I have the 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 worked for the company for about three years in full-time and contract roles, mainly in service desk and desktop support. Most recently, I've supported Windows 11 rollout projects at mine sites in FIFO roles across both corporate and operational technology environments.
My main concern is that I don't yet have much hands-on experience with network configuration, servers, networking terminology, communications racks, Cisco switches, or Wi-Fi access point setup and troubleshooting. I'm comfortable learning on the job, asking questions, and building my skills, but I'd like to do some preparation beforehand.
What books, courses, videos, or practical labs would you recommend for learning the networking and infrastructure basics needed for this kind of role?
2 Answers
Start by making sure you’re comfortable with the fundamentals: gateway addresses, subnetting, private versus public IP ranges, VLANs, and how switches connect in a network closet. Once those concepts make sense, move on to switch configuration, wireless access points, rack layouts, and basic troubleshooting. You don’t need to know everything before starting—the role should give you opportunities to learn these areas in a real environment.
The CCNA study guides by Wendell Odom are a solid starting point. They explain the networking terminology and Cisco concepts clearly, and they’re useful even if you aren’t immediately pursuing the certification. You can pair the books with Jeremy’s IT Lab or Wendell Odom’s video courses, then practise the concepts using Cisco Packet Tracer labs.
Thanks, I’ll check those out. The Packet Tracer labs sound especially useful for getting some hands-on practice.
That makes sense. I have a rough understanding of those basics, but I need to strengthen them and get more practical experience with the infrastructure side.