What are the best ways to develop network administration skills on a budget?

Start small and expand your knowledge over the period. Many learners try to jump straight to difficult or advanced topics. Best approach is to start small and use simulation tools such as packet tracer. Understand the basic concepts of TCP/IP and OSI models, various communication protocols and how subnetting works. Once these concepts are clear then learning more advanced topics such as cloud and network administration become much easier and convenient. Experimentation with local network at home can make you understand many concepts, buying used router and switch can help in getting more acquainted with various concepts. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words, experimenting with real equipment is worth reading many books.

Homelab. Learn by doing, learn , break things, learn how to fix those, break things again, learn again … cycle continues until you are confident on the knowledge and skills.

One thing that I have found helpful is to use Cisco.com Packet Tracer. This is a free platform that you can use to develop skills relating to system architecture, switch management, CLI, SOHO, Enterprise Networks and Ethical Hacking. This is a enriched home lab that cost nothing but your time. Everyone has contributed a lot more resources that will help you.

As a recent university grad a few ways I would suggest to develop network administration skills on a budget are: 1. Try to find professors in the computer networking domain who can help you get industry level certifications. 2. Use YouTube to your advantage and learn from great teachers who post content for free. Then do some follow-up studying from free websites online(you just have to type in the topic you want to study on your search engine, and you'll find plenty of free resources. 3. Keep reading blogs and podcasts to keep yourselves updated on the new trends.

EXPLORE Topic wise. There are many free videos available on YouTube. Many of them have practical labs as well. Just try to acquire enough knowledge to crack a job interview. Once you get a job start saving money for your technical certifications. It will not let you overburden yourself with a financial crunch.

I would say 70% of my learning came from building virtual appliances for my home lab and experimenting with various technologies. I would definitely say it’s helped me with troubleshooting across the board. In IT teams you generally find each specific team is an expert at a single niche but it’s good to play with different types of services outside your niche to really appreciate the perspective of consumers of the service you are providing. Iv found that using open source tools like proxmox to host your VMs gives you a better feel for how enterprise alternatives work and are configured.

Most of the Network "prophets" say about building from scratch your own Network via virtual lab but what they are not telling you is that issues/troubleshooting in an established Network occur in a live environment and that is what you can't actually learn in a virtual env. How would you? Lab env as soon as are set up, they work flawlessly. My suggestion would be implementing specific scenarios with actual hardware equipment in a test lab like some old Juniper/Ciscos with sfp modules. Packet Tracer cannot emulate a bad SFP, cannot emulate CRC or L2 frame issues. When you are working in a Telco those are the most common problems. We can all be great in virtual implementations but the real world problems require pragmatic solutions.

Virtual labs are great, but remember testing is almost always successful in dev. Therefore, you need to get on a segment of the network that is PROD- like enough to get a full, real-world experience.

Virtual labs offer a risk-free environment for network administration practice, allowing you to experiment freely. You can design complex network topologies, apply security configurations, and simulate various scenarios. Moreover, virtual labs enhance your adaptability, as you can replicate diverse network setups without the constraints of physical equipment. They're also invaluable for exam preparation, enabling you to fine-tune your skills before certification tests. By utilizing tools like GNS3, Packet Tracer, EVE-NG, and VirtualBox, you gain a practical edge in troubleshooting and network management, reducing the learning curve when dealing with actual network issues in your professional career.

Online communities are a great way to develop your skills. You can learn from others who are in the field and may have more/different experiences than you. I relied on online communities a lot, especially when I was just starting out in the field. Eventually you start to build a network of people you can interact with and who can help point you to other good tools and resources.

Se agregar a uma comunidade online é de vital importancia para o profissional tanto para ajuda com problemas do dia a dia quanto para a sua contribui??o para ajudar outros colegas, se ponha sempre no lugar do outro e lembre-se das suas dificuldades no inicio.

Engaging in online network administration communities offers more than just knowledge-sharing; it's a gateway to networking opportunities and professional growth. These platforms not only connect you with experienced practitioners but also expose you to a diverse range of challenges and solutions. By actively participating in discussions and seeking advice on forums like r/networking and Network Engineering, you can refine your troubleshooting skills and stay updated on industry trends. Additionally, these communities often feature job postings, opening doors to career advancement. Building a network within these networks can lead to collaborations, recommendations, and a deeper understanding of the intricacies of network administration.

Yep online communities will help, make sure you don't join too many at once, keep it to one or two and be active there. The way you can help in communities is by just being there and doing basic troubleshooting, and you can ask questions too.

Pertenecer a una comunidad en línea es muy útil ya que conocerás a muchas personas que dominan el tema, a las que les puedes preguntar acerca de problemas que estás presentando en tus laboratorios o dudas acerca de conceptos, para esto no tienes que tener temor de preguntar a alguien que tenga a?os de experiencia en ese tema

Volunteer work is a great. I’ve volunteered for so many networking projects, that colleagues and vendors thought I was part of the networking team. I love network integration and management so it was easy for me to jump in whether I jumped into a project myself or was voluntold. Eventually, I was pulled into every network security project as a SME and got my own team, who I was able to teach and lend as resources to network security projects.

Pour grandir il faut savoir se mettre au service des autres. C'est en forgeant qu'on devient forgeron. L'idée première n'est pas de gagner de l'argent mais d'acquérir une bonne expérience pratique à petite échelle qui sera capitale pour les gros projets. Cela développe aussi l'envie d'apporter un plus chaque jour et une certaine auto satisfaction.

