not a resume, a plan

From product
manager to network
& security.

A clear-eyed map of the distance between where I am today and a genuine IT Network & Security role, and the steps to actually close it, instead of talking around it.

01 the gap, stated plainly

where I am now

Background in International Business Management, not Computer Engineering
8+ years as a product manager and full-stack builder
Home-level networking: Wi-Fi/router config, CCTV installs, everyday troubleshooting
Zero professional years running enterprise firewalls or security devices, yet

what a network/security role asks

Computer Engineering background, or equivalent hands-on depth
Several years in network projects, ideally at increasing scope
Maintaining network devices, firewalls, and security appliances in production
Supervisor/Superintendent level, expected to lead, not just execute

Verdict: the degree field does not match, professional network years are at zero, and firewall/security-device experience is at zero. The asset that does carry over is the business and management training, genuinely useful for the supervisory half of a title like this, but it does not substitute for the technical half. This is not a portfolio problem, it is a field-and-experience problem, and the only real fix is time plus hands-on work, most likely including a formal bridge through vendor-neutral certification.

02 the path

Four phases.
No shortcuts.

phase 0, now

Prove it to myself first

Turn the home-lab hobby into something documented and verifiable, not just "I've tinkered."

Write up 2-3 home-lab projects properly: network diagram, what was configured, what broke, how it was fixed.
Set up a proper home lab: a managed switch, a spare router running OpenWRT/pfSense/MikroTik RouterOS, a basic firewall ruleset.
Start a study log. The consistency here is what the next phase's certs actually test.

phase 1, 0-6 months

Get the vocabulary + a cert

Certifications do not replace experience, but they are the fastest way to be taken seriously with none yet.

CompTIA Network+: vendor-neutral fundamentals, widely recognized.
MikroTik MTCNA: affordable, local, directly relevant to SMB/ISP network roles common in Indonesia.
Fortinet NSE 1-3 (free) as an on-ramp toward the firewall/security-device knowledge the role explicitly asks for.

phase 2, 6-18 months

Get paid to touch real gear

This step cannot be skipped: enterprise devices, real tickets, real outages, under someone else's supervision.

Target entry titles: IT Support, NOC Technician, Field Network Technician, Junior Network Engineer.
Being a PM is a genuine selling point here: most entry-level network hires cannot run a project or write a clear incident report. I already can.
Goal for this phase: first 1-2 years of real, verifiable network project experience.

phase 3, 18 months to 5 years

Stack depth + scope

This is where "years in network projects, maintains firewalls & security devices" stops being aspirational and starts being a fact on the CV.

CCNA, then CCNP or Fortinet NSE4+ depending on whether the track leans routing/switching or security.
Take ownership of at least one full project end to end: a migration, a firewall rollout, an office network build.
Start mentoring or leading smaller tasks. This is what a Supervisor/Superintendent title actually certifies.

Realistic timeline to a genuine Supervisor/Superintendent-level network and security role: roughly 4-6 years from a standing start. There is no version of this that is faster without lying to an employer about something a firewall outage will expose anyway.

03 in the meantime

Keep shipping
what I am already good at.

Product and full-stack work pays the bills and keeps the resume strong while phases 0-2 run in parallel. Back to the portfolio →

From productmanager to network& security.