Automating Yourself Into a Job: Turning Scripting Into Career Growth

There’s a common conversation that comes up at USNUA gatherings: “If I automate my job, won’t they just fire me?”

The fear is real and completely rational. As automation tools become more powerful and accessible, it’s natural to wonder: What happens when the scripts can do what I do?  Automation doesn’t replace you. It replaces what you’re doing today, so you can move on to something more valuable. If you embrace automation it won’t eliminate your job: it will create your next one.

Where Do I Even Start?

This is usually the first roadblock. Many of us in networking don’t come from a software development background, so the learning curve feels steep. I’ve been there. I tried to teach myself Python, just enough syntax to write a few basic scripts, but I didn’t know how to apply any of it to my day-to-day. Now, with AI tools, you don’t need to know how to code, you just need to know what needs to be coded. And one of the most underrated ways to learn automation is by automating your learning process.

Tools like ChatGPT are surprisingly helpful for:

• Writing basic Python or Ansible scripts from prompts

• Explaining code line-by-line

• Debugging scripts and configs

• Converting CLI commands into reusable code

• Translating “I want to do X” into something runnable
  
  

For example:

“I want to log into 10 switches and pull interface status.”

You’ll get a (mostly) working script you can test, tweak, and learn from.

As engineers, we learn fastest by troubleshooting and AI can accelerate how quickly we absorb syntax, best practices, and automation logic. It’s like pair-programming with a robot that doesn’t get tired. So yes, use automation tools to learn automation. It’s not cheating; it’s 2025.

Automation Doesn’t Replace You

When you automate a task, you’re not making yourself obsolete, you’re becoming valuable in a different way.  You are no longer just the person who makes the changes. Instead, you become the person who designs how changes happen and standardizes the process.

People will notice when you:

• Free up time

• Improve reliability

• Document repeatable workflows

Suddenly, you're brought into higher-level conversations. You stop reacting to tickets and start shaping systems. You move from "network engineer" to "network architect" or "automation specialist." This kind of growth doesn’t just benefit your current team. It’s the kind of skill that stands out to hiring managers, recruiters, and future employers. The automation journey can feel isolating when you're the only person on your team exploring these tools. That's exactly why USNUA events are so valuable. You'll meet network engineers who are asking the same questions, sharing the same struggles, and celebrating the same breakthroughs. The network engineers who thrive in the next decade won't be the ones who resist automation—they'll be the ones who lead it. And leaders are always stronger when they're connected to a community of peers doing the same work.