Trying to get my CCNA cert, but clueless about best path

[Thetech]

I can take a 6 Month Class at my local technical institute and get some college credit upon completion, or I was wondering if there was a faster way to train and pass the test? If so would it be worth it over taking the course? I'm already in an A+ Cert course, and will be done with it in Feb.

 

[Brutus04]

Go for the 6 monther unless you understand networking, subnets, routers etc. It a worthwhile course and the college credit helps.

 

[Thetech]

The only thing is the time, I don't know how I'll adjust all of this around going to college

 

[ghostman]

It really depends on how much knowledge of networking you already have. I'm sure books will give you enough knowledge to pass the exam, but a course is structured enough to make sure you complete it.

Having said that, I don't know how much value I'd place on CCNA. I got my CCNA in high school. None of my jobs cared about it, so I didn't bother renewing it after it expired in 3 years. And now that I'm in IT, I don't know a single person who is certified or cares to be certified.

 

[wyvrn]

About 4-5 years ago, I had a lot of certs and some IT experience, but not much networking. I took the Cisco Academy courses at my local community college. They gave me much more information that I needed on the class, and I passed the test with a 960 I think. I also studied using software before the test, I think it was Micromash but I don't remember. The class was awesome because I got real hands on experience with Cisco routers, which was cool even though I didn't need it to pass the cert exam.

 

[Bateluer]

Originally posted by: wyvrn
The class was awesome because I got real hands on experience with Cisco routers, which was cool even though I didn't need it to pass the cert exam.

The new Cisco tests include hands on exams and lab portions, you'll need that hands on experience to pass the exams today.

 

[Thetech]

Originally posted by: Bateluer

Originally posted by: wyvrn
The class was awesome because I got real hands on experience with Cisco routers, which was cool even though I didn't need it to pass the cert exam.

The new Cisco tests include hands on exams and lab portions, you'll need that hands on experience to pass the exams today.

So I guess I don't have much of a choice then

 

[trmiv]

Also, are you disciplined enough for self-paced study? I tried to get my CCNA a couple of years ago and quickly realized I wasn't disciplined enough to force myself to study when I had other things going on. It was just too easy to get distracted and put off reading. Yet I did fine in college when I had a structured class to follow. I'm looking into taking a course to get me through CCNA and then MCSE.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: ghostman
It really depends on how much knowledge of networking you already have. I'm sure books will give you enough knowledge to pass the exam, but a course is structured enough to make sure you complete it.

Having said that, I don't know how much value I'd place on CCNA. I got my CCNA in high school. None of my jobs cared about it, so I didn't bother renewing it after it expired in 3 years. And now that I'm in IT, I don't know a single person who is certified or cares to be certified.

best buy is not IT.

CCNA and most cisco certs are in BIG demand right now. Do you live in any kind of city?

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Bateluer

Originally posted by: wyvrn
The class was awesome because I got real hands on experience with Cisco routers, which was cool even though I didn't need it to pass the cert exam.

The new Cisco tests include hands on exams and lab portions, you'll need that hands on experience to pass the exams today.

You can get by with the simulators...if you want hardware a couple cheap L3 switches would do for CCNA.

 

[Thetech]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: ghostman
It really depends on how much knowledge of networking you already have. I'm sure books will give you enough knowledge to pass the exam, but a course is structured enough to make sure you complete it.

Having said that, I don't know how much value I'd place on CCNA. I got my CCNA in high school. None of my jobs cared about it, so I didn't bother renewing it after it expired in 3 years. And now that I'm in IT, I don't know a single person who is certified or cares to be certified.

best buy is not IT.

CCNA and most cisco certs are in BIG demand right now. Do you live in any kind of city?

Yes, I do live in a moderately sized city, the point is that I see jobs that want you to have a CCNA all of the time, Network technicians while not being hired in droves seems to be a steady demand.

 

[intogamer]

someone should make an official A+/CCNA/Ciso certification thread.

 

[TruePaige]

Originally posted by: Thetech

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: ghostman
It really depends on how much knowledge of networking you already have. I'm sure books will give you enough knowledge to pass the exam, but a course is structured enough to make sure you complete it.

Having said that, I don't know how much value I'd place on CCNA. I got my CCNA in high school. None of my jobs cared about it, so I didn't bother renewing it after it expired in 3 years. And now that I'm in IT, I don't know a single person who is certified or cares to be certified.

best buy is not IT.

CCNA and most cisco certs are in BIG demand right now. Do you live in any kind of city?

Yes, I do live in a moderately sized city, the point is that I see jobs that want you to have a CCNA all of the time, Network technicians while not being hired in droves seems to be a steady demand.

Network Technicians for the win.

..<--Network Technician

 

[James Bond]

Originally posted by: ghostman
It really depends on how much knowledge of networking you already have. I'm sure books will give you enough knowledge to pass the exam, but a course is structured enough to make sure you complete it.

Having said that, I don't know how much value I'd place on CCNA. I got my CCNA in high school. None of my jobs cared about it, so I didn't bother renewing it after it expired in 3 years. And now that I'm in IT, I don't know a single person who is certified or cares to be certified.

Terrible advice.

The CCNA is one of the most widely recognized certifications in the industry.

"None of my jobs cared about it"? What jobs were you interviewing for?

 

[ScottFern]

Originally posted by: intogamer
someone should make an official A+/CCNA/Ciso certification thread.

QFT!

 

[pnad]

I tried the books but like trmiv I lack the discipline to study on my own free time. Those technical books just put me right to sleep. While I was lucky enough to land this job without the cert I am getting pressure from management to get it. So, I will be going to a bootcamp next month. Pricey, but worth it to me for the short time commitment and guarantee pass.

