Building a networking career is challenging under the best of circumstances.

Between keeping the packets flowing and lights on, there are certifications to pursue, problems to troubleshoot, and emerging technologies to grok.

Those challenges can be compounded by your location. If you live in a small city or outside a major population hub, jobs may be scarce. Mentors and colleagues might be hard to come by. Opportunities to get your hands on new or different technologies and equipment could be limited.

We’ve assembled a roundtable of engineers to talk about the challenges of developing a networking career and growing your expertise outside of the bright lights of the big city.

Our guests are Phil Gervasi, Ryan Booth, and Eric Stover.

We discuss:

* How to cope with limited job options

* How to make travel or telecommuting work for you

* Where to find mentors, training, and community

* How community engagement can get you that new opportunity

* Potential upsides, including better quality of life, lower cost of living, and opportunities to wear many hats

Sponsor: ExtraHop

ExtraHop is the enterprise cyber analytics company delivering performance and security from the inside out. ExtraHop offers complete visibility with machine learning to help you make quick, confident decisions about your IT environment. Explore the ExtraHop Performance Platform at extrahop.com/packetpushers.

Sponsor: ITProTV

Get over 65 hours of free technical training from ITProTV. ITProTV offers online instruction in CompTIA, Cisco, VMWare, Microsoft and more. You can stream courses live and on demand on your favorite device. Sign up for a free membership at itpro.tv/packet-pushers and try it with no obligation.

Show Links:

Phil Gervasi on Twitter

Networkphil – Phil Gervasi’s blog

Ryan Booth on Twitter

Moving Ones and Zeros – Ryan Booth’s blog

Eric Stover on Twitter

FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF – Eric Stover’s blog