How can I become a network administrator?

I know a few of you are thinking about becoming a network administrator, and I have decided to become one myself, so here is a great way of finding out if network administration is the right path for you. The first thing you should consider is what a network administrator actually does all day long. I know part of the draw for me was seeing a guy with his own office sitting in front of his computer all day surfing the internet. Well that may be a part of some lucky persons daily grind, but that certainly isn’t the norm.

My friend Peter works for an old hotel in downtown Chicago as a network administrator and he talked with me about his job there. Peter explained first off, that the hotels daily operations rely heavily on a multitude of networks and interconnected services. From the moment a patron calls to reserve a room to the questionnaire they filled out gets input into the system. He continued to explain to me that contrary to my belief, his job kept him busy all day long running from employee workstations to repairing cables and equipment in the basement server room. Maintaining the various systems require detailed knowledge and require you to be able to trouble shoot their integration on the fly as new technologies are implemented into the whole system.

Determining the right certification is also very important because they don’t all cover the same subjects. Deciding the depth at which you would like to go with your career can help you plot your course. From simple wire connections during home installations of entertainment components to worldwide fiber optic networks, you should take the time to explore the systems you want to spend your time on. Depending on where you are currently, taking a high school electronics class, considering a military career, looking for a minor, or looking to change your job path, entry options are various and available at virtually any location in the modern world. Classes can be taken online or in hands on labs in community colleges. What seems to be the most important these days and especially for me is knowing that I will be happy with the direction I have taken. That’s not to say you can’t change your mind and switch it up or upgrade your certification because you most certainly can.