Volunteering for network administration projects is a two-fold opportunity. It not only lets you gain practical experience but also offers a chance to give back and make a difference. When working with local organizations or through online platforms like Catchafire, you can apply your skills to real-world scenarios, troubleshooting issues, and implementing solutions. This hands-on involvement is invaluable for honing your technical abilities and problem-solving acumen. Furthermore, volunteering showcases your commitment to potential employers and helps you grow your professional network. It's a win-win situation, allowing you to enrich your skillset while contributing to the betterment of your community or causes you're passionate about.

Volunteering for projects is great start. Learning the base skills will allow you to identify additional opportunities that may exist. The knowledge that you gain may be used and applied immediately in your projects. A good practice that helps strengthen your understanding is writing design docs, and start including networking diagrams. This documentation is paramount and will identify gaps in understanding.

Trabalho voluntário com uma boa causa é sensacional, você aprende contribuindo. Além de se sentir feliz em ajudar você se sente útil. Exelente alternativa pra se manter atializado na prática.

I'm someone that doesn't like the certification route, it's a good thing if someone else is paying but if you're on your own I'd steer clear from these, instead build projects, try your best to be verbose give more info, document little things.

If working for an MSP or services company, there’s a good chance you have access to free training. Microsoft learning, Watchguard, Datto, etc are a few vendors with great training videos,certs along with literature. I also recommend all my techs watch/learn the sales training from vendors to understand how and what features of the products they are selling are going to operate and accomplish in the customers environment. While this may be very basic, it’s a great start to get your feet wet and work your way into more challenging tasks. Don’t forget to be very detailed and thorough. When starting more difficult tasks it’s possible to be off by just one number in a notation and everything can break.

Certifications. Almost every vendor offers free certifications. Cisco has most of the CCNA training "hiding" in their free network certification tracks

Obtener una certificación es la culminación de todo el esfuerzo y sacrificio que hiciste en conocer acerca de redes y después aplicarlas, si tiene un alto precio, pero es algo que el mercado laboral actual solicita para poder aplicar a un trabajo en esta área. Lo mejor es ahorrar o buscar algun cupón de descuento y así poder obtener esa certificación que tanto se desea.

Some of certifications can be received for free - from well-known vendors, like Cisco, Fortinet. It is a good point to start. Also certification it is a way to understand standarts, best practices, real use cases.

Keeping up with new innovations and technology is a must. I’ve always made sure to dedicate a good amount of time to reading cyber and tech news, watching videos on new and emerging tech, and following SMEs in the field on social media. Understanding new developments is important when it come to developing skills and mastering your craft. Otherwise you’ll be relying on our dates (and possibly insecure) methods of network administration.

Para manter habilidades de administra??o de rede atualizadas, acompanhe tendências como virtualiza??o, SD-WAN, seguran?a cibernética, IoT, edge computing, 5G, automa??o, aprendizado de máquina, containers e ciberseguran?a; Fique atento às mudan?as na arquitetura de rede, conectividade de alta velocidade, novas tecnologias e regulamenta??es de seguran?a; Engajamento em comunidades, participa??o em eventos e buscar por certifica??es s?o essenciais para acompanhar a evolu??o constante neste campo.

A lot depends upon what type of learner you are. I learn from doing and have friends who spend time in labs and others who get more from books. I'd give a fairly controversial suggestion - documentation, especially change control. Proper change control forces you to consider exactly what you want to do and how you want to do it. In the networking world we often just make a change then tweak and tweak until it does what we want. Change control has you document the change (usually without the opportunity to tweak and tinker). If you can't put it on paper and have it function the first time you haven't really got a handle on the solution. If you get good at change control it should ultimately be a copy - paste - done!

Don't overlook old devices. While practicing with virtual devices is valuable, there's some tasks which aren't possible on a virtual device, or the process is significantly different. Things like upgrading device software or password recovery processes. Although newer devices are typically quite expensive, often times older devices, which still run somewhat recent software versions, can be bought for very affordable prices on marketplaces like eBay, or even picked up locally on services like OfferUp.

Read Documentation and Manuals: Familiarize yourself with the documentation of networking equipment from various vendors. Cisco, Juniper, and others provide comprehensive documentation for their products. Manuals and documentation are often freely available on vendors' websites.

Find a mentor. Network administration/engineering is an extremely broad topic which is comprised of many subtopics. It's impossible to know everything. It's more important to learn how an experienced network engineer thinks when he or she designs, implements, or troubleshoots a solution. A few years of experience under a good mentor can be extremely valuable. Try to find junior network admin or junior network engineer roles at mid-to-large sized companies and learn everything you can from your seniors.

Self-Study: Online Resources: There are numerous free online resources, tutorials, and documentation available on websites, forums, and YouTube. Platforms like Cisco's Learning Network, Juniper Networks' Junos Genius, and Microsoft Learn offer free resources for learning network technologies. E-books: Many books on network administration and certification exam prep can be found for free or at low cost in digital formats or at your local library. Home Lab: Create a home lab using old or inexpensive network equipment. You can practice setting up routers, switches, firewalls, and servers in a safe environment. Use virtualization software like VirtualBox or VMware Player to set up virtual networks on your computer.

Good practical experience of team management on network may be the good way to develop your network administration skills. There exists many many complicated urgent cases beyond your current knowledge of network.