Will work for packets
After nearly two years working as a US defense contractor in Iraq, I've decided it's time to move on. The traditional course of action at this point would be to touch up my resume and distribute it among the popular IT job portals. However, since Packet Life has grown pretty popular, I wanted to see if I can use it to attract potential employers lurking in the audience.
So, I've written this post as a very informal notice that I'm looking for new work. Could your organization use an unusually motivated network engineer? Or perhaps an in-house instructor who laughs in the face of "adequate" study material? What about an amateur blogger who sits in a dark corner of the office crafting cheat sheets all hours of the day and night? How about all three? If so, I'm your man!
What I'm Looking For
I've always felt that networking is far too interesting for an engineer to be confined to some narrow aspect of the field. Ideally I'd like to secure a position which encompasses at least two of the following roles:
- General network engineering for an enterprise or service provider
- Network design/documentation
- Network security planning/operations
- Formal instruction of peers or customers
- Packet analysis
- Pre/post-sales consultation
- Voice (not much experience here but I'm a quick learner)
Skill level: Seeking a senior-level, non-management position.
Location: I'm free to relocate at will. While I would prefer North America, Europe, or Australia, I am willing to relocate just about anywhere (but not Antarctica).
Compensation: My goal is 120-150K USD if employed in a major metro area. Of course this is a soft goal and will vary significantly depending on the nature of the position and the area of employment.
Start date: Looking to start late February through March.
What I Can Do For Your Company
Networking is more than a career for me. The Internet has fascinated me since a young age and continues to do so, and that passion directly contributes to my drive and skill as a network engineer. I have never been content knowing only what I do at a given moment, and I find myself constantly seeking to improve even trivial aspects of the networks in my charge.
Rather than regurgitate here the normal manifest of skills (this can be found in my resume), I offer a brief overview of what I bring with me:
- Extremely self-motivated and attentive to detail
- Six years of working experience in data networking, primarily maintaining US DoD networks
- Seasoned in research and documentation (see my blog articles)
- Very accustomed to network lab construction and evaluation, both physical and virtual
- Currently pursuing my CCIE in Routing & Switching (written exam has been scheduled for January, will take the lab shortly thereafter)
- Active SECRET clearance, inactive TS/SSBI (expires March 2010)
Contact Me
If you think I'd be a good fit at your organization, please contact me at stretch at packetlife.net (or use the contact form, which works just as well). I have prepared a very general resume, but am also happy to provide tailored revisions for specific positions if approached. Additionally, my work experience is further detailed on my LinkedIn profile.
About the Author
Jeremy Stretch is a freelance networking consultant, instructor, and the maintainer of PacketLife.net. He currently lives in Fairfax, VA on the edge of the Washington, DC metro area. Although primarily an R&S guy, he likes to get into everything, and runs a free Cisco lab out of his basement for fun. You can contact him by email or follow him on Twitter.
Comments
I've recently been through the hiring process here in Melbourne (AU) and I can tell you first hand that people with your skill sets are VERY few and far between. Unless things have changed in the past 8 weeks - I'm sure you'll have no issues finding something anywhere in the world! (but my vote is for somewhere in AU, this place is awesome, just watch out for that nasty Internet filter coming our way soon!) ;)
GL mate, i would tell you to look for a job in Portugal ( nice folks food and weather ) but hard to get a job with that level of compensation.
Good luck stretch. Only a tiny fraction of people who work in IT have any kind of passion for it.
Hi GPLama,
As a highly skilled foreigner, is it hard to get a work permit in AU? I assume you need to find a company to hire you in advance and then their HR department takes care of all the legal stuff for you. Are companies really prepared to take this risk?
Good luck! Just make sure that you wait a little and don't jump at the first offer and definitely don't take the position if you are having second thoughts after the interview.
Best regards.
So you will work for packets? We'll hire you, please specify which types of packets you require and we'll type something up. :)
Don't like the SOFA, so it's time to get out???
Thanks everyone for the tips and well wishes!
And @mubix: that's packets of cash. Preferably small bills with nonsequential serial numbers.
I'd be absolutely shocked if you don't hit the upper end of your target salary in just about any metro area, in fairly short time. Especially if you will have sat the CCIE written by the time you're hired, double points after lab. With your experience alone, 120k is an easy get here in DFW TX. But someone like you also needs something to keep engaged with, so don't just chase money, makes sure the employer's IT folks have 1/10th the passion for IT you do and you'll probably be happy. I agree @AlexC, skilled folks who love this stuff are few and far between.
Good luck! Budgets are tight, but with your skills and experience you should have no problem getting your due in quite a few larger markets.
Make sure you hookup with at least one "good" tech recruiter in any cities you decide to target your search toward. Even if they don't place you in a role, they often have intimate knowledge of the companies in their area that would be in the market for a high-end network guy, and can give you insights you won't find on Monster or Dice--not to mention hook you up with positions that aren't advertised anywhere. I've gotten more mileage out of my recruiting contacts than I ever have from passive searching by responding to advertisements. I also applaud your use of your blog to seek out opportunities... Packetlife is the best evidence anybody could have of their dedication to this stuff.
...and it is fun, isn't it? :)
Good luck, stretch! Your qualifications are truly outstanding, and I hope you find a fun and satisfying (both in the work and the pay!) job. :)
All the best Stretch! I hope you find the position you're looking for, it will have to be pretty special to keep you interested though!
Hire This Man!
PS. That $120K - $150K is per month right?!
Best of luck to you in hunting for a job! If any potential employers have questions about your qualifications just show them some of the challenges you've written up and you'll be a shoe-in.
