I've been trying to dig into network automation for a bit, and I'm struggling to find what I'm looking for. I think that there are likely others in my same situation. I passed my CCNA R+S right before the switchover to the new format, so I didn't learn any automation stuff from the new CCNA.
The thing I'm struggling with is understanding what network automation can actually accomplish. I've seen plenty of content on what automation is, the basics behind the frameworks that are involved (Ansible, Puppet, Chef, etc.), and some really basic things such as NetConf and basic monitoring scripts. What I'd like to see is the power of automation. Show me something I can't do without automation. I'm pretty excited about automation and it's potential, but I can't seem to get my boss (he's been running networks for longer than I have been alive) on board. A lot of it has to do with the cost of the supporting hardware (Why, Cisco?), but there's a major component of value proposition. How will network automation significantly improve my workflow or enhance my ability to maintain my network infrastructure?
TL:DR - Blow my mind with some complex automation to make me excited for the future!