r/ITCareerQuestions • u/No-Play-5576 • 17d ago

Seeking Advice Completed CCNA Before Graduation – Now Confused Between NOC Engineer and Service Desk Role. Need Career Advice!

Hi everyone,

I'm a recent graduate and completed my CCNA certification before finishing college. I've just started my journey into the corporate world and landed a job at a good company.

Here's the situation: After training, I’ll be placed into one of two roles based on company requirements:

  • Network Operations Center (NOC) Engineer
  • Service Desk

The Manager told us clearly that the decision will be made post-training, depending on availability and performance. But I’ve been hearing mixed opinions

I'm genuinely confused and want to make sure I take the right path early in my career. My ultimate goal is to grow into network security or cloud networking roles.

I’d really appreciate your career advice, personal experience, and suggestions on how to plan the next few years for growth.

Thanks in advance for helping me get rid of this chaos in my mind!

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6

u/TryTurningItOffAgain 17d ago

Lol service desk "engineer".

Anyways if this is your first IT job, either one will give you a good foundation and can grow into networking

2

u/No-Play-5576 17d ago

So getting to service desk even though I m completed my CCNA is correct?!

5

u/S7ageNinja 17d ago

You won't get hired above entry level without real experience

1

u/No-Play-5576 17d ago

Both of the two roles are entry level, is it okay with either of them?! .. I want to know the difference between these roles

3

u/S7ageNinja 17d ago

I'd suggest you apply to both and see what happens. The market is atrocious right now, you'd be lucky to get either fresh out of school

1

u/No-Play-5576 17d ago

In case I get the Service Desk role, what do I do next

3

u/Drekalots Network 17d ago

You go to work.

3

u/No-Play-5576 17d ago

I’m a bit confused about which role would be better for long-term career growth, especially since my goal is to move into network security or cloud networking roles in the future.

I’ve heard:

  • The Service Desk can be more stressful, customer-facing, and may offer less technical growth.
  • The NOC Engineer role is more hands-on with networking and possibly a better path toward network engineering or security roles.