01
Network Operations
Route, segment, observe, and recover a mid-size network. You leave with diagrams people can use.
Career labs for working infrastructure
Think you can run a production network?
Practice systems administration against messy, realistic environments—not tidy classroom diagrams. Build judgment around networks, servers, identity, and defensive operations.
Cohorts capped at 18 learners. Evening and daytime options.
2016
founded in the Research Triangle
1,146
lab scenarios completed last year
6:1
learner-to-instructor cap
4
job-ready pathways
Choose your operating lane
Training built around the work companies actually hand over.
02
Systems Reliability
Work through storage pressure, service failures, account drift, and the awkward handoffs that cause repeat incidents.
03
Defensive Administration
Turn access reviews, log evidence, and baseline checks into a weekly operating habit. No theater.
04
Career Practice Room
Translate a lab decision into interview language, a change record, and a short briefing for a nontechnical manager.
What changes
A lab is only useful when it feels slightly unfair.
The clean answer is rarely waiting for you. Our scenarios include old notes, competing priorities, and a clock. Honestly, that’s the point.
We do not offer around-the-clock security operations coverage or promise a job outcome. What we teach is the work underneath: evidence, restraint, escalation, and a clear explanation when the first fix isn’t right.
You work the change, not a slideshow.
Each cohort starts with a believable request from a fictional operations team. A maintenance window closes, a service owner gets impatient, and your notes matter.
Tools become decisions.
A dashboard can tell you plenty. The harder question is what to check next, what to leave alone, and when to call someone. That’s where the instructor pushes back.
Your work has a paper trail.
By the final session, you assemble a change note, incident summary, and skills narrative. Hiring teams recognize that shape of thinking.
From the room
“I expected commands. I got a broken branch network, a grumpy finance lead, and a deadline. That’s closer to my first month at work than anything else I tried.”
COHORT NOTE
“The capstone took longer than I figured. Good. I had to explain why I made each call.”
Devin Cho · Operations Coordinator, Northgate Fabrication
A short path, with teeth
From skills review to a cleaner next move.
01
Map
Tell us what you’ve touched and where you freeze up.
02
Place
Pick a track and lab level with an instructor.
03
Practice
Work live incidents, write notes, defend choices.
04
Carry it forward
Leave with a record of what you can explain and do.
Questions people ask
Before you take a seat.
Is this for someone with no IT experience?
Not usually. You should be comfortable with files, basic networking ideas, and using a terminal. The skills review catches gaps before you spend money on the wrong track.
How much time is the Systems Reliability track?
Eight weeks, with two instructor sessions and one self-directed lab block each week. Plan on six to nine hours weekly when the capstone starts.
Do you issue a certification?
You receive a completion record and portfolio materials. We do not represent those as a substitute for a vendor credential or a degree.
Can an employer enroll a small team?
Yes. Team cohorts can use a shared operational scenario; the minimum is four people. Fair question: the curriculum is still practice-led, not a lecture series with your logo added.
What happens after I request a review?
A program advisor reads the details you share and contacts you to discuss fit. No automated placement decision.
Start with the work you know
Request your skills review.
Share a little context. We’ll point you toward the right starting level or say when a track is not a good fit.
320 Blackwell Street, Suite 220
Durham, NC 27701
+1 (919) 555-0147
hello@switchyardlearning.com
Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM–6:00 PM Eastern