Here's how you can build confidence in network engineering.

I would start by solidifying your understanding of the fundamentals. Dive deep into core concepts such as IP addressing, subnetting, routing protocols, network topologies, and TCP/IP stack. Practice setting up and troubleshooting small networks using simulation tools like Cisco Packet Tracer or GNS3. Join forums, attend workshops, and participate in community discussions to gain insights and advice from experienced professionals. Regularly testing your knowledge through certifications like CCNA or CompTIA Network+ can also validate your skills and boost your confidence. Engaging in continuous learning and hands-on practice will equip you with the expertise to handle complex networking challenges confidently.

It's easy to get caught up in current trends and hype. There's always something new and shiny. If you haven't spent enough time on the fundamentals, everything new you learn will seem like it's completely different even though it's probably very similar to something else that exists. Learning the fundamentals is what lays the foundation of your career. Having a solid understanding of TCP/IP, L2 and L3 forwarding, routing protocols, IP addressing, etc., will mean you will become more competent and confident. You will struggle less with imposter syndrome and you'll be able to learn new tech easily as you start to recognize the patterns and reuse of bits and pieces from previous tech.

Its very important to learn the fundamentals of networking. Its very important to learn the fundamentals of the networking like subnetting, IP address range, security, encryption etc. These basic concepts help to work on advanced network concepts.

Hands on experience is very important in networking field. Because there are many concepts that you will learn with experience and hands on in this field. So its good to get more experience to become a good networking engineer.

Some knowledge can only be attained through hands-on experience. You have to experience your first bridging loop, your first network down and the weird scenarios you'll run into. Getting your first job can be difficult so is there anything that can help you get that experience? The key is to do a lot of labs. Learn how to configure things. Learn how to break things. What are the symptoms when it's not working? What commands can you use to see that it's not working? How do you fix it? Learn how to do packet captures and how to analyze the results in tools like Wireshark. You can learn a ton from looking at packets and it's a skill you'll need in your career.

Real world experience, or even Lab experience is so valuable in building confidence. And confidence is important. When you are explaining a big change to the change control board, having simulated it, or the experience of doing it before will come through in your descriptions and explanations. Your confidence is palpable and contagious... as long as it is genuine. If you can swing it, try to have a Lab to simulate in. You can build them, rent them, or build virtual simulation environments that pull in all your configs and give you a "what-if" environment. These all help in building genuine confidence through experience.

Continuous learning is a fact of life in IT. It can seem, and sometimes is, overwhelming with how much there is to learn and how much information needs to be consumed. The key is to have a solid foundation built on knowing the fundamentals really well. You then expand on that by having a few skills that you excel at. It could be BGP, multicast, packet captures, VXLAN, and so on. You can't excel at everything. Over time you broaden your skillset by learning new things so you have both depth and breadth. Certifications can work as guided learning paths and provide that extra motivation you need to learn something new.

Certification in your career is like Nitro boost in your car. Its very important to get certified in the certifications like CCNP, CCNA or other security certifications. That gives a validity that you know the concepts pretty well.

You cannot emphasize this too much. But, I suggest continuous learning in both your direct field (networking), but in other areas. There are tons of free or low-cost resources available, and of course, simulation environments to learn in. My many years of experimenting with Linux has been extremely valuable to my Networking and Performance Engineering career... The point, pick a new skill outside of networking to add every year... and don't forget soft skills in this.

Networking and meeting up with peers is so critical. But don't just click connect on LinkedIn and call that networking... contribute to conversations, comment, write articles. Also, in the 2020's, there is a lot of emphasis on remote work, but remote workers can struggle with staying in the loop. I personally work to reduce this by going into the office a few days a week, but this isn't always possible for everyone. If not, set up a weekly virtual discussion forum on Zoom or other platform. Others have already mentioned conferences, and events... User Groups, etc. Volunteer to speak, or serve on the board of a User Group, this will let you get to know a lot of folks.

Networking with peers can provide many benefits. You can gain an understanding of what type of designs and topologies other organizations are using. Did they experience the same challenges as you when implementing 802.1X? What are the skills and technologies that your peers are aspiring to gain and learn? When you get stuck on something and can't find help internally, where do you go to get feedback? There are many great communities out there from LinkedIn, to X, to Reddit, vendor forums, and so on. Learn how to use them and see your efficacy as an engineer go way up.

Being a good technologist is less about tech than many people realize. Yes, you obviously need to know your trade, but in networking you are constantly communicating with different teams, stake holders, customers, and vendors. You are the person that needs to translate between different "languages", from business to tech, and to be able to understand requirements coming from for example the app teams that may not have a lot of networking knowledge. Your entire network is down. You need support from your vendor. How quickly can you explain your design, topology, and scenario? Communication is key. Try to embrace it rather than avoiding it.