New to Layer8Packet? Start Here.

I've been writing about network engineering for 2+ years - from CCNP studies to technical deep dives to management lessons.

55+ posts published. Here's where to start:

🎯 If You're Considering Management

You're a senior network engineer wondering if the management track is right for you.

Start with these:

5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming A Network Engineering Manager
What I Am Looking For When Hiring Network Engineers
Managing Up As A Technical Manager

🚀 If You're Growing Your Career

You're navigating promotions, job changes, certifications, or career transitions.

From Network Engineer to Network Engineering Manager

Start with these:

My Journey As A Network Engineer
My Journey As A Network Engineer

💡 If You Need Strategic Technical Content

You're a manager or senior contributor who needs to think strategically about technology decisions - AI adoption, automation, staying technical while leading.

Start with these:

AI For Network Management Teams
The Technical Manager's Dilemma
Making The Business Case For Network Modernization

🔧 If You Want Pure Technical Content

You're looking for configurations, protocols, troubleshooting guides, and implementation deep dives.

Start with these:

Implementing Cisco SDWAN & Palo Alto SASE Together
Network Security Best Practices for LAN & WAN
Building A Cloud Network Infrastructure

🔥 Most Popular Posts

Based on what readers engage with most:

Featured
Inheriting Someone Else's Network: What to Fix, What to Leave Alone, and How Not to Destroy Your Credibility
Management & Leadership, Technical Leadership & Strategy
Inheriting Someone Else's Network: What to Fix, What to Leave Alone, and How Not to Destroy Your Credibility
Management & Leadership, Technical Leadership & Strategy

You just got promoted or changed jobs. Now you're managing a network you didn't design, with decisions you don't agree with, and configurations that make you cringe. Do you change everything? Leave it alone? How do you prove yourself without breaking things or alienating the people who built it? Here's what actually works when inheriting someone else's infrastructure.

Read More →
Management & Leadership, Technical Leadership & Strategy
Changing Culture as a New Manager: When "We've Always Done It This Way" Is the Enemy
Management & Leadership
Changing Culture as a New Manager: When "We've Always Done It This Way" Is the Enemy
Management & Leadership

Six months into management, I'm learning that changing culture is way harder than changing technology. You have a title but no political capital. Your team might embrace change, but other departments resist. Here's what's actually working (and what's spectacularly failing) when trying to shift "we've always done it this way" culture.

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Management & Leadership
Managing Your Team Through a Major Outage: The Leadership Test Nobody Prepares You For
Technical Leadership & Strategy
Managing Your Team Through a Major Outage: The Leadership Test Nobody Prepares You For
Technical Leadership & Strategy

Major outages aren't a matter of if, but when. And when they happen, your job as a manager isn't just technical - it's keeping your team functioning under pressure, communicating to leadership, and ensuring you learn without creating a blame culture. Here's what actually matters when everything is on fire.

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Technical Leadership & Strategy
2025: A Year in Review - From Engineer to Manager to Blogger to... Whatever This Is
Management & Leadership
2025: A Year in Review - From Engineer to Manager to Blogger to... Whatever This Is
Management & Leadership

A year-end reflection on an unexpectedly transformative 2025 - transitioning into management, growing Layer8Packet, launching a newsletter, and learning that sharing the messy middle of a career journey resonates more than having all the answers.

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Management & Leadership
Your First IT Budget: A Survival Guide for New Managers
Management & Leadership, Technical Leadership & Strategy
Your First IT Budget: A Survival Guide for New Managers
Management & Leadership, Technical Leadership & Strategy

So you're a first-time manager and someone just asked you to "create a budget for next year." Welcome to one of the most stressful parts of management nobody prepared you for. Here's what you actually need to know about IT budgeting - the categories everyone forgets, the political landmines, and how to not screw this up.

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Management & Leadership, Technical Leadership & Strategy

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About Me

I'm Pat, a 20-year network engineer who transitioned to management in mid-2025. My career has been built on Cisco technologies, complemented by certifications including CCNP, CCNA, Palo Alto PCNSA, and Azure Fundamentals.

I write about what it's really like - the struggles, mistakes, and lessons learned along the way. Both from the technical side and the people side.

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Questions?

Email me at layer8packet@gmail.com - I read everything.