A Lab to Explore the Industry
-
Normally when we talk about a home lab, we talk about it in terms of gaining experience and building up a resume in order to pursue a new position or an advancement and, of course, that generally makes sense. But what about using the same lab just to explore what aspects of IT we might be interested in? Most people, especially towards the beginnings of their careers, have very little exposure to what jobs, careers and positions exist within IT and even less clear idea of what those positions do.
For the most part, one could use a home lab to explore the range of jobs as well. Other than bosses and yelling customers, you can do all of the same tasks. Even set up documentation systems, ticket systems and such just as if you were doing the actual job role. Of course in many situations it can be difficult to ascertain what tasks that job would often entail, so it is necessary to find some background info.
Asking on communities is one way. Looking at certification tracks is another. Using products as if they were production will naturally create some need for this as well.
Some job roles are very different to do in a home lab, like routing and switching, while others like virtualization and systems are very easy. But, by and large, one can build rather a sizeable survey of the industry while also gaining good experience doing this with a home lab.
