Here's how you can conquer challenges and obstacles in your computer networking career with assertiveness.

the world of computer networking is ever-evolving. It’s crucial to stay updated with the latest trends such as Unified Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), which integrates security and networking into a single platform, and Multi-cloud networking software (MCNS), which ensures consistent networking governance across multiple cloud environments. Additionally, the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) are transforming the networking landscape. It’s all about asking questions when things are unclear and actively seeking resources to expand your knowledge. Remember, in the tech industry, your knowledge is your power.

Having confidence in your knowledge is different than being arrogant about it. The goal is to reach a solution and even when there are conflicting ideas, the mindset should be to understand the problem statement and what is required. Even though you might be right, it could just happen that it is not what is required. On the other hand, if you don't have enough confidence, it might be hard to be assertive, but again, we need to understand that we are trying to build something and not put other's down, so we might need to open-up and speak what we think we right.

This is one of the biggest aspects of assertiveness in my experience, being able to acknowledge a difficult conversation and focusing on what matters despite how it has made you feel! Maintaining a professional stand in the midst of a conversation not goin well is a skill that is becoming ever so important. 1. Take deep breaths 2. focus on the main problem for the discussion 3. acknowledge the points the other person is making 4. If their point has strayed bring it back to the main problem/topic 5. Agree that the goal is to find a way together 6. Remain (and let them feel that you are) to working with them towards the solution.

Whenever there is a conflict, having the understanding that both the parties are not against each other, but they are together against the problem and need to understand the perspective of each other's proposed ideas/solutions. And in my experience it does happen a lot of the times that some aspects of various different solutions are used in coherence.

Since clients are solution-focused and the we are problem-focused, there might be misunderstanding between what is required and "how" it could be done, it becomes imperative that we assert when we know there is/was nothing better that could have been done. And it might seem unprofessional on our part at the start, but it helps build trust with organizations which really wants long-term relations.