The Cisco Learning Network

In continuing our series “Women in Tech” in honor of International Women’s Month, Learning and Certifications Marketing Specialist Stef Garraffa spoke with Network Engineer Riikka Sihvonen to discuss career development in the networking field. Together, the two discuss Riikka’s career journey, and the role that professional networking plays in career growth. Riikka holds numerous professional and specialist certifications and has well over 12 years of experience in design, implementation, and support.

In this installment of our series for International Women’s Month, we’re speaking with Denise Donohue – Business Architect, Cisco Press Author, and Cisco Certified CCIE holder since the early 2000s. Denise speaks with Learning and Certifications’ Marketing Manager Stef Garraffa about her experiences facing gender bias throughout the span of her thirty-year career. She also provides her advice for others who may be facing gender bias in their own careers.

Join Par Merat as she chats with trailblazing women in networking. They share challenges, milestones, and the role of certifications in their careers. Listen to empowering stories and valuable guidance for women in tech.

“It took me quite a while to understand that it was about the mindset, too. It was about how do you handle, for instance, anxiety?” That’s what Principle Engineer David Peñaloza’s advice is to people who are interested in passing the Cisco Certified Design Expert, or CCDE certification. David recently passed this expert-level exam and shared his story with Cisco Learning Network Community Manager Matt Saunders in this episode. He shares valuable lessons learned throughout his journey, including how to best prepare, the personal challenges he faced, and how to enjoy and live in the moment. https://blogs.cisco.com/learning/the-journey-to-ccde-a-personal-story

Learn about the new Cisco Multi-Cloud Specialist Certifications, including the importance of cloud architecture and security, the concept of zero trust, and the different domains covered in the certifications. Explore the learning paths and resources available, and how these certifications align with existing tracks in the industry.

“Why should I study this, if the Cloud is going to replace us all anyways?” is a question that is frequently asked these days, and has actually become a running joke in the industry. What’s driving this discussion, and what truth is there to that question? In this episode, we’re kicking off a new series with Cisco Learning Network Community Manager Matt Saunders and Lead Tech Advocate Kareem Iskander asking, “What’s the deal with?” about certain topics in tech, starting with impact of the Cloud in today’s job market. To find out more about Cisco’s Cloud Certification portfolio that Matt and Kareem discussed, check out this link: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/s/multicloud-specialist-certification-prep To find more study materials and courses that can help you propel your career, check out Cisco U. https://u.cisco.com/

How can software engineers acquire network engineering skills to stay competitive in today’s job market? That’s exactly what Senior Software Engineer Colin Lacy discusses with Community Manager Matt Saunders and Lead Tech Advocate Kareem Iskander. Listen in to find helpful courses and resource recommendations to further your career in software, and to begin branching out into the networking field. And be sure to check out the Binary Game on the Cisco Learning Network that Colin, Matt, and Kareem mentioned: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/s/binary-game

"And then I was enough to be dangerous.” That’s Colin Lacy, Senior Software Engineer at Cisco. On this episode of the Cisco Learning Podcast, he sat down with Community Manager Matt Saunders and Lead Tech Advocate Kareem Iskander to speak about his career journey, how software engineers should learn the skill sets of a network engineer, and why it's important to do so.

If you don't burn for a topic yourself, you can't ignite the fire in others. That’s what Network Engineer Christian Kellerer has learned throughout his CCIE journey. Hear the rest of Christian’s story told to community manager Matt Saunders and Cisco VIP Micheline Murphy. Christian recounts his experience of taking the CCNP and the CCIE certification exams, discusses how he prepared, and what surprise challenges emerged.

“If you want to get certified, start low.” This was the advice Network Engineer Christian Kellerer received from his mentor when he was getting started in his career. Listen in as Christian tells the story of his CCIE journey to community manager Matt Saunders and Cisco VIP Micheline Murphy – a story that, while remarkable – can be used as a model for others interested in earning their CCIE.