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First lesson is never let your career path be directed by people who don't actually know what your job title means.
Second lesson is never stay at a site where they refuse to keep up with even the least technology advancements. It will destroy your career and you will be here with me, starting over with a lot of history in systems and networks that fail to actually form a coherent skill set.
Third lesson, if you're not learning you're leaving. Meaning you are on your way out, not only the door of your current job, but out of the career field you are working in. Provided it is in the IT field anyway, but many others are very similar in the continuing education requirement. Make sure that what you are learning is directly related to your career.
Networks what do you need to know to survive?
Routing and switching, VoIP, Security, Wireless
Systems Admin what do you need to know to survive?
Latest Server OS, Backup, Virtual Machines, Email, Industry related applications, Workstation OS
So starting with what has taken place in the last month or so:
CCNA is the current certification I am working on. I need to know what the voice part of the system is all about and how to make these things work in order to test and make things function. So in the slightly larger picture I am going to try to get my CVOICE but it will require the CCNA to build on. I took a class in December of 2012 on the CCNA and it seemed to cover the first half of the two books the ICND1. So I was a little disappointed with the class. I did manage to get the books and some example tests out of it though.
Some of the best resources I have found I will list here as well to save a little on the searching.
