Relevant Hackaday post on the matter, wherein you simply hunt down a programmable unmanaged switch.
https://hackaday.com/2015/09/07/managing-an-unmanaged-switch/

>>3009425
Gotta walk before you can run, Kemosabe. Jumping right into Cisco CLI stuff is not 'fundamentals'. That is like saying you want to drive Formula 1 but you've never even driven a manual transmission.

No one gives a shit if you 'know' Cisco networking either. They want certs. You could be a networking god and no one will hire you without a cert for anything other than entry level bullshit. You will be stuck doing helpdesk shit or running and terminating ethernet cable, not actually managing the network. Which, honestly, you should start with anyway. Classes and guides are fine but hands on learning is best. If an employer asks you if you know Cisco and you say yes it is gonna seem super strange if they ask you the ethernet color code or want you to demonstrate crimping an RJ45 connector and you fumble it.

For entry level certs, start with things like A+, Network+, and Security+. If you only want to do networking, not desktops or servers, then skip A+. That is going to limit your job prospects for smaller employers or MSPs though. Your local community college will have prep classes for those.

Get your own wiring and terminating tools. Start with the cheap shit but once you get a job upgrade to the nice stuff. Nice tools are nice and deductible on your income taxes. If you really want to be next level, learn to run and splice fiber for networking installs. That is becoming much more common and in demand. Stamp/engrave your fucking name on everything and keep receipts. Plenty of shitty employers will provide you with chinesium knock off bullshit tools and then suddenly think the $1,500 bucks in American/European made tools in your Zero Halliburton case were purchased by them. When half the IT department gets marched out the door 'cause the CEO needs to hit those quarterly numbers to get his bonus your dogshit manager will suddenly remember that the case with your name stamped on it is company property and needs to go into his office. Ask me how I know.

>>3009431
>No one gives a shit if you 'know' Cisco networking either. They want certs
I've always made do without. You won't get hired by the Backbone Cartel, but there's plenty of places with Cisco gear in places that fired or had their network guy quit on them.

>You could be a networking god and no one will hire you without a cert for anything other than entry leve
l bullshit. You will be stuck doing helpdesk shit or running and terminating ethernet cable, not actually managing the network.
Again, not my experience. Plenty of organizations out there who can't into networking but need their shit run/fixed. You do a good job a couple of times, word will get around. That being said, while the bar for a good job is pretty low these days, you better be competent and honest - otherwise you'll run into something you can't handle and fail in a comical manner at some point. I am a Europoor though - given them 'merkins love for certs it may well be exactly as horrible as you describe in Leftpondistan.

>Get your own wiring and terminating tools. Start with the cheap shit but once you get a job upgrade to the nice stuff.
Go with mid-nice stuff right away. A Klein cable tester with TDR, a Klein crimper and a IDC tool with Krone scissors will remain good tools for a long time even as you get pickier about quality.

>If you really want to be next level, learn to run and splice fiber for networking installs. That is becoming much more common and in demand.
Hm. Really long runs are telcos and that's (a) hard to get into (b) requires Fujikura or Sumituomo splicers with calibration certificates plus a brand name OTDR with calibration certificates. A mid tier Chink splicer is what non-telco uses these days. But they don't need a lot of splices because they have distances around 100-300m and you can get plenty of perfectly fine pre terminated trunk cables in that length range. Is the splicing situation really that different in the US?

>watch/mark tools
This. And record all serials.

>>3009425
Get a desktop support job and steal old switches and routers. That's what I dif

>>3009601
>it may well be exactly as horrible as you describe in Leftpondistan.
It very much is. Entry level jobs want a two year degree in a related field, certs, or job experience. How they expect someone without certs or a degree to have job experience is left unsaid. Things like apprenticeships are basically unknown in IT out here.

>Is the splicing situation really that different in the US?
>perfectly fine pre terminated trunk cables in that length range
It depends. In my case we see it when running trunk line between switches. These pre-terminated stuff is available but my understanding, not being a wiring guy so not seeing the cost of such things directly, the pre-terminated stuff is expensive enough that having someone that can do the termination is worth the hassle. Splices are strictly for repairs in my experience.

>>3009747
At my jobs they generally let you have old stuff if you asked. It would delay a trip to the e-waste facility.

>>3009750
>Things like apprenticeships are basically unknown in IT out here.
Yeah, that absolutely is one very big difference. We've got these as an institution over here. It's still a mixed bag - depending on who you end up with you can end up well rounded or utterly useless, but apprenticeships are available. That being said, we've got the same ridiculous requirements, the same HR gatekeepers and it all has the same purpose of hiring some jeet on the moral equivalent of a H1B visa (visa tied to the job, need to prove you can't find someone local). I'm very senior and I've done everything from wire pulling, DC operation, networking through programming but I doubt I could pass the interview process in Current Year. I have to admit I haven't tried, though - been self employed for years now. Hence my experience of a lot of desperate people needing their networks run/fixed out there.

>not being a wiring guy so not seeing the cost of such things directly, the pre-terminated stuff is expensive
Interesting. I'm a wiring guy among other things and I do see the prices. If you go for cheap Chinesium which is fine except in terms of fire protection rating, you can get 150m of PVC clad 12E9 for less than 150 Euros here. If you go with a premium tier Chinesium reseller you'll pay 200 to 500 Euros depending on length to get something halogen free and whatnot with a certified fire protection rating suitable for escape routes and intensive care units.

Availability in exactly the right length is spotty at times, which is where splicing often comes into play ("I cannot wait two more weeks, I need this fiber up and running yesterday!"). At my usual rates, splicing is definitely more expensive since the whole dance including 2x equipment setup and teardown, installation of splice trays/boxes, etc. on either end may well take a day.

>>3009431
> like A+, Network+, and Security+.
I have my Novell networking cert from the 90s. and I still have all the volumes on my desk to impress the right people.