2023 — Ongoing
Theory vs. Practice
In ProgressUniversity classes on networking fundamentals. The gap between what the textbook says and what actually happens on the wire.
Follow my studies in infrastructure, networking, and the real world of IT. Unfiltered.
Not a straight line. A map of where I've been, where I am, and where I'm going. Every mistake documented. No filters.
University classes on networking fundamentals. The gap between what the textbook says and what actually happens on the wire.
Running Arch BTW. Understanding the OS from the kernel up. Building custom shell scripts, managing services with systemd.
First real infrastructure. A refurbished PC, a managed switch, VLANs, pfSense. Real cables. Real problems.
Going all in. Packet Tracer labs every day. Building labs that mirror the exam scenarios — not just watching videos.
Running containerized homelab: Pi-hole, Uptime Kuma, Portainer, Wireguard, self-hosted apps. Documentation of every failure.
Terraform, Ansible, AWS/Azure. Bridging the homelab to the cloud. Infrastructure as Code.
Full network redesign. VLAN segmentation, proper DMZ, IDS/IPS. Documenting every topology decision and why.
Self-hosted infrastructure: Pi-hole + Unbound, Portainer, Uptime Kuma, Wireguard VPN, Nginx Proxy Manager.
Every Packet Tracer scenario I build for the CCNA. Diagrams, configs, what broke and how I fixed it.
Grafana + Prometheus + SNMP traps. Making the invisible visible — seeing my network breathe.
Python scripts for network automation. Netmiko, NAPALM, parsing show commands, building config generators.
AI is my tool.
Not my brain.
Not my substitute.
Everyone is outsourcing their brain to AI. Letting it write the code, solve the problem, explain the concept. Fast? Yes. Understanding? None.
I use AI as a tool — to check my work, explore what I already understand, move faster on things I have mastered. But the fundamentals? Those I earn.
I'm always open to connect with other networking students, professionals, and anyone who believes the hard way is the right way.