Career studio / Networking
Build evidence for the Network Support Technician role
A fictional training site has two local subnets, a router and a DNS service. Trace a connectivity problem and document a small network clearly enough for another technician.
Your outcome: Network diagram, addressing worksheet and layered troubleshooting record.
Start with the right expectations
Who this is for
Basic operating-system use and binary/arithmetic fundamentals helpful.
This path develops a demonstrable work sample for the named role. It does not replace employer-specific experience, professional qualifications or supervised practice.
Plan your study time
Use a flexible six-week project schedule: one week for each of the first four stages and two weeks for the portfolio and review. Allow roughly 3–5 hours per week for the case work, in addition to course study. This is a planning suggestion, not a measured course duration or a promise of job readiness.
Read the course access notes before starting. Free viewing or reading does not automatically include certificates, graded assessments, software licences or paid cloud resources. Core case work can be documented with a free editor and spreadsheet; optional implementation tools may have additional requirements.
Your course sequence
Start in the order below. Use the course outline to select the sections relevant to the stage tasks, and complete foundation exercises before moving on. Full provider courses can be substantially longer than this project schedule. These are course resources, not a claimed count of individual lessons.
Resource 01 / Google
Free Computer Networking Course by Google
Purpose: Build the foundations. Connect your notes to the case tasks below rather than only collecting completion marks.
Access: Free Video
Certificate: Free video viewing; a Google certificate is not included
Resource 02 / Simplilearn
Free Simplilearn Course: Networking Fundamentals and Cisco CCNA Concepts
Purpose: Develop the role-specific method. Connect your notes to the case tasks below rather than only collecting completion marks.
- Explore wANs, internetworking, addressing, subnetting, switching, routing and basic network troubleshooting.
- Follow the selected explanations of IP Addressing, Routing & Switching and Network Troubleshooting.
- Connect concepts to lessons such as What is Layer 2 Switching? — What is Collision Domain Hub? — CCNA Training Online.
Access: Free Video
Certificate: Free video viewing; Simplilearn certificate not included
Resource 03 / IBM
Free Cloud Networking Course: DNS, Load Balancing and CDNs
Purpose: Strengthen practical application. Connect your notes to the case tasks below rather than only collecting completion marks.
Access: Free Video
Certificate: Free video viewing; IBM certification is not included
Learn, make, check
Keep a decision log as you work. For each stage, capture the assumption, your work product, a check and the change you made after that check. The acceptance criterion is the stopping condition for the stage.
Stage 1 / suggested project week 1
Map the network
Understand: Addresses, routes and names solve different problems.
Make: Draw devices, subnets, gateways and the DNS role.
Check before moving on: Label the diagram as a fictional lab and avoid real infrastructure details.
Study companion: Free Computer Networking Course by Google. Use its relevant lessons and examples; the independent WikiFree task is not a provider assessment.
Save as evidence: a dated work product and a short note explaining one choice, one alternative and one remaining uncertainty.
Stage 2 / suggested project week 2
Plan addressing
Understand: A subnet plan should prevent overlap and clarify membership.
Make: Assign sample addresses within the supplied private lab ranges.
Check before moving on: Every device’s gateway belongs to its local subnet.
Study companion: Free Simplilearn Course: Networking Fundamentals and Cisco CCNA Concepts. Use its relevant lessons and examples; the independent WikiFree task is not a provider assessment.
Save as evidence: a dated work product and a short note explaining one choice, one alternative and one remaining uncertainty.
Stage 3 / suggested project week 3
Trace the path
Understand: Troubleshooting should separate local, routing and application failures.
Make: Create a test plan for a host that reaches its gateway but not a remote subnet.
Check before moving on: Record evidence before changing route configuration.
Study companion: Free Cloud Networking Course: DNS, Load Balancing and CDNs. Use its relevant lessons and examples; the independent WikiFree task is not a provider assessment.
Save as evidence: a dated work product and a short note explaining one choice, one alternative and one remaining uncertainty.
Stage 4 / suggested project week 4
Document and hand over
Understand: A network change needs a before/after record.
Make: Write a proposed correction, rollback and validation checklist.
Check before moving on: Do not scan or change a network without explicit ownership and permission.
Study companion: Free Cloud Networking Course: DNS, Load Balancing and CDNs. Use its relevant lessons and examples; the independent WikiFree task is not a provider assessment.
Save as evidence: a dated work product and a short note explaining one choice, one alternative and one remaining uncertainty.
Stage 5 / suggested project weeks 5–6
Present your portfolio
Assemble the four work products into Network diagram, addressing worksheet and layered troubleshooting record. Write a README explaining the problem, your assumptions, the decisions you made, tests actually performed and what remains incomplete.
Give a five-minute walkthrough: one minute for the problem, two for the work and evidence, one for trade-offs and one for the next improvement. If you have not implemented a proposed system, label it a design or prototype rather than a deployed solution.
Acceptance: a reviewer can locate each work product, reproduce the key reasoning and identify the limits without a private explanation from you.
The portfolio brief
A fictional training site has two local subnets, a router and a DNS service. Trace a connectivity problem and document a small network clearly enough for another technician.
Deliver: Network diagram, addressing worksheet and layered troubleshooting record.
| network | cidr | gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Training room | 192.168.10.0/24 | 192.168.10.1 |
| Office lab | 192.168.20.0/24 | 192.168.20.1 |
Use these small inputs to make the reasoning visible. They are not a representative dataset, a real client engagement or evidence of production performance. Where the brief requires additional sample records, create them yourself, label them synthetic and explain why you added them.
The ZIP includes the case CSV, four stage worksheets, course sequence, decision log, test log, portfolio README template, review rubric and reference reasoning. It is a starter kit for your work, not a completed application, professional report or proprietary project file.
Check your reasoning
A host reaches its gateway but not another subnet. Does this prove DNS is the cause?
Write your answer and assumptions before opening the reference.
Read the reference reasoning
No. Test by address and inspect routing, access rules and destination availability. DNS is relevant when a name fails but address-based access works.
Portfolio review rubric
| Criterion | Points | Evidence required |
|---|---|---|
| Problem and scope | 4 | A clear user, need, boundary and assumptions |
| Role-specific work | 8 | 2 points for each of the four stage acceptance checks |
| Reasoning and validation | 4 | Independent checks, actual results and uncertainty |
| Communication and reproducibility | 4 | A usable README, source links and reviewable work products |
Aim for at least 16/20 as a self-review target, with no missing stage acceptance check. This is a WikiFree practice rubric, not an industry credential or a hiring assessment.
Interview practice
Explain how your test sequence distinguished a routing issue from a naming issue.
Answer using the case: context, your action, evidence and limitation. Describe this honestly as a self-directed project. Do not present fictional organizations, invented interviews or practice results as paid work experience.
Your progress
Use this checklist as a personal study aid. Progress is stored in this browser when local storage is available; it is not an account record or a certificate.
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Questions before you start
Will this path qualify me for a job?
It helps you study relevant foundations and produce a work sample. Employers may require additional skills, qualifications and experience. Review actual role requirements before applying; no job or certification is guaranteed.
Are all tools and certificates free?
The linked learning routes were selected for free viewing or reading. Follow the separate access and certificate notes on each course. Paid tools and cloud deployment are optional; document a local design when implementation resources are unavailable.
Can I follow this on a phone?
You can read the path and many learning resources on a phone. Coding, detailed spreadsheet work, design tools and mobile-app development are easier or require a suitable computer. The page is designed to reflow; that is not a claim that every physical device has been tested.
Questions & discussion
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