Network pros share Cisco DevNet certification advice

As networking evolves, so too do network roles and interactions with developer teams. While Wee stressed that network architects don’t need to become coders, she said they must be able to communicate with coders in a language that incorporates developer concepts, such as Ansible, CI/CD, DevOps and GitHub. Once those concepts become part of their vocabulary, network pros can better architect and solve problems for mission-critical situations, she added.

Greenaway agreed, maintaining that network pros should know how to code basic runbook automation. While high-level languages, like Python or C+, aren’t always necessary, it’s beneficial for network folks to understand Ansible, RESTCONF, NETCONF or Terraform, he said.

But this transition requires a purposeful shift in mindset, culture and even career goals. For years, the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certification has been the most prestigious achievement in networking, said Raheel Maqsood, systems engineer of BT Channel Sales at Cisco, who passed the DevNet Associate exam in the fall and is now preparing for the DevNet Specialization in DevOps. Network pros may change their priorities as they consider DevNet certification to bridge the gap between networking and software development, he said.

Krimmel had similar sentiments, suggesting that networking newcomers should pursue the DevNet Associate exam right after the Cisco Certified Network Associate exam. While some of the more advanced skills in CCIE or Cisco Certified Network Professional exams may not transfer to every networking job, automation is useful for almost any network environment, he said.

Cartlidge is one network pro who saw his expected trajectory toward a CCIE certification shift to focus on automation and programming. He had gone into networking specifically to avoid software engineering but realized he needed to invest in those skills as networking evolved. Although his first encounter with Python made him wonder if he’d ever understand it, he said he decided to embrace the challenge rather than run away from it. In May 2020, he passed the Associate exam.

“The biggest high point is when it all clicks, when you can engage with someone who’s not even from networking — like a software developer — and talk with him. Before that, knowledge was siloed,” Cartlidge said.

Each network pro emphasized how learning DevNet concepts gave them the ability and confidence to work with developer teams. But it also proved to be one of the biggest challenges to overcome. Bogarín acknowledged the transition can seem intimidating because networking people typically don’t like to do software development, and Krimmel said he sometimes found the process of learning software concepts depressing and mentally taxing.

But both Bogarín and Krimmel said learning software development enabled them to become a bridge between networking and developer teams.

“Now, at my customers, I can speak to DevOps folks and server teams because I learned this interface of how they interact with their tools,” Krimmel said.