Quote:
| Originally Posted by MSYoung After leaving Avaya I worked for an Avaya Business Partner for a few years. All the current switches are IP based systems so you have to work on networks to install them, and I have seen all sorts of IT departments.
Everything from embracing it to raising the drawbridge and guarding the gates with swords and cannon.
It has been my experience that it is easier to know telecom and learn data than the other way around. Nowadays most all data hardware is connected with either an Ethernet patch cord or a fiber. All the work is software internals. Not every phone is a single pair phone nor is every phone an IP phone.
You want to see a deer-in-the-headlights expression, give a data guy a punch tool and tell him to punch one phone down on the second and third pair, the next phone on the first and third pair, another phone on the first and fourth pair, etc. Then tell him that the T1 goes on the first and second pair, but if it doesn't come up he might have to roll it.
We have the easy part, data guys have the hard part.
As far as job hunting, any company will publish their want list for the ideal employee but they will take the closest match for the job that walks in the door. If a person applies that actually does have all the certificates, he/she probably won't get the job because they will ask for too much money. |
I totally know what you mean about the data guys. Not taking anything away from them but about a year ago, a big customer of ours got bought out. The Main headquarters decided to replace our system with a CISCO Call Manager with a Contact Center solution. To do this they wanted to implement a gradual change and connect the 2 systems together thru QSIG or just regular T-1. For some reason their in house telecom guys didnt know how the wiring on a T-1 was supposed to be and was getting a Loss of signal on the card. I told him 9 times out of 10 there is a cable issue of some sort with an LOS. I took the time to go there and low and behold there were 2 Cisco CCIE guys scratching their heads wondering why it wasnt working. I fixed the problem within 5 minutes and started making calls soon after back and forth. One of the Cisco guys told me that he is strictly programming and that the cabling pin outs he knows were on a patch cable. After that day I felt better knowing that I know my job very well and also know a lot of networking as well... I think I need to get a raise after I think about it. I am one up on the IT people.
