i am looking to go in to the networking side of the IT industry. i
currently hold a ccna qualification, and i am activly studying for
comtia's A+ and Networking+ exams. that is the extent of my
qualifications, and i was just curious as to the amount of demand in
this particular field. i would be wanting to work in and around the
london area. i would also like to know what jobs (if any) that i could
apply to. i want to get into this industry, but if i need to be more
qualified then i want to know if it is better that i gain more
qualifications before i get experence, or vice versa.

regards

Hi Steven

I'd say employers in the industry (from my limited 5 years experience
of it) are after a mixture of experience, knowledge and
qualilifications.
Now as i'm not a recruiter by any stretch of the immagination i
couldn't tell you in which order employers prioritise these when
shortlisting candidates but i'd put experience above certification,

a C.V (resume for those Americans reading) that shows a person has
spent the last 3->4 years supporting and designing large Cisco
networks is going to be more attractive than one which reads "recently
accuired X and Y certifications".

Whilst i know this does seem unfair there was a term coined not so
long ago "paper MCSE's" "Paper ccna's" refering to an individual who
has passed the relevent exams with very little or no experience. the
amount of so called "cheat sheets" on the net are testiment to this.

as for jobs in the London area a quick search on
http://www.jobsite.com/ should come up with a few. Suggested search
terms "network engineer" "ccna" "junior ccna" (obviously all in the
london area)

as for demand - my personal opinion is there will always be demand for
Cisco certified engineers. some might disagree but hey such is life

As most in the industry will tell you finding a job specialising in
any one field is rare most IT guys (girls too.... sorry ladies) end up
being good all rounders with a broad skill-set not just the
fundamentals of networking technologies but most aspects of the job.

i'm sure a GA researcher can answer your questions on demand and what
employers in london are seeking buti'm sure it's not that different to
up here in the north east.

Good luck with the job hunting... oh and buy a leatherman you'll need it :-)