Skilled IT workers are recognised in demand in Australia by the Australian Government so getting a visa to work shouldn't be too much of an issue.
GL Jeremy!!
I don't know why but I have a hidden fear that your new job might not lead to the shutting down of packetlife.net. I love this blog & would never want to see it shutting down.
Good Luck
I really appreciate your knowledge and input in the world of networking and I usually visit your site on a daily basis. I'm a transitional phase myself. Just renewed my ccna, in oct and working on finishing my ccnp (two exams to go) I'll keep my ear to the ground.
Tarun, anyone in stretch's position should be able to negotiate non-standard items such as blogging. Most people don't even bother trying, but if you are good at what you do then you can get them to negotiate in a lot of areas in addition to salary, for instance vacation time, blogging as it relates to who owns the intellectual property, blogging as it relates to permissibility, contributing to open source projects, etc. Make sure to get any non-standard arrangements formally documented!
Hey Stretch,
Congratulations on a successful tour of duty and a transition to civilian life. I stumbled onto your site many many months ago and have enjoyed it imensely. I lived in your neck of the woods for over three years, but I think I had a better deal than you. I lived in Bahrain. Anyhoo, I'm in San Diego now, work for a company called the Systems Technology Forum LTD. I support the Space and Naval Warfare Command, Systems Center. I was one of the first ones to take VoIP out to sea, just to name one of my many experients. Do you like satellites? I'm working on stuff now that has never been done. Interested? Give me a shout via e-mail so we can share contact information and talk shop. If I don't hear from you, good luck with your quests as I'm sure your going to do something good, somewhere...........
V/R,
Ronald M. Arrendale
Hey strech, I'll hire you, I am sure you wont like that pay and you probably be really bored but hey..... Its not antartica!
:)
Stretch,
Good to see your still hitting the network world running. If you want to stay in the .mil world, I would suggest checking with SAIC and L-3 if you have a preference toward staying international, or even want a better listing of CONUS areas. They are probably your best bets for your finanical and location preferences. There are other companies I know that might be able applicable to you if I dig through my archives, if your interested drop me a line.
Best Wishes,
Joe Perez
I don't think you should have any problems finding a good job. You are the Man!
If you're not already in the lovely state of Virginia, you should try looking here. Northrop, SAIC, and Lockheed are well represented here in Hampton Roads. Plenty of others up north and a lot of tech companies in Richmond.
I am talking to our HR to see if we are looking for another tier 2+/3 guy.
Job is great. You will love it here. Already have 4-5 CCIE's in the house.
Located in Warwick, Rhode Island
If you post to the Cisco LAN/WAN Engineer job on the website someone will start looking at you (althought im working it from the inside).
Cheers,
Mitch
Best of Luck Stretch! The work you done is wonderful. I would say Try Australia and you gona love it. Work Environment great Salary Six Figure (100,000 Guarantee AUS$). Hope You Would Love Aussie Girls if you are single and look your Soul mate.
Try http://www.jobserve.com.au as well
Sunny (Cisco Junky)
With all due respect - especially with this economy, I would not expect to get a senior-level position with only two years of experience and a blog. Best of luck to you however. You do a good job with this site.
And definitely not at 120-150k ;)
@Anonymous: Actually I already have a) a senior-level position which b) pays more than what I'm looking for. Remember that there are far more interesting opportunities out there than generic 9 to 5 office work.
Again, with all due respect, you're comparing apples and oranges here. Overseas positions (namely government contract work) in hazardous conditions will pay much more than the average engineering/support role, because of the simple fact that they are in hazardous conditions. I do agree with your interesting opportunities point, but, a word to the wise - you ought to set more realistic expectations when it comes to employment after your term in Iraq is done.
With all that being said, since you're open to relocation and aren't tied down anywhere, you do have a HUGE "opportunity footprint," so to speak. Again, you've done a hell of a job with this site, you seem incredibly motivated, and there's no reason why you shouldn't get what you're after - all I'm saying is don't be too bummed out if it doesn't come sooner than you'd hoped. Just trying to give some advice, because I've been there.
Best wishes, and a preemptive welcome home. :)
Someone who has 20 years of experience doesn't mean he can get the job done nicely. In the IT world, your skill gets old very quickly. If you don't have the motivation to learn more on a daily basis, you are outdated no mater how many years of experience you have. If you are a motivated individual and have 5 years of working experience, you are in a good position to land a nice job.
As Jimbo elaborated: Someone could have lots more years of so-called experience. It's not the years, it's the "experience." Stretch is very knowledgeable, realistic, and insightful concerning his capabilities. He not only offers all of the attributes others have stated, he possesses soft skills beyond the normal 3rd level tech. I'm sure he's evaluated his skill sets and their market value. Go for what your worth Stretch!
WITH DUE RESPECT TO ALL
HI Guys don't let Stretch hope down and don't get jealous. You Keep it up Stretch you will get there very soon.
It says "One Bad Fish make dirty the whole Pool"
I always says "Be Positive Even If your Blood Group Is Negative"
All the Best Stretch
Sunny (Cisco Junky)
Hey Stretch,
Your infamous once again! I just saw your handle referenced in this month's IEEE Computer magazine! Article name is: "Honor Among Thieves," David Alan Grier, page 14. Your prowess and Uber Geek cache is world-class indeed!
Love the site updates, and you should really start your own consulting business! You're way too skilled to be making someone else rich!
Ciao,
Chris
Good luck mate, if you're looking for a position in Australia try looking on www.seek.com.au
They started out as job site for IT but have since branched to other sectors as well, worth a look though.