To be a qualified network engineer for a large scale network, you'd better keep studying and practicing, or you will be dropped out of the team. The best example is my own interview experience. Every time I came back from an interview, I make a list of what I don't know or not know enough. Then I will setup a learning plan and get myself educated. 

Fortunately, I am kind of guy who have the ability to working in "blind": give me a book, or manual, I can make things working in one week! Actually I've been practicing this for the past 15 years, I did not go to classes, totally learn on my own, and get the same thing done, no matter what classes they are! The best thing about it is after your surviving from these, you will know exactly what is the best methodology for you to do things, that way you can deal with any previous unknown topic without fear! 

• ISP and Network Operation Center (NOC)

What is the trend in ISP network design nowadays? What is your collection of tools to running a successful NOC?

• Virtual CCIE Prep Lab

 
As the Cisco router and switch dominate the network design of all scales, any networkers got to know it inside out. Setting up a "paper-based" lab and working on real CCIE scenarios are the convenient way to achieve this goal. (except you have big bucks to spend with real thing!) 
 
• Network Design and Its Automation

 
For different business goals, network design differs in terms of its architecture and routing/routed protocol selection. The typical example is ISP networks vs corporate. In this project, basic principles as well as real life practices are summarized and evaluated. 

Inspired by the success of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools in high level FPGA circuitry design, Network Design Automation (NDA) tools began to emerge in the network design market. They typically include an network simulator, IP planner, VLAN designer and capable of performing LAN/WAN design. 
 

• Network Management 

 
Nowadays, every network is "mission-critical". Reactive level network troubleshooting and maintaining are no longer sufficient as it was a few years ago. High Availability (HA) networking demand proactive level network management from system level ( link or device failure) to network level (network service configuration). What does this mean to Network Operation Centers (NOCs) of your business? 
 
• Cisco ISO Routing and Switching 

 
As up to 85% of the Internet backbone are built by Cisco router and switches, expert knowledge of Cisco IOS, router and switch boxes are mandatory for any network architecture or administrator. What are those "expert knowledge"? Is that covered by CCIE exam? 
 
• System and Network Performance Tuning and Capacity Planning 

 
Is your knowledge of Adrian Cockcroft and Brain Wang's books enough to maintain a network smoothly operating at an acceptable level of performance? If not, what else do you need? 
 
• Setting up and maintaining Network Services 

With the wide acceptance of Internet, more and more "service providers" pop up. ISP, eCommerce, what is next? 
 

• Web application framework bottom-line: Netscape Suitespot and NT server package testing

• Message Groupware in NT: Microsoft Exchange

• NOS comparison: Solaris 2.6, NT server 5.0, NetWare 5.0 

• VPN and Firewall

• Security at System and Network context

• UNIX and NT integration

• Solaris, SunOS, HP-UX, Digital Unix, IBM AIX, SGI IRIX, Ultrix administration: how they differ from each other? 

• Web+Java/CORBA+Database: O-O based multitie framework for distributed computing 

What do Java RMI, Java JDBC, jConnect, web-aware RMDBS mean to the web application development? What does CORBA bring into the picture? 
 
• Sybase vs. Oracle: difference from a DBA perspective

Want to be a DBA? The first lesson... 
 

• Electronic Design Automation: FPGA-based ASIC design and high level synthesis

How to build a Ethernet Hub or ATM switch fabric in less than one week? Buy some FPGA and synopsis package!