By Jeanne du Plessis

Today, life is all about communication and connectivity, both in the business world and in our personal lives. This is made possible by computer networks, collections of connected computers and devices that allow users to communicate and share resources. Networks can be home networks, enterprise networks or Internet Service Providers (ISP) networks, and each type of network has its own challenges. Within networking there are several fields of specialization, including routing & switching, ISPs, security, Voice-over-Internet Protocol and wireless. As networks expand and increase in complexity, specialists are needed to design, implement and maintain them. This is where the information technology professionals known as network engineers come in.

Network Engineers basically design networks. This involves everything from drawings of the network to suggesting the location of the server rooms in a building. Job duties include allocating back-up power supplies where needed, consulting companies for pricing on the implementation of the design and integrating networks with installed systems.

Christo Kleu is a young and rather impressive network engineer. At the age of 25, he already has a remarkable list of qualifications and work experience behind him. Christo was always interested in the Internet and how it was connected, and he turned this interest into a lucrative and promising career.

After completing his computer engineering degree, Christo went on to work for Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in Internet networking and one of the world’s biggest technology corporations. “My work at Cisco involved the design, implementation, documentation and optimisation of various networks. As I started off as an inexperienced engineer, the biggest part of my daily routine consisted of documentation while learning about the technologies, development tools and project hierarchies. I also had the opportunity to work in North Carolina for three months, where I worked in one of Cisco Systems’ Technical Assistant Centres,” Christo explains. An average day at Cisco included

To be successful in this field, technical interest and knowledge is essential and the ability to work independently as well as in a group is important. Good communication skills and confidence are vital for working with customers, and the ability to work well under pressure will certainly help. Christo warns that the learning curve may be steep in this career and you may be thrown into the deep end at times, but insists that the working environment is enjoyable nonetheless. He recalls: “At Cisco we normally had at least 15 minutes of table-tennis every day where we could discuss our current projects, but mostly just to have a bit of fun. Stressful occasions do arise, when the deadlines from different projects start to get close together.”

Christo is very positive about this career, citing the great work environment and excellent prospects for career advancement as perks of network engineering. “There’s always room for further improvement, especially with all the extra Cisco qualifications that you can obtain,” he affirms. (Christo himself already has several.) He continues, “As a network engineer, you can work anywhere that you want – but I’ll stay in South Africa for the time being. A lot of work opportunities will arise with all of the current network upgrades from both ISPs and cellular networks.”

Currently, Christo is lecturing at the University of Pretoria part-time. “I decided to go back to university to further my education, as I wanted to distinguish myself from other candidates. Working as a part-time lecturer gives me more free time to focus on my studies,” he explains.

Whichever path you choose to follow, Christo advises, “Stay focused, get qualified and enjoy yourself. Make sure that the career path that you follow is something that you enjoy, and not something that you’ve chosen because of above average remuneration.”