Travelling, remote hands & surprise attacks – becoming a Network Engineer
All my life I’ve been fascinated by computers and everything that has to do with them. The day we got a DSL modem at home woke my interest for this topic. I was completely intrigued by how it was possible to access the entire internet via two simple wires. My curiosity grew and after graduating from the HTL for Electrical Engineering after three-years I decided to learn more about it and start an apprenticeship as a Network Engineer.
The search for an apprenticeship wasn’t easy. In Carinthia apprenticeships for this profession are really rare. When I came across Anexia, I was very impressed by the company and wanted to work and learn there. Although there were no open vacancies for apprentices advertised at that time, I applied unsolicited – according to the motto: “No risk, no reward”. In retrospect, I can recommend this to any prospective apprentice, because it worked. I received an invitation for a job interview and could start an internship. The internship resulted in a probationary period and finally I started my apprenticeship.
Travelling through Scandinavia by car: My tasks
In my job it’s important to be flexible. I noticed that very quickly at Anexia. That means – among other things – that I am travelling around the world a lot. In my third year I was given a very unusual task: driving 600km through Scandinavia by car – from Stockholm in Sweden to Oslo in Norway. I had to do that because we have more than 90 data center locations worldwide and often have to make some minor or major adjustments.
This trip sounds crazy and it was. It also challenged me. Although I started the trip on my own, I always had the full support from my team in Klagenfurt. Thanks to this we were able to complete the changes without larger incidents. It was an incredible experience. And those weren’t the only locations I visited. Apart from the Stockholm-Oslo trip I also travelled to Bratislava, Vienna, Frankfurt, London and Prague.
Of course, I didn’t start with the trip to Scandinavia. Nevertheless, my apprenticeship at Anexia has always been multifaceted and no two days were the same. My tasks included for example setting up new customer systems, fixing hardware bugs on a server or storage, and coordinating remote hands across all Anexia locations. When setting up a new customer system, it’s about creating an interface configuration on a switch and router and synchronizing the whole thing with our monitoring system and the Anexia Engine. The coolest part was, that I got insights into older systems, like Cisco switches as well as routers that were still in use, right from the beginning of my apprenticeship. Meanwhile, Anexia primarily uses Juniper routers and switches. During the last three years I also came across other manufacturers such as Microtik or Extreme.
In addition to all the technical knowledge, I also recommend bringing a Nerf Gun to the office. Like in almost all our Anexia offices, you are not protected from surprise attacks in our department. In the network department everyone is armed to the bone. Most of the Nerf Guns were tuned by me (I already explained that in another blog post).
For me, starting an apprenticeship as a Network Engineer was the best decision I could make. I learned a lot during my apprenticeship and was able to gather countless experiences. The special thing about my team and Anexia in general is the honest and close cooperation. Even if a project doesn’t seem possible, together we always find a way to make it work. I could always count on the support of my team, no matter if it concerns travelling through Scandinavia or my time as apprentice. Team spirit, amazing interpersonal relations and constant learning through challenges, this is what makes me proud to work at Anexia.
Anexia always hires apprentices. Do you also want to get a taste of the world of a Network Engineer? Perhaps with an internship? Apply for one of our job advertisements or apply initiative: