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📨 In Today’s Issue:
🔎 Industry Signal – Soft Skills Are becoming a Tech Superpower
💡 Certification Spotlight - Cisco CCNA
🧠 Career Move of the Week - Position Yourself for the AI Job Market
🎙 From the Mic – My Top 7 Places to Find IT Jobs in Your City
📚 Resource of the Week – Books, gear, labs, or tools
INDUSTRY TRENDS:
Soft Skills Are becoming a Tech Superpower
In a recent Fortune interview, Cisco’s CEO Chuck Robbins highlighted a trend that’s shaping the future of tech careers: emotional intelligence (EQ) and soft skills are now just as important as technical ability.
As automation, AI, and advanced tooling take over more routine tasks, companies are increasingly placing value on people who combine technical skills with clear communication, collaboration, resilience, and adaptability.
Here’s what’s trending:
• Soft skills are strategic skills: Technical chops will always matter — but how you work with people, handle ambiguity, and communicate solutions is becoming a top differentiator.
• Leadership starts early: Employers want professionals who can lead a conversation, solve problems collaboratively, and adapt in fast-changing environments.
• EQ drives results: Emotional intelligence influences team dynamics, customer interactions, and project success in ways that pure technical ability can’t replace.
• Automation amplifies human skills: As AI and automation handle more technical execution, human skills like negotiation, stakeholder management, and creative problem-solving are rising in value.
Whether you’re entering IT, scaling in your role, or aiming for leadership, these “soft” traits aren’t optional anymore — they’re becoming fundamental expectations.
👉 Read the full Fortune breakdown here:
CERTIFICATION SPOTLIGHT:
Cisco Certified Networking Associate
The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) is one of the most recognized and respected certifications in IT — especially for anyone serious about networking, infrastructure, or foundational security.
It validates real-world skills in networking fundamentals, IP connectivity, security basics, automation, and troubleshooting.
If you want a certification that actually opens doors, this is one of them.
👤 Who It’s For
CCNA is ideal if you are:
• Trying to break into tech with a networking focus
• Moving up from help desk or desktop support
• Looking to specialize in infrastructure or cybersecurity
• Wanting a strong technical foundation before pursuing CCNP or other advanced certs
It’s a powerful entry-to-associate level certification that helps you stand out in a crowded job market.
💼 Jobs You Can Land With CCNA
CCNA can qualify you for roles like:
• Network Support Technician
• Network Administrator
• Network Operations Technician
• Systems Administrator
• Technical Support Engineer
• Junior Network Engineer
Even in companies that aren’t “Cisco shops,” CCNA is respected because networking fundamentals apply everywhere.
💰 Salary Insight
While salary depends on location and experience, CCNA-level roles often range from:
• $60,000 – $90,000+ for early-career positions
• Six figures as you gain experience and move into engineering-level roles
The certification alone doesn’t guarantee income — but paired with hands-on experience, it significantly increases your earning potential.
🔑 Key Takeaway
CCNA isn’t just a networking certification — it’s a credibility builder.
It gives you structure, technical depth, recruiter visibility, and a clear pathway into networking, cybersecurity, and cloud roles.
If you’re serious about infrastructure, this is one of the strongest foundations you can build.
👉 Learn more directly from Cisco here:
CAREER MOVE OF THE WEEK:
Position Yourself for the AI Job Market
⚙️ The Ping
AI isn’t coming — it’s already here. And it’s quietly reshaping what entry-level roles look like across industries.
Recent insights show that as companies adopt AI, some traditional junior roles are shrinking — especially the ones built around repetitive or routine tasks. That doesn’t mean opportunity is disappearing. It means the bar is shifting.
Here’s the move:
📑 The Log
Upgrade Your Value Beyond “Basic” Tasks
If you’re entering the job market, don’t position yourself as someone who just follows instructions.
Position yourself as someone who:
• Understands how AI tools work
• Can use AI to increase productivity
• Knows fundamentals (networking, security, cloud)
• Can think critically and solve problems
• Is comfortable adapting as tools evolve
Companies aren’t just hiring for degrees anymore.
They’re hiring for adaptability.
If AI is automating basic tasks, your edge becomes:
judgment, troubleshooting, communication, and technical depth.
🔑 Your Move
Start integrating AI into your learning and workflow now.
Use AI to:
• Practice troubleshooting
• Generate lab ideas
• Simulate interview questions
• Break down complex concepts
• Automate small productivity tasks
Don’t compete with AI.
Learn to work alongside it.
If you want to read the full breakdown of how AI is impacting students entering the workforce, you can check it out here:
RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
My Amazon Store — Books & Gear to Level Up in Tech
If you’re studying for certifications, building a home lab, or trying to break into IT, I’ve put together the exact books, equipment, and tools I recommend.
Routers. Networking books. Linux resources. Career development reads.
Everything I personally suggest is here:
Build your skills. Stack your wins. Stay consistent.
RECENT EPISODE:
My Top 7 Places to Find IT Jobs in Your City
In this episode, I break down my Top 7 places to find IT jobs in your city — especially if you don’t live near a big tech hub.
A lot of people think you need to work for a flashy tech company to have a real IT career. That’s not true. Some of the most stable, high-paying, and opportunity-filled IT roles are hiding in plain sight.
These companies may not look like tech companies… but they run on:
• Networks
• Servers
• Cybersecurity teams
• Help desk departments
• Enterprise infrastructure
In this video, I count down my Top 7 industries hiring IT professionals — starting at #7 and working down to my #1 pick.
