Network Programmability- A message from our Instructor. Data Center Network Engineers.....do you agree?
I have attended, purchased, and taken for free multiple Python tutorials and courses. They all fall SIGNIFICANTLY short in preparing a Network Engineer for the paradigm shift we are about to face.
Network experience is similar to that of being a plumber or electrician…IT’S A SKILL, and should be treated as such. In any of these disciplines, a minimum of 3 years is required to get your feet wet. A Python programmer does not understand these constructs, and are practically useless to a Network.
It is easier to teach a Network Engineer a different language where his/her YEARS of experience can be unleashed. This type of course is not taught all over the place. Especially in a Python Tutorial that teaches how to do math or build a game...What a joke!!!
Python is a very powerful tool in the hands of a Network Engineer that is dealing with Network devices that have that API. It can also be used where REST is used. JSON resembles Python Dictionaries so it is easier understood when Python Basics are applied appropriately.
I could probably get 100 signatures from Network Engineers that would say exactly what I just said. Would you say the same?
Paul NegronCCIE #14856 - Service Provider (10 Year)Instructor/Consultant
People + Culture Leader | Leadership Coaching | Life & Career Coaching | Conflict Resolution | Team Building | Training + Talent Development | Experiential Design
2yPeter, thanks for sharing!
Solutions Architect (Cloud & Networking)
9yFundamentals matter in computer science. Methods, syntax, and conventions are well documented and even available in any modern IDE, so there is no real value in trying to memorize those. A person with strong fundamentals should be able to write code in just about every popular language and for many purposes with relatively little effort. Python’s JSON decoder does translate JSON objects to dictionary data type, but that is just one of many translations and by no means the same thing.
[former] Distinguished Engineer | CCIE # 1846 (ret.) | Journalist, Tech Writer | Photographer
9yI've developed and taught an introduction to Python programming on Nexus switches for network engineers. It combines 8 hours of lecture with lab exercises running python on Nexus 3000 series. My experience as been only 20% of the students successfully complete the class. The criteria for success is writing a basic python program to run on the switch. I've come to the conclusion that if you haven't developed an aptitude for programming by the age of 25, you are unlikely to show an interest later in life. Many network engineers are in their respective field because they didn't want to code for a living. I recently taught a group of Cisco ACI deployment engineers automation. There wasn't any programming required, I taught them the concepts of REST API, markup languages (YAML and XML) Git and Ansible, along with how to use the Ansible python modules I developed. If I can encourage them to implement automation with these tools, I'll consider that training a success.