 

[Thetech]

I'll probably just take the course, I'm not disciplined enough to do it myself.

 

[warmodder]

I took the class, but the instructor was a joke. He was out half the course and we had a sub who spent the time telling us the internet was a lot like plumbing...Ended up not getting any hands-on experience or learning much of anything.

If you have a good instructor you should do fine. The material is super dry but not excruciatingly difficult.

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: Thetech
I can take a 6 Month Class at my local technical institute and get some college credit upon completion, or I was wondering if there was a faster way to train and pass the test? If so would it be worth it over taking the course? I'm already in an A+ Cert course, and will be done with it in Feb.

it was suggested by someone above my boss level that i should have a cert for my position. (never mind i've been doing the job fine w/o one.)

i bought a ccna book, and passed the test the next week.

of course having the network engineering dept around the corner helped :laugh: <test router lab FTW!>

lol... "The only thing is the time, I don't know how I'll adjust all of this around going to college. "

if u dont have the time + hard work to put in it, then you'll never achive it w/o cheating. (this goes for life in general, not just ccna.)

ie:
losing weight

 

[RedCOMET]

Originally posted by: ScottFern

Originally posted by: intogamer
someone should make an official A+/CCNA/Ciso certification thread.

QFT!

but should it be in OT or in the networking forum.

 

[ghostman]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: ghostman
It really depends on how much knowledge of networking you already have. I'm sure books will give you enough knowledge to pass the exam, but a course is structured enough to make sure you complete it.

Having said that, I don't know how much value I'd place on CCNA. I got my CCNA in high school. None of my jobs cared about it, so I didn't bother renewing it after it expired in 3 years. And now that I'm in IT, I don't know a single person who is certified or cares to be certified.

best buy is not IT.

CCNA and most cisco certs are in BIG demand right now. Do you live in any kind of city?

Terrible advice.

The CCNA is one of the most widely recognized certifications in the industry.

"None of my jobs cared about it"? What jobs were you interviewing for?

While I agree that the CCNA is recognized in the industry, I don't feel it has much weight. I'm not saying all certifications are useless and even CCNA is "nice to have" on a resume when compared to nothing at all, but I do question if the course is "worth" taking (as the OP had asked). I took the course offered in my high school because it was free and because it was more advanced than the other technology courses. But CCNA's are a dime a dozen and their industry worth is diluted by how easy it is to get certified and is diminished by basic industry experience and other certs.

If you have the discipline, I'd recommend learning networking on your own (not just setting up a home network, but OSI, OSPF, Dijkstra's, etc.), not necessarily aiming for a CCNA and using college courses and credit for something that's much more difficult to pick up on your own, such as algorithms or familiarizing yourself with a new programming language (heck, even a management course). Those have much more industry and personal value (but no pretty piece of paper valid for 3 years).

When I graduated college, none of my college friends were certified. They all got IT jobs at major firms - IBM, Google, Goldman, Deloitte, Microsoft and Accenture. I currently work in NYC doing IT in a global Fortune 100. I did not include my CCNA cert on my resume since it had expired by that time. I've spoken with my colleagues about certs before and none of them have a cert nor do they intend to get one. The important thing is WHAT you learn and if the cert helps you get there, then go for it. But it's not needed as part of the learning process and if you already had the knowledge, you wouldn't need the certification to validate that.

EDIT: typo

 

[Thetech]

Originally posted by: ghostman

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: ghostman
It really depends on how much knowledge of networking you already have. I'm sure books will give you enough knowledge to pass the exam, but a course is structured enough to make sure you complete it.

Having said that, I don't know how much value I'd place on CCNA. I got my CCNA in high school. None of my jobs cared about it, so I didn't bother renewing it after it expired in 3 years. And now that I'm in IT, I don't know a single person who is certified or cares to be certified.

best buy is not IT.

CCNA and most cisco certs are in BIG demand right now. Do you live in any kind of city?

Terrible advice.

The CCNA is one of the most widely recognized certifications in the industry.

"None of my jobs cared about it"? What jobs were you interviewing for?

While I agree that the CCNA is recognized in the industry, I don't feel it has much weight. I'm not saying all certifications are useless and even CCNA is "nice to have" on a resume when compared to nothing at all, but I do question if the course is "worth" taking (as the OP had asked). I took the course offered in my high school because it was free and because it was more advanced than the other technology courses. But CCNA's are a dime a dozen and their industry worth is diluted by how easy it is to get certified and is diminished by basic industry experience and other certs.

If you have the discipline, I'd recommend learning networking on your own (not just setting up a home network, but OSI, OSPF, Dijkstra's, etc.), not necessarily aiming for a CCNA and using college courses and credit for something that's much more difficult to pick up on your own, such as algorithms or familiarizing yourself with a new programming language (heck, even a management course). Those have much more industry and personal value (but no pretty piece of paper valid for 3 years).

When I graduated college, none of my college friends were certified. They all got IT jobs at major firms - IBM, Google, Goldman, Deloitte, Microsoft and Accenture. I currently work in NYC doing IT in a global Fortune 100. I did not include my CCNA cert on my resume since it had expired by that time. I've spoken with my colleagues about certs before and none of them have a cert nor do they intend to get one. The important thing is WHAT you learn and if the cert helps you get there, then go for it. But it's not needed as part of the learning process and if you already had the knowledge, you wouldn't need the certification to validate that.

EDIT: typo

Yes, But they graduated college, for me I think the CCNA might help me through college. As long as I can get a decent job.