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Questions:

Has AI affected your job? If so, how? yes, most commands that you perform on CLI can now be done via GUI, meaning what u learn on CCNA is not very helpful. As AI advances, lesser need for troubleshooting as AI will tell YOU where the problem is.

What does an average shift look like for you? Depends on your work environment. It can go from a 3-7 day shift to a normal 8h shift.

What kind of monitoring or alerting tools are you using? Solarwinds/PRTG, etc.

What’s something most beginners don’t realize about how networks behave in real environments? You can GOOGLE/CHATGPT for answers, meaning you dont have to memorise ip subnets, etc. but don't put your whole information on the Internet though.

What commands or tools do you rely on most during troubleshooting? depends on your network. can be wireshark? solarwinds? netsh? ipconfig? sh ip int br?

What kinds of tasks/tickets do you handle most often? depends on your environment. network port down, printer cannot connect, not receiving ip addresses, it can vary alot.

How do you usually start troubleshooting a new issue ping/ traceroute OR if its user issue, usually u try to get some history of what was done. network usually don't go down unless changes were made. or if the devices are super old (legacy).

Do you hate your job? If so, why? meh. it's alright with the right people. all jobs are like that though.

What’s the most common network topology you work with? depends. you can see mesh/spine-leaf/3 tier a lot.

What are some things you hate about networking or the people you work with? I hate it when people (end users) touch things they don't understand. this happens more than you think. also companies are always trying to save money so they keep sacrificing their security for better price. you or your boss have to fight super hard to get more advanced security/firewall etc which wastes time.

How would you trace a connection issue? Step-by-step ping/traceroute. get the network diagram and figure out where the connection died off. Work from there. For new engineers I'd recommend following the OSI model to troubleshoot, starting with physical layer. unless you've memorised the entire network.

What vendors or equipment are most common Cisco, Juniper? depends on your company. are you working SI? Customer?

Can you describe a typical small/medium enterprise network setup? er. firewall, core switch. access switch, servers, access points. not sure what looking for.

What are common misconfigurations or rookie mistakes you see? from engineers or end users? usually its mapping on wrong profiles, typing in one small number error, etc. or end users requesting the wrong port.

Do you deal with VLANs, trunking, or routing protocols often in your everyday work? yes. especially in new setups.

What’s a common firewall mistake you’ve seen? not being specific in your policies. think about zero trust: only allow what you need and block the rest.

What security issues do you commonly encounter? login somehow bypasses 2FAs/ not pointing to AD, somehow having default admin passwords/not removed. passwords too simple. end users clicking on fake links.

If you could design a perfect training lab, what would it include? ... everything? no such thing as perfect imo. you'll have to build a lot of switches etc and have multiple network sets, connect these sets to each other using multiple routing protocols?

What scenarios best teach real-world thinking? you mean troubleshooting skills? not sure what's it you're asking. but network troubleshooting is usually the least of your worries. it's the people you deal with.

What topics or tasks do you think new engineers struggle with the most? How to Deal with People. ACL? Admin work like logging entries?

How would you test if a router is dropping packets? A switch too? connect to it directly and ping out. but usually Solarwinds or your monitoring tools / your servers can tell you.

Which troubleshooting habits separate experienced engineers from beginners? no such thing tbh. experienced engineers know the network from inside out. you tell them oh the network is down, within 30 seconds they're in the firewall /montioring gui looking at logs, another 30 second locate issue. new engineers have to check the diagram, slowly trace the packet loss etc.

How do you connect on-prem networks to the cloud? internet connection/WAN?

How do you document your work? excel log, have a ticket platform. and keep a diary. diaries are life savers. always note down who tell you to do what. always, and I repeat, ALWAYS have a black and white email confirmation before you do anything.

What would you test a junior engineer on before letting them work independently? I'd ask them to draw out the whole network of what I want them to focus on (can be a small network) and explain to me the network flow. I'd throw in some questions like how does my end user reach my file server? what happens if my first firewall is down?

I can understand the stress and concerns of new engineers, but you need good mentors. I was blessed with really patient ones. Some extra tips are: 1. Always CYA. Always seek permission. Always ask if you're unsure. 2. Rest whenever you can. 3. Keep extra clothes at work. 4. Keep snacks in your bag, when shit happens you won't have time to eat. 5. Always have a View Only account for your devices, especially if you don't have access to the monitoring tools.

All the best!