Networking as a Career: I have spent nearly 17 years as a CCIE Trainer, producing over 1000 CCIEs in the Security track alone. Interestingly, I have never used the term "Networking" in my own resume. Today, in this blog, I am using this word as "Networking" is one of the most abused and misunderstood terms. Much like "engineering," the word "Networking" is used by individuals for their own propaganda.
Allow me to begin this story with a small example. In 2005, while working for Cisco TAC-North American outsourced tac center in Gurgaon, I found myself in a debate where I argued why I would never need to know how to make a straight-through or crossover cable. At that time, I was the new guy, and almost everyone else in the group knew, as they had real-world experience. In 2023, I still don't know how to make a straight-through or crossover cable. In fact, it has been removed from the CCNA syllabus as almost all devices now support both cable types.
How is this story connected to this blog? As I mentioned before, "Networking" is used differently by different individuals, based on their level of expertise. To understand this, let's consider the following example:
Ayurvedic Doctor
MBBS Doctor
MD Doctor
PhD Doctor
Specialized in Cancer Treatment Doctor
Do you think all these doctors are the same, just because the word "Doctor" is used in front of all their names, and officially, all of them can use the title "Doctor"? Would you trust a doctor who is not specialized in cancer to perform your father's cancer surgery?
So, where does the difference come from? Let's take another example:
Network Engineer
Senior Network Engineer
Network Architect
Network Consultant
Network Manager
Vice President - Technology
CTO - Technology
Do you think all these roles are the same or equal to "Network Engineers"? Do you believe that a Network Engineer working for 20K per month in the Railway on a third-party payroll is the same as a Cisco Engineer working in Cisco Systems, Bangalore, with a 50 Lakhs package?
NHCLASS has been an IIT/IIM level institute for Network Engineers who progress into top roles over time. We produce engineers for 250+ top MNC companies in India, such as Cisco Systems, Accenture, IBM, etc. I find it almost insulting when people refer to our courses as "Networking courses," just like an MD/Specialized doctor in something is simply called a "Doctor."
Now, let's make it clearer with a final example. Imagine working for the following companies one by one:
Sampat Systems
ABC Local Company
TCS
HCL
Wipro
IBM
Microsoft
Cisco Systems
Google
Amazon
Which company do you think will offer the highest salary package for a Network Engineer or Network Architect position? You would be surprised to know that for the same job profile, the salary difference between companies can be 5x to 8x, meaning you could be working for TCS/HCL for 6.5 Lakhs, while for the same role, you could earn up to 30 Lakhs or with Google, up to 70 Lakhs.
Another point to consider is in which of the following cities you can get a better salary package for the same role:
Bangalore
Hyderabad
Delhi
Chennai
Jaipur
Ahmedabad
Rohtak
You might be surprised that in small cities and small companies, you could be earning 1/4 to 1/10 of the salary compared to a big city.
With these examples, I am confident that it is clear that not all Networking courses are the same, not all companies pay the same salaries, and not all Network positions have similar salary levels. You can be a Network Engineer working for a 4 Lakhs package or a CCIE/JNCIE/CCDE certified Network Engineer working for a 50-80 Lakhs salary package.