I have an opportunity to move into a full-time, six-month fixed-term Site IT Specialist position at a mine site near Perth, with a possibility of extension. I've been with the company for about three years, working both permanently and as a contractor in service desk and desktop support roles. Recently, I've worked on Windows 11 rollout projects at mine sites, supporting both corporate and operational technology environments.
My main concern is that I don't yet have much practical experience with network configuration, servers, networking terminology, communications racks, Cisco switches, or Wi-Fi access point setup and troubleshooting. I'm keen to learn and expect I'll gain plenty of hands-on experience on site, but I'd like to prepare beforehand.
Are there any books, courses, labs, or other resources you'd recommend for building a solid foundation in networking and infrastructure support?
2 Answers
Start by making sure you’re comfortable with the basics: gateway addresses, subnets, private versus public IPs, VLANs, how switches connect in a comms room, and what DHCP and DNS do. You don’t need to know everything before starting, but understanding those concepts will make troubleshooting much easier. Then focus on practical skills such as tracing cables, documenting rack layouts, checking switch ports, identifying access point issues, and learning the site’s escalation and change procedures.
The CCNA material by Wendell Odom is a strong place to start. It explains the terminology and fundamentals clearly, while also covering Cisco switch configuration. You can pair it with Jeremy’s IT Lab or Wendell’s video courses and practise using Cisco Packet Tracer. That combination should give you useful theory and hands-on experience before you start the role.
Thanks, I’ll take a look at those resources and start practising with Packet Tracer.
That makes sense. I have a rough understanding of those topics, but I need more confidence and practical experience with them.