so i work for a network design and support company, and we had a new guy start this week (one of one field engineers covering the whole UK midlands area), and i'm having to get him up to speed despite only being there a few months myself whilst the main man is also on holiday. this guy is from africa, and has only a moderate grasp of english, and has been doing networking for 7 months. so far we've found that he also doesn't know...

- how to run telnet
- what ssh is
- what remote desktop is
- who Thus are
- what ipstream is
- how to show logs on a cisco router
- how to show the uptime on a cisco router
- how to troubleshoot a network fault
- what a vpn is
- what MS Outlook is
- how to do just about anything vaguely useful whatsoever
- anything about any network equipment that isn't cisco

And yet is alledgedly both a CCNA and a CCDA. My trousers this is going to be "fun". poor guy.

It might sound like he exaggerated his knowledge a bit perhaps? I probably don't know half of the topics there...


This is what I do know, or have at least a vague idea of.
Ok, so maybe that is about half or more actually, but doesn't mean I am 100% sure on all. I at least have some vague clue on how vpn actually works. But when it comes to Cisco equipment, I'm completetly useless.

I at least know how to do that too.

Don't be to quick to judge acid_kewpie . I've worked with 3 different types of people: Highly educated, but with few to none experience, extremely experienced professionals and those who studied only a given language for like 2-3 years(also at the Uni) and has some experience.

I think on the first months, the guy highly educated (4-5+ years at University) stays far behind the other two. Experience weights a lot here. The guy who just studied the one programming language is usually pretty good. He knows how to use the latest frameworks and tricks than usually the guy working for 10+ years at the same company lacks. However, more often than not, the highly educated guy will pick up eventually and perform just as well (and sometimes better) than the other two.

I am not sure how good CCNA and CCDA are, but if the guy is smart enough, he will catch on quick and apply the knowledge he acquired in the real World, sooner or later.

That is just what I've experienced so far

I don't know how to do anything vaguely useful.
ssh = be quiet!
MS Outlook - isn't that the hotel that was the setting for "The Shining"?

Whoever interviewed and hired this guy is to blame. Now you get to pick up the slack while your main man is on vacation. If I were you, I wouldn't let him touch anything for 2-months. Let him watch what you do and explain as you go, and keep repeating this step until he's able to verbally tell you what to do. Then when you feel he's ready, let him take control while you supervise him. If he makes a mistake, get out your tazer and give him a few thousand volts. That will teach him.

Well certainly it's my bosses fault. He interviewed 4 candidates, and all were "excellent". and we picked this guy as the best candidate. now here best = cheapest and can start next week of course.

For everyone saying they don't know either... are you currently working for a Cisco gold partner and pursuing a specialist career in Cisco networking? no thought not...

so far this morning, 40 minutes and counting, he seems to have forgotten just about everything we did yesterday... urghhh

Did you sign up as an instructor?

If no I'd try to unload the job.If it is as bad as you say the guy is going to be a screwup and your boss isn't going to blame himself for it.

No, i'm not the best teacher, especially when i have crap tools to teach with. Short of just ignoring him, there is literally no one else to work with him...

Then talk to the guy and after that to your boss and tell them that you think this is going to take a long time especially since you are expected to handle your regular workload at the same time blah this and that.

Maybe they get the message.

At the very least you'd need to let your boss know that you are not impressed with your sidekick.Normally he should inquire at least after a day or two how things are going.
I always became real quiet and said something like 'sometimes people grow with the challenge' or BS like that in situations when I was stuck with a bunch of trainees that suck.AFAIK this is the agreed worldwide standard what to say then - if the guy is a genius you'd just say so after all.

If your boss isn't a total brick he should get the message then.

AND.. he just asked for permission to go to the loo...

Well - discipline is the thing today.

How about that haircut?

Did you let him? Could be the thin end of the wedge, that.

I have to say that whenever I've had someone like that I either get rid of them quickly or I sell them to someone else and make my life easier I suspect that he'll be let go fairly quickly with no help from you - clearly he either had someone else sit the test for him or he just blasted through a bunch of books/braindumps/boot camps.

Just get him to do some cable tidying until you can get shot of him.

He may even quit on his own. If your impression is that he's thoroughly incapable, I can't imagine he is feeling secure in his new position.

With a bit of luck (or careful planning, heheheh) he'll electrocute himself.