5 Reasons You Shouldn't Become a Network Engineer | CCNA | Information Technology

NetworkChuck Technology Careers Career & Money

About this video

In a light-hearted countdown filmed with his wife Abby, NetworkChuck lists five downsides of being a network engineer — while making clear he still thinks people should become one. Reason 5 is never stopping talking about IT, especially when family members in IT get together and ignore everyone else. Reason 4 is leaving gear everywhere: phones, cords, computers, servers, routers and switches filling closets, and at a former apartment phones wired in every room. Reason 3 is always studying, particularly early on for the CCNA and CCNP; he describes taking certification guidebooks to family occasions, doing flashcards, and using the Pomodoro method of 25 minutes focused study and five-minute breaks, which interrupted family conversations. Reason 2 is the internet randomly stopping because he tinkers at home, swapping routers or trying pfSense; he recounts shorting an apartment’s electricity in Paris on the first night with his American-plug lab, and spending about three hours trying to fix his parents’ DSL connection that needed PPPoE authentication after he messed with it. Reason 1 is maintenance weekends: windows promised as a couple of hours routinely run until 6 a.m., ruining weekends. Abby’s upside is that IT pays well, and a family member adds that the field could change within ten years, which Chuck answers by saying it has always changed and continuous learning is the protection.

Key takeaways

Downsides are presented through his wife Abby’s experience of the job
Constant IT talk and gear/closets of equipment spill into home life
Certification study is ongoing; he used 25-minute Pomodoro sessions with 5-minute breaks
Home tinkering repeatedly broke internet/electricity, including in Paris and at his parents’ house
Maintenance windows routinely overrun; pay is cited as the major upside

Episode details: published December 19, 2018 · 16:42 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are NetworkChuck’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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