Networking is Not Sexy.

There you have it!

There are professions that are glamourous, or that appear flashy and attractive at first glance. Networking is not one of them. To quote fellow redditor /u/HoorayInternetDrama,

“We’re not getting more people into Network Engineering. It’s not "sexy” - you cannot write an app and become wealthy.“

The main reason I found this worth sharing is that it speaks to something I’ve found in this field: the deeper I get into it, the harder it is to find others with even a tangential interest in networking. The more I learn, the more I improve, the bigger and badder technologies I get to work with - and I love it! But the downside is that I can barely explain through analogies and over-generalized layman’s translations of what I’m doing for hours a night at my desk.

This isn’t really too much a complaint, because as I’ve stated, I love it. I used to loathe the idea that I would do networking as a profession. But now, I couldn’t ask for more. I’m constantly challenged, there’s a literal world of opportunity facing me personally and professionally, and there’re no brakes on this train. So I have to laugh when I get excited about learning OSPF LSA types and how they’re routed in OSPF Areas, and knowing that all of my friends will be utterly confused when I try to explain any of the above.

But, this is professional and personal development - I’m learning, I’m being challenged, and there’s no stopping anytime soon. I wouldn’t have it any other way.