But SDN is NOT just ""SDN = some kind of automation””. Its centralized management with good automation built-in. Good automation means automation that orchestrates cohesive, correct network changes — and can roll them back — not just scripts that can spew configs into individual devices.
And you say SDN consists of "bits of code and ideas coming out of these operators” as if that’s a bad thing. That’s how all innovation happens in IT.
Today's SDN has delivered on orchestration and good automation.You only have to shop and compare, the products are there and very powerful.
But more germane to this discussion, I would expect any network engineer candidate to know all about SDN, know how various vendors implement it, and have experience using it.
You wouldn’t expect a bridge engineer to not be proficient in advanced computational modeling, would you? Or an electrical engineer to not understand field-programmable gate arrays? Or a chemical engineer ignorant of SCADA programmable logic controllers?
That’s the equivalent of an SDN-ignorant engineer in today’s market.