Any telecom engineers/technicians? Advice needed.
Discussion
I've been in the telecom business for the past 10 years starting out doing LOS then walktrials, site inspection and presently I'm auditing a major network upgrade. The current contract I'm working on finishes in March 2011 and if nothing comes in to replace it then I will most likely be made redundant so I'd like to improve my skills to give me a fighting chance should the worst happen.
The problem is that my skills are pretty basic, Andrew connector attachment, Anritsu site master, various fall arrest test and inspection skills and the usual climbing certificates. None of this is really a great deal of use when looking for other jobs however over the past couple of years I've been doing a lot of work with the Nokia Flexi BTS, again nothing ground breaking but I know my way around the modules and how one should be installed.
I'm now thinking that it would be a good idea to do a proper training course such as the Flexi WCDMA BTS Installation; Commissioning; Operation, Administration and Maintenance as well as something similar with Ericsson equipment. Unfortunately I can't find anywhere that does these courses beyond the NSN academy but they don't appear to be running any in the foreseeable future and I don't even know if they take individuals or whether I would need to be sent by my employer.
So in a nutshell how should I move my career forward, would training be worthwhile and if so what specific areas should I be looking at and where should I be looking for suitable training courses?
The problem is that my skills are pretty basic, Andrew connector attachment, Anritsu site master, various fall arrest test and inspection skills and the usual climbing certificates. None of this is really a great deal of use when looking for other jobs however over the past couple of years I've been doing a lot of work with the Nokia Flexi BTS, again nothing ground breaking but I know my way around the modules and how one should be installed.
I'm now thinking that it would be a good idea to do a proper training course such as the Flexi WCDMA BTS Installation; Commissioning; Operation, Administration and Maintenance as well as something similar with Ericsson equipment. Unfortunately I can't find anywhere that does these courses beyond the NSN academy but they don't appear to be running any in the foreseeable future and I don't even know if they take individuals or whether I would need to be sent by my employer.
So in a nutshell how should I move my career forward, would training be worthwhile and if so what specific areas should I be looking at and where should I be looking for suitable training courses?
Edited by Arnold The Bat on Monday 6th September 21:51
Nsn does not take individuals. The telco market for engineers/technicians is shrinking,nsn,e///,huawei,etc. are selling bigger devices (capacity) and this in turn will need fewer persons to maintain. If you feel that your current skills are below other colleagues i think is time to jump ship.
I'm in a similar position within another area that does not require physical presence so i could be easily made redundant. Hopefully i can get another year out of mine.
T
I'm in a similar position within another area that does not require physical presence so i could be easily made redundant. Hopefully i can get another year out of mine.
T
I design solutions for contact centres, the physical side is very limited and is mostly termination into the DC and is provided by the telco.
The technology I see a lot of is all voip enterprise. I'm a Cisco man but Avaya seem to be doing well and for some applications Genesys. My recommendation would be to be looking at CCNA (networking) and head towards CCVP and CCIE certification. It's not a shoe in but your telecoms experience is going to help from a certain point of view.
It's really more of a software/server/networking than traditional telecoms work but an understanding of the basics of telecoms is useful when compared against the pure network guys in the industry.
The technology I see a lot of is all voip enterprise. I'm a Cisco man but Avaya seem to be doing well and for some applications Genesys. My recommendation would be to be looking at CCNA (networking) and head towards CCVP and CCIE certification. It's not a shoe in but your telecoms experience is going to help from a certain point of view.
It's really more of a software/server/networking than traditional telecoms work but an understanding of the basics of telecoms is useful when compared against the pure network guys in the industry.
Thank you both for the advice it's much appreciated. The CCNA seems quite interesting so I will research that a little further. A quick look on google suggests finding a training course shouldn't be difficult so is there anything to look out for when choosing a course, for instance are there many shysters out there who will take my money but leave me with a worthless qualification?
There are lots of options out there, I found some interesting stuff on ebay recently.
Self taught, remote learning and classroom/bootcamp are the most common options. They do assume a certain level of pre-knowledge as well (understanding sub net masks and the 7 layer OSI model for example).
We use Global Knowledge, not cheap (but then I'm not paying!)
Self taught, remote learning and classroom/bootcamp are the most common options. They do assume a certain level of pre-knowledge as well (understanding sub net masks and the 7 layer OSI model for example).
We use Global Knowledge, not cheap (but then I'm not paying!)
I did my CCNA in 2007 just using a book, at that time the test could be passed without on-hands experience, don't know now, I have to present the exam again as it has expired. Having said that I would suggest hands on experience either with a course or by buying old switches and routers, then build your own network.
I have a few friends that have followed the networking and designing path and they are doing well but you must know that is a crowded market.
I've also have heard that VOIP Cisco certifications could be in demand in the following years.
T
I have a few friends that have followed the networking and designing path and they are doing well but you must know that is a crowded market.
I've also have heard that VOIP Cisco certifications could be in demand in the following years.
T
Arnold The Bat said:
I've been in the telecom business for the past 10 years starting out doing LOS then walktrials, site inspection and presently I'm auditing a major network upgrade. The current contract I'm working on finishes in March 2011 and if nothing comes in to replace it then I will most likely be made redundant so I'd like to improve my skills to give me a fighting chance should the worst happen.
The problem is that my skills are pretty basic, Andrew connector attachment, Anritsu site master, various fall arrest test and inspection skills and the usual climbing certificates. None of this is really a great deal of use when looking for other jobs however over the past couple of years I've been doing a lot of work with the Nokia Flexi BTS, again nothing ground breaking but I know my way around the modules and how one should be installed.
I'm now thinking that it would be a good idea to do a proper training course such as the Flexi WCDMA BTS Installation; Commissioning; Operation, Administration and Maintenance as well as something similar with Ericsson equipment. Unfortunately I can't find anywhere that does these courses beyond the NSN academy but they don't appear to be running any in the foreseeable future and I don't even know if they take individuals or whether I would need to be sent by my employer.
So in a nutshell how should I move my career forward, would training be worthwhile and if so what specific areas should I be looking at and where should I be looking for suitable training courses?
Have you thought of moving into the rigging world. There is a lot of work about at the moment and possibly for at least the next 2 years with creaking MW networks being upgraded to ethernet.The problem is that my skills are pretty basic, Andrew connector attachment, Anritsu site master, various fall arrest test and inspection skills and the usual climbing certificates. None of this is really a great deal of use when looking for other jobs however over the past couple of years I've been doing a lot of work with the Nokia Flexi BTS, again nothing ground breaking but I know my way around the modules and how one should be installed.
I'm now thinking that it would be a good idea to do a proper training course such as the Flexi WCDMA BTS Installation; Commissioning; Operation, Administration and Maintenance as well as something similar with Ericsson equipment. Unfortunately I can't find anywhere that does these courses beyond the NSN academy but they don't appear to be running any in the foreseeable future and I don't even know if they take individuals or whether I would need to be sent by my employer.
So in a nutshell how should I move my career forward, would training be worthwhile and if so what specific areas should I be looking at and where should I be looking for suitable training courses?
Edited by Arnold The Bat on Monday 6th September 21:51
t encrusted towers in howling wind and rain so I'm rather keen to move away from that and leave it to someone else while I sit in the cabin.Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff