When asked what you wanted to be when you grew up, you probably didn't say a Cisco network engineer. In fact, unless you had a computer geek or an engineer in your family, you probably didn't say an engineer at all. Kids usually want to be things that they see as glamorous models of people who change their world: firefighters, athletes, and even teachers. But as you grow up and start to learn about the way that the world really works, you realize that these aren't the only jobs that shape the world. You start to consider work that's both world-shaping and has duties that actually appeal to you. If you like computers, technology and problem solving, you might consider becoming a Cisco network engineer. And if you do, you might discover that your actions do help to improve the world around you.

The Cisco network engineer resolves computer problems for individuals and businesses that are using Cisco routers. This is a specialized practice but one that is more applicable to the world around you than you might think. Cisco is a brand name, which leads the industry in Internet networking. This means that if you've got computers networked together in a business of any size, there's a good chance that Cisco's technology is part of the system. If you're able to troubleshoot and repair any problems that come up in that network, you can provide an important service that can keep that business up-and-running all throughout the year. In a world that relies on regular communication between computers to keep things running smoothly, this service can affect thousands of people at once.

The job of a Cisco network engineer is to know these systems inside and out. The most common thing that you will do if you get this kind of job is troubleshooting and computer repair. By learning the workings of the system, you'll be able to identify what the problems are as they arise and how to fix them rapidly so that the business can keep its employees productive and its clients happy. But this isn't all that you'll do as a Cisco network engineer. You'll also learn about new technology that is put out by the networking industry so that you can teach people how to incorporate it into their systems. You'll learn how to install, configure and subnet new Cisco routers and switches. Basically, you'll get to spend all day playing with computers. That's a job that more and more kids these days think they might want to have.

So what would you tell a kid who said that they wanted to get this kind of job? In other words, how do you become a Cisco network engineer? Although some people teach themselves this kind of work on their own and others learn on-the-job as they're moving up in the business world, there's a much more efficient way to get the skills that you need to get this type of job. You can go to school to get a degree to become a Cisco network engineer. There are degree programs that actually teach you the hands-on specifics of how to work with these types of systems.

With this kind of credibility behind you, you should have no trouble getting the job that you want. It may not be quite what you thought you'd be doing when you were six but when you think about it, it's probably even cooler! And now that you have a better understanding of the way that the world around you really works, you probably know that these kinds of jobs are the ones that really make a difference to people on a day-to-day basis.