Network Classes

[radtechtips]

Is the network + a good class to start with in high school for a network engineer career. What classes should i.take beyond that to prepare for college

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Define "college" in this case. Are you going the tradeschool/community college route, or the 4-year BS/CompSci route?

Network+ is a certification, not a class (although many tradeschools offer prep classes.) You can self-study and get the certification after passing a test. Same with most industry certs. (A+, Server+, CCNA, etc.)

If you go to a community college, there's usually some cert prep built into the program. If you go to a 4-year and do compsci, they don't usually focus on that as much as they do the theory, but the girls are cuter. (And I've lost out on multiple job opportunities to ninnies with 4-year degrees and no practical experience.)

Source: Former compsci minor in undergrad, now at a CC for a AS in helpdesk-ology.

 

[radtechtips]

Im definitely going to a 4 year school. Im still deciding between EE, CE, and NE

Define "college" in this case. Are you going the tradeschool/community college route, or the 4-year BS/CompSci route?

Network+ is a certification, not a class (although many tradeschools offer prep classes.) You can self-study and get the certification after passing a test. Same with most industry certs. (A+, Server+, CCNA, etc.)

If you go to a community college, there's usually some cert prep built into the program. If you go to a 4-year and do compsci, they don't usually focus on that as much as they do the theory, but the girls are cuter. (And I've lost out on multiple job opportunities to ninnies with 4-year degrees and no practical experience.)

Source: Former compsci minor in undergrad, now at a CC for a AS in helpdesk-ology.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

If you're doing a 4-year, then don't bother with Certificates now, unless it's free. (Maybe offered through your high school.) Those types of training classes tend to be very vocationally oriented, which will help you through maybe the first half-semester of the college curriculum tops.

You have to renew most certifications every few years anyway; if you're looking to pad your resume, it's better if you take your Network+/Server+/A+/MCSE/CCNA your senior year in college. Then you 1) don't have to take them again when you graduate just to get them on your resume, 2) have four years of college backing you up when you take the cert exams, 3) can probably take the tests for a steep discount through your University.

You'd be better off boning up on calculus now. Or doing as many basic studies classes (english, history, foreign language, etc.) as either AP or as a a PSEO brat. Do it now, gets it out of the way, it's cheap or free vs. full-on college tuition.

That said, once you're IN college, you should be taking advantage of any opportunity to find and learn about the practical applications of what you've studied. (Internships, job shadowing, etc.) At the very least, it'll probably help you understand the material better come finals week, and flesh out your essay answers better with amusing personal anecdotes.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

God... I fucked it up when I did round one. Don't be like me.

 

[radtechtips]

Im in calc next year as a junior.

 

[JackMDS]

The specific classes does not matter as long as you take good science track. I.e., Math, Physics, Chemistry, Computer science, Networking, etc.

Actually most Good colleges and Graduate school prefer students with strong General Science background rather than ones that started in early age in very special specific tracks and thus lacking broad understanding of science.

 

[radtechtips]

Wise words i have taken biology and physics just have to do chem. Im taking intro to programming and intro to engineering design next year

 

[JackMDS]

Wise words i have taken biology and physics just have to do chem. Im taking intro to programming and intro to engineering design next year

:thumbsup:

 

[mammador]

CCNA is the best choice IMO.

Whilst Network+ has the same syllabus/core topics, Cisco CCNA IMO has the brand name. Cisco wrote the book on much of the modern discipline.

 

[kevnich2]

I'd take the intro classes in HS so it gives you more of an idea of what you're interested in and do more of the computer or network engineering route, but definitely don't pay to take any certification classes right now. In college - I think it's easier to switch from CE/NE to CS rather than the other way around. Each of them deals with either more or less of the math/calculus and more/less of the actual programming of hardware vs actual implementation of the technology.

 

[radtechtips]

I think i a going to try to get the ccna cert so i can work this summer cand next. does anyone know any good online prep classes i can take.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I think i a going to try to get the ccna cert so i can work this summer cand next. does anyone know any good online prep classes i can take.

There are probably some offered through your local community college. (Mine has 'em, anyway. Yes, online. It's a four-class series.)

Otherwise just buy the study guide, buy an old Cisco router to work with, do the labs, do the PacketTracer stuff, and brain-dump the test before you forget everything.

 

[Mushkins]

CCNA is the best choice IMO.

Whilst Network+ has the same syllabus/core topics, Cisco CCNA IMO has the brand name. Cisco wrote the book on much of the modern discipline.

I tried it that way, and then promptly watched HR departments almost universally dump my resume in the garbage because they dont know what a CCNA is and Net+ was the stupid buzzword in the job description.

IMO get both, if only to please the resume filters. The $100 or whatever it is to take the Net+ test is worth it to get your foot in the door, even if the cert itself is pretty much a worthless joke. Get the job, then don't ever renew it after it expires unless your employer makes you, move on to bigger and better things.

 

[Bricked]

The thing about the CCNA is that it's not an entry level cert. If you want to market yourself as a CCNA, employers will expect you to have real world production experience - especially with the economy being the way it is these days. You could always get lucky, of course, but for the most part companies would rather not pay people to use their corporate networks to learn on. There used to be a time when a good certification could get you a job by itself, but those days are long gone.

The one area where I see a benefit is an internship position that leads to employment. In such a situation it is expected that you would need to be trained, and certs might help you stand apart from other applicants.

Entry level certs like A+ and Network+ are good for padding your resume when looking for entry level positions that require little or no experience.

 

[radtechtips]

Maybe ill try to get an internship

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Maybe ill try to get an internship

You might actually get one... after 2-3 years of college.

 

[radtechtips]

Why , its not like you get paid

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Why , its not like you get paid

They still hold the positions for people with some education under their belts. The more deep background info you have, the more you get out of it. (And he more use they get out of you.)

They're not going to take you over any university junior/senior who's worth their salt. With or without a Network+.

That's assuming you're applying for an internship in engineering/development or somesuch. (Which you said you were interested in earlier.) If you just apply to some IT department full of CCNAs and Reimaging Trolls who were lucky enough to get out of the Geek Squad, you'll spend your summer zeroing out HDDs and doing RAM swaps. With no pay. Woohoo, internship!

Go to college. Learn stuff. As long as you're learning more on your own than you're learning in class, you're doing it right.

 

[radtechtips]

Thats what I've been doing.

 

[Udgnim]

Why , its not like you get paid

think this depends on state

in California, interns basically must get paid if they do anything that can be considered of value for the company

 

[radtechtips]

Good thing i live in super liberal utah

think this depends on state

in California, interns basically must get paid if they do anything that can be considered of value for the company