Career Guides
Switching Careers to IT? A Practical Path Into Network Engineering
Explore a practical path for career changers entering network engineering, from networking fundamentals and CCNA through CCNP Enterprise and advanced CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure study.
IT is a broad field. Software development, cybersecurity operations, systems administration, cloud support, and network engineering all sit under the same umbrella, but they are not interchangeable careers. Network engineering focuses on how devices, protocols, and infrastructure move and protect traffic across an organization.
If you are considering a career change, treat networking as one possible direction—not the default answer for every IT interest. The right fit usually depends on how curious you are about infrastructure, troubleshooting, and systems that have to stay reliable under real operating pressure.
Can you start without an IT background?
Many people enter networking after work in other fields. Beginners build their foundation through core concepts and practical exercises before progressing to advanced enterprise topics.
A practical path starts with foundations, then deepens enterprise skills in a deliberate order. Discuss your background and study goals to plan an appropriate starting point.
A practical progression
A useful sequence for many career changers looks like this:
- Beginner / career changer orientation
- Networking fundamentals
- CCNA-level foundational networking
- CCNP Enterprise
- CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure as an advanced destination
CCIE is an expert-level goal. Beginners can build networking foundations first, then develop professional and advanced enterprise skills.
What each stage represents
Networking fundamentals cover ideas such as IP addressing, switching, routing, and basic troubleshooting. This is where beginners learn how packets move and how common failures appear.
CCNA builds foundational networking knowledge and operational concepts. It is often the first certification-aligned stage where learners connect theory to day-to-day network behavior.
CCNP Enterprise goes deeper into enterprise networking: routing, architecture, automation-related topics, and more demanding troubleshooting. This stage assumes the foundations are already stable.
CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure is advanced, expert-level study focused on complex enterprise infrastructure skills. It is a long-range destination built on strong enterprise networking knowledge and practical experience.
LaneCert provides Cisco-focused training and certification preparation. Students complete Cisco certification exams through Cisco’s official testing process, and Cisco awards the certification to candidates who meet its certification requirements.
Why hands-on practice matters
Watching material, understanding a concept, and configuring or troubleshooting a network are different skills. Many career changers can follow an explanation and still struggle when an interface fails to come up, a route is missing, or a design behaves differently than expected.
Hands-on work closes that gap. Practicing in real or realistic environments helps you build operational judgment: what to check first, how changes interact, and how to recover when something breaks.
LaneCert combines guided practice on real networking and infrastructure equipment with certification-oriented study, careful reading and review.
What LaneCert currently offers
LaneCert’s current public Enterprise Infrastructure path includes:
- CCNA Enterprise Infrastructure Training
- CCNP Enterprise Infrastructure Training
- CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure Training
Published Program Costs currently list:
- CCNA Enterprise Infrastructure Training — $3,600
- CCNP Enterprise Infrastructure Training — $8,400
- CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure Training — $9,200
Those figures reflect currently published Texas Workforce Commission information for these offerings. The appropriate entry stage depends on background, goals and current delivery details. Review the full Programs page for the same published wording and disclosures.
Location and learning environment
LaneCert’s active campus presence is in the Plano / Dallas–Fort Worth area, with a training approach centered on practical lab work. If you want to see how that environment is described publicly, start with Real Lab and the campus information linked from the site.
You can also learn more about Faculty & Leadership before deciding whether a conversation makes sense.
A practical next step
If you are still mapping your options:
- Review current Programs and decide whether Enterprise Infrastructure is the direction you want to explore.
- Read Real Lab to understand LaneCert’s hands-on emphasis.
- When you are ready for a specific question about background, timing, or entry stage, use the inquiry form.
A careful next step beats an oversized first commitment. Start with fundamentals, confirm the path fits your goals, and only then decide how far through CCNA, CCNP Enterprise, and advanced CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure study you want to go.