innovations in the sector and the job is dry.

I am thinking to change field and go for networking as a career path.

Some concerns and questions

  • Is the pay good?
  • Are there enough opportunities in India
  • Is the best way to learn and get certified through cisco?

Awaiting suggestions. I am under 30. Have a relaxed job now (which I am planning to quit next month). Can get some other job in blockchain but too tired with the industry. Thank you for reading.

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2

Cool, what kind of blockchain work ? building dapps/Defis on Ethereum/solana ? open source contri to various cryptos ?

3

Do you mean Dev ops ? In my company and overall in the industry, there used to be distinct Dev ops folks, now that aspect is increasing being handling by the back end/full stack devs.

4

Why not get some offers and then quit.

5

Yup, I’ve heard many pbc’s are asking devops questions in backend interviews. My company has a dedicated devops team which handles all the deployment related stuff.

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6

More of investment. Work with VCs and exchanges, do due diligence, build dashboards, etc. Been a contributor to many blockchains too. I wrote the whitepaper for some defi projects too :slight_smile:

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7

Tired. Have an offer from a leading VC.

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8

Not really. CCNA

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9

CCNA is basic level entry point for networking related job. You need lots of troubleshooting skill if you want to level up for L2 or L3 engineer.
You can go for network desiger role as well but needed more deep knowledge.

Good thing is theory remains same from last 30-40 year. Bad thing is it’s not vibrant tech and already saturated. Once you install infrastructure, nothing is going to broke unless someone really screw. Business don’t really upgrade networking frequently. Right now SD-WAN and fiber is hot commodity. Business have moved from MPLS.
SD-WAN have some element of software as well.

There are lots of compliance needs to follow by networking companies like ofcom in UK, lots of licenses and permission is required followed by lobbiest.

My general advise is stick with blockchain technology. It’s still very promising despite AI wave.

10

Thanks for the advice.

11

all orgs are either fully cloud or hybrid these days so there might be less opportunities.

also physical networking is a expensive skill to learn, nobody will offer you a job because you know what each bit in ethernet frame is for. they expect you to have experience with cisco, palo alto, sophos etc. and these hardware and training materials are costly.

12

Networking is almost a evergreen career. All buildings be it datacenters, residential spaces and commercial need it.

My brother worked as a network design engineer for 3 years. With the relevant and correct certifications you can make decent bank.

You’d probably need to learn CAD and CCNA to start off your path. There are a lot of certifications you can do to get a job. As someone said Fiber and SD-WAN is hot.

If you do start at entry level harware access becomes easy as you’ll be working with live equipment.

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13

cisco switches costs around 1.5 lakhs

14

You don’t need physical switches/router for learning. Start with GNS3 or packet tracerc then refurb switches. I think u can get cisco managed switches around 10-12k.
Or you can sail high sea for virtual lab (DM me for link).

15

Thanks @SamuraiGaming @30fps101 @CasualGamer91 for suggestions.

I understand the opportunities will be less. I dont mind spending a bit to learn a new skill. Nothing good comes free in life. If I spend 5-10L on certifications and learn, i can make it back in 6 months right. But what is the pay for such posts in India? Glassdoor is not reliable.

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16

Yes, once you are experienced. Entry-level pay is modest, but mid to senior roles pay well, especially if combined with security, cloud, or automation. “Good pay” is subjective and depends on what you already earn.
Yes. Entry is easy if you already have networking knowledge and are flexible on fresher-level pay. For someone switching fields with no prior experience, it is difficult (unrealistic) unless you have preety good refernce.
The best way is whatever helps you learn and understand effectively. There is more than enough free learning material available online. Core networking fundamentals have largely matured; most innovation today is around security and throughput. Cisco provides a solid foundation. Certifications help mainly up to profile shortlisting. Beyond that, hands-on ability or the weight of a referrer matters.

If you are tired of dry work, pure networking will not fix that, nor will it justify spending 5–10L on certifications with an expectation of quick recovery. Entry and mid-level networking pay in India will not reliably let you recover that cost in 6 months. If you want durable demand and higher ceilings, pivot toward network security or cloud networking rather than legacy enterprise networking, and invest only where skills translate directly into roles, not just certificates.

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Alright. Where can I learn it with proper certifications? Checked coursera. There is a cisco course beginner level

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18

Follow a two-phase path: fundamentals first, then specialization into network security with cloud and automation.

Start with Cisco Networking Academy. Complete Introduction to Networks and then Network Security. It’s official, structured, and low cost, and it gives you solid networking and basic security fundamentals. In parallel, prepare for CompTIA Security+. It’s vendor-neutral and widely accepted, especially for SOC and entry-level security roles.

For actual learning, not just exam prep, use INE or CBT Nuggets. INE is deeper and more technical, with strong lab content. CBT Nuggets is easier to follow and faster for first-time learning. Use CBT Nuggets to understand concepts and INE to build expertise and reinforce them.

Start hands-on with Cisco Packet Tracer, then move to GNS3 or INE labs. Practice real tasks like VLANs, ACLs, VPNs, NAT, and basic security monitoring. This matters more than just having certificates.

Once the foundation is solid, specialize. Take Cisco CyberOps Associate if you want SOC and defensive network security roles. Add EC-Council CEH if you want offensive security exposure and an HR-friendly certification in India.

After this, add cloud networking and security on AWS, Azure, or GCP, along with some basic automation (e.g., Python or Ansible). This combination will give you stable demand and higher long-term ceilings.

Realistically, by the time you’ve done even half of what I’ve outlined, you’ll already have a solid understanding and a clearer idea of the path you want to take.

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19

Thank you so much. This is something thats really interesting. I hope i can reach my present income stage in 3 years into switching jobs. Thanks again.

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20

In three years achieveable with dedication and clear goal. Just keep your mind and eye open for new tech where you can contribute effectively and switch roles accordingly.

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