What should a network engineer know?

 If we take the network direction, then in the course of practice, almost all novice network engineers or students of this direction have a question: “What does a network engineer need to know? What to concentrate on? "... I always started to advise some topics and directions, then I realized that it would be nice to draw up a kind of checklist for young engineers so that they have a clear vector of development. In addition, I will try to provide links to resources where these skills can be obtained. Naturally, there is no universal list and all I can offer is my idea of ​​the necessary skills of any network engineer. This list was compiled on the basis of personal experience and reflects what you most often face in your work. I am sure that the majority have their own opinion about the required skills and most likely it does not coincide with mine.

Basics of networking. I think everything is clear here. Just what is meant by “basics”? Earlier I recorded a video course for a young fighter , but it is only suitable for starting a career and it is clearly not enough for a good specialist. In my opinion, the engineer should have knowledge at the CCNA or Comptia Network + level. In principle, a certificate is not required, but it is very welcome (it will help in your career). It is unlikely that you will be able to find anything in Russian, so I can only recommend courses from CBT Nuggets (paid). There are interesting courses on the Udemy platform.

Network emulators / simulators. Here, too, everything is obvious. It's hard to imagine a network engineer who doesn't know how to use Cisco Packet Tracer or GNS3 . UNetLab(now EVE NG) will be quite useful too. You just have to be able to quickly deploy a layout on the knee. VirtualBox and VMware Workstation skills are also required.

Fundamentals of network security. Many people forget this point or simply avoid it. In general, network security is a separate area, but it is absolutely not independent. It is impossible to seriously engage in network security without understanding how the network works. The opposite can also be argued - you cannot build a network without thinking about security at all. That is why I highly recommend looking into network security at the CCNA Security or Comptia Security + level. Personally, my favorite courses are from CBT Nuggets and Cybrary . In the simplest case, you can start with this .

entry level network engineer salary