How much time did you invest in your career last year? At AutoCon 5 in Munich, Andy sits down with Mike Bushong for a candid conversation about career growth, automation, AI, and staying valuable as network engineering continues to change. Mike pushes back on one of the industry's most common narratives: learn automation and AI or get left behind. Technology is changing, and learning new skills creates opportunity. But Mike argues that career development shouldn't be driven by fear. It should...
Aug 12
36 min
AI is rapidly changing software development, but why are network engineers still hesitant to trust it? In this sponsored episode, Andy welcomes back CBT Nuggets trainer and Data Knox creator Knox Hutchinson to discuss the intersection of AI, networking, and modern operations. Before building Transit AI, Knox spent years as a software developer delivering enterprise applications for financial institutions before transitioning into networking, a perspective that gives him a unique view of why A...
Aug 5
1 hr 12 min
In Linux, the whoami command returns the identity of the current user. But what happens when engineers ask that same question about themselves? Who am I if I am no longer the person who knows every command? Who am I if automation can perform the work I spent years mastering? Who am I if AI can write code I never learned how to write? At AutoCon 5 in Munich, Andy Lapteff sat down with Network Automation Forum founders Chris Grundemann and Scott Robohn to examine one of the biggest barriers to ...
Jul 29
42 min
Does making your code public mean giving away your best ideas? It's a question more developers are asking as AI makes software creation more accessible than ever. After spending decades believing software development wasn't for him, Andy Lapteff has spent the last several months building real applications with AI-assisted coding tools like Claude Code. That journey led to a bigger question: Should you make your GitHub repositories public? Joining Andy is William Collins for a thoughtful discu...
Jul 15
59 min
Andy Lapteff sits down with network architect James Bensley at AutoCon 5 in Munich to explore the realities of service provider networking, architecture, automation, and standards development. James shares his path from support engineer to architect, explains how network designs evolve, and discusses how architects balance business requirements, operational simplicity, and long-term scalability. The episode also explores product development, the IETF, RFCs, and why understanding...
Jul 1
46 min
What happens when a network engineer realizes their biggest strength isn’t just technology, it’s communication? In this episode of The Art of Network Engineering, Andy Lapteff sits down with Patrick McCabe to discuss the transition from network engineering into product marketing and other vendor-side technical roles. Pat shares stories from: carrier-scale networking,tier 3 operational support,IPTV deployments at AT&T,systems engineering,sales,and eventually product marketing leadership.To...
Jun 17
47 min
AI infrastructure is reshaping networking faster than most engineers realize. In this episode, Andy Lapteff sits down with Scott Robohn to discuss why traditional network engineers should start paying attention to AI networking, GPU infrastructure, and the massive changes happening inside modern data centers. They explore: Why AI workloads are changing networking requirementsGPU networking and lossless EthernetEthernet vs InfiniBandThe rise of NeoCloud providersCo-Packaged Optics (CPO)Ultra E...
Jun 3
45 min
Andy Lapteff sits down in person with Tom Hollingsworth ahead of Networking Field Day 40 for a wide-ranging conversation about Tech Field Day, what makes a great delegate, how great technical conversations happen, and why curiosity remains one of the most important traits in networking. Tom shares the “secret sauce” behind Field Day: strong content, the right audience, and logistics that make the experience valuable for both vendors and delegates. Andy and Tom also discuss AI in networking, t...
May 20
52 min
In this episode, we break down why traditional job applications are failing and how networking communities like USNUA are becoming the fastest path to career growth in IT. You’ll learn: Why applying online isn’t working How real opportunities come from real conversations Why community matters more than certifications You don’t get hired through applications. You get hired through people. If you want to grow your career, this is the shift you need to make. Send...
May 6
29 min
For years, network engineers were told the same thing: “Learn Python… or fall behind.” But what if that’s no longer true? In this episode, we walk through a real Hello World for AI in networking: connecting an AI agent to NetBox using Model Context Protocol (MCP) and querying network data in natural language. No scripts. No Python expertise. Just results. This is a live, unfiltered build, from cloning a repo to debugging JSON to finally asking: “How many sites do I have in New York?” …and get...
Apr 22
53 min
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