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Automation engineer

Mukul Manikandan

"Be ready to be curious to learn new things and adapt to a changing environment."

How it all began

Springboard from a solid foundation

Springboard from a solid foundation

I was in my final year of college working towards my bachelor's degree in electronics and communication engineering when Cisco offered me an internship in Technical Consulting. During that internship, I went through CCNA, starting from the very basics, including basic consulting and switching concepts. Then I did the CCNP Enterprise (routing and switching) certification. After a knowledge check session to help identify my strengths, I was chosen to be in network security. I was able to specialize my knowledge and area of technology strength by also earning my CCNA Security certification. I did well in that internship and was offered a full-time role in July, 2017.

Springboard from a solid foundation

That first job built a good foundation for me. It was a place I could pick up and grow from. In 2019, I decided to quit my job with Cisco to pursue a master’s degree in computer networking at North Carolina State University. After I completed my master’s, I started applying for internships again. That’s when I got a call from Meraki and accepted an internship. My summer internship was back in 2020, and now I work here full time.

This was a complete transition to my software side of things. I joined the wireless software automation team and worked on a project building out some frameworks for their location analytics feature. I also managed to clear my DevNet Associate in that internship. I've been trying to do as much I can in the certification field. I'm always thinking about what's next, and how I can continue to challenge myself.

About Mukul

Certifications

CCNA
CCNP Enterprise
DevNet Associate

Location

San Francisco, CA

Hobbies

Cooking
Running
Working out at the gym
Playing the guitar

What does having a Cisco Certification mean to you?

"The certification experience gave me a lot of the knowledge that I needed for the fundamentals that I didn’t get from my undergrad. The certifications took over and gave me all the necessary background I needed."

Having a Cisco certification gives you more confidence when talking to customers. When a customer is talking to you, they expect that you’re a professional and a specialist who knows everything about the product. If you have a CCNA or CCNP, you have a customer’s trust.

The knowledge gained is also all transferable from paper to the product. If you know the fundamentals, you can figure your way around to help customers with integrating non-Cisco devices, like a Juniper router or whatever it might be. It boosts the value of Cisco.
Mukul Manikandan

What would you tell your younger self?

I should have completed my CCIE lab exam before I left for my masters. I feel like it would have given me a lot more credibility in terms of boosting my professional experience to another level.

What would you tell a friend?

You need to be passionate about what you’re doing to begin with. Become certified because it boosts your credibility. It gives you opportunities to apply for jobs.

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