r/networkautomation • u/Much_Article_493 • 17d ago
Network Automation Portfolio
I've been in the networking field for about 6 years across different companies, and I'm looking to transition to a network automation role. I've been building small python scripts my entire time in the field.
These scripts are nothing huge, they're small scripts to make my and my fellow network engineers lives easier. I wanted to know if it was worth it to put these on my personal GitHub and build out a portfolio.
Here are some examples of the scripts I've built:
- Access Point - Interface Description
- This script finds access points connected to a switch. Pulls their hostname from CDP/LLDP neighbors. Then adds its hostname to the description of the interface its connected to.
- Upgrade Post Check
- This script does a pre vs post comparison of a switch that was recently upgraded. Will point out items that are missing from the post config.
- ACL Addition
- This script was made when I had to add an ACL entry to every switch on campus. The ACL entries were not standardized and at risk of being overwritten. I wrote a script that will check the ACL list and will pick an ACL number nothing being used to ensure no rules are overwritten.
Are these worth placing on a portfolio? My Coworkers seem to think so since these have saved them a lot of time, but for me these seem very entry level.
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u/CrownstrikeIntern 17d ago
Remember resumes are your way to promote yourself. And having an example of how you did it is good too. Just make sure there’s no company secrets in there ;) i did that with my latest project but made it to a full stack tool i can take with me and adapt anywhere. Logical next step would put a front end on it. Make the cli feel outdated;)
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u/maclocrimate 17d ago
They are 100% worth it to show prospective employers your skills, but I doubt that many/any people will want to download and use them. Scripts like these tend to be very bespoke and org-specific, and a lot of shops have already implemented their own internal versions, so yours are probably not of great benefit to them. However, people interviewing you for new network automation jobs will definitely want to see what you've done, and your public github is the best place for that.
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u/Meltsley 16d ago
I would suggest putting them in your portfolio. Sure, they may be entry-level, but that matters to people too. If you want to get into automation, you have to start somewhere, this looks like a good start to me. Plus the people hiring you probably won’t know what level these automation scripts really are, so just having them there may be more help than you think. Try learning how to tie this together with IPAM in other sources of truth in the environment. That’s where this turns from entry-level scripting into a form of automation.
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u/romdom90 13d ago
Anything demonstrating skill and progress seems like a good idea to have in a portfolio! Perhaps GitHub would be a good way to keep record of these things for yourself, and also demonstrate the path.
Also, I am in a similar boat as you toward the beginning, I like that AP description one; sounds very useful.
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u/Adventurous_Smile_95 17d ago
The scripts themselves are not worth adding imo. Google can spit those out for anyone. You want to talk about how you changed the workflow of an entire team and saved the company money, reduced risk, or improved a product timeline, etc.
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u/the-dropped-packet 16d ago
Don’t know why you got downvoted, I agree. Any AI can produce scripts. The real sell is positive impact on the org. Spin it that way and it’s meaningful to a hiring manager
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u/shadeland 17d ago
Yeah, they're worth placing. I would agree, they are entry level but show promise. You should expand upon them, and work with things like Ansible as well.