Should you be interested in training in Cisco, it’s most likely that the CCNA is what you’ll need. The Cisco training is designed for people who want to learn about routers and switches. Routers hook up networks of computers to other sets of computer networks over the internet or dedicated lines.
Routers connect to networks, so find a course that features the basics on networks (maybe the CompTIA Network+, possibly with A+ as well) and then do a CCNA course. You’ll need this background understanding on networks before getting going with Cisco or you may encounter problems. When you’ve qualified and are on the job market, you’ll benefit from having a good knowledge of networks to complement your CCNA.
The CCNA qualification is where you need to be aiming – you’re not ready for your CCNP for now. Once you’ve got a few years experience behind you, you can decide if you need to train up to this level. If it is, you’ll be much more capable to succeed at that stage – because you’ll have so much more experience.
Understanding the most fitting job option is very difficult – so which areas should we be checking out and which questions should we be posing?
A ridiculously large number of organisations are all about the certification, and avoid focusing on what you actually need – which is of course employment. You should always begin with the end in mind – don’t get hung-up on the training vehicle. It’s unfortunate, but a large percentage of students commence training that sounds spectacular from the sales literature, but which provides the end-result of a job that is of no interest at all. Try talking to typical university leavers for a real eye-opener.
It’s a good idea to understand the exact expectations industry will have. What particular certifications you’ll be required to have and how you’ll go about getting some commercial experience. Spend some time thinking about how far you think you’ll want to progress your career as it may affect your choice of qualifications. Always seek guidance and advice from an industry professional, even if you have to pay a small fee – it’s considerably cheaper and safer to discover early on if you’ve chosen correctly, instead of finding out following two years of study that you aren’t going to enjoy the job you’ve chosen and have wasted years of effort.
Make sure that all your exams are current and what employers are looking for – forget programs which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque. Only fully recognised examinations from the top companies like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe and CompTIA will mean anything to employers.
People attracted to this sort of work often have a very practical outlook on work, and won’t enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and slogging through piles of books. If this is putting you off studying, go for more modern interactive training, with on-screen demonstrations and labs. If we’re able to involve all our senses in the learning process, then we normally see dramatically better results.
Interactive full motion video involving demonstration and virtual lab’s will beat books every time. And you’ll find them fun and interesting. It’s wise to view some examples of the kind of training materials you’ll be using before you sign on the dotted line. Always insist on video tutorials, instructor demo’s and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.
It’s unwise to go for purely on-line training. Connection quality and reliability varies hugely across most broadband providers, make sure you get CD or DVD ROM based materials.
Many training companies only give support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; most won’t answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends. Beware of institutions that use ‘out-of-hours’ call-centres – with the call-back coming in during normal office hours. It’s not a lot of help when you’ve got study issues and need help now.
The very best training providers incorporate three or four individual support centres across multiple time-zones. Online access provides the interactive interface to link them all seamlessly, irrespective of the time you login, help is just seconds away, without any problems or delays. Don’t under any circumstances take less than this. 24×7 support is the only viable option when it comes to technical learning. Maybe burning the midnight-oil is not your thing; usually though, we’re out at work at the time when most support is available.
Consider the following facts carefully if you think the marketing blurb about an ‘Exam Guarantee’ sounds great value:
These days, we tend to be a tad more knowledgeable about sales gimmicks – and generally we grasp that we’re actually paying for it (it isn’t free or out of the goodness of their hearts!) It’s everybody’s ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Taking your exams progressively one at a time and paying as you go sees you much better placed to get through first time – you put the effort in and are aware of the costs involved.
Don’t pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you at the time, and keep hold of your own money. You’ll then be able to select where you sit the exam – so you can find somewhere local. A lot of extra profit is netted by a significant number of organisations who incorporate exam fees into the cost of the course. For various reasons, many students don’t take their exams and so they pocket the rest. Astoundingly enough, providers exist that depend on students not taking their exams – and that’s how they increase their profits. Pay heed to the fact that, in the majority of cases of ‘exam guarantees’ – you are not in control of when you can do your re-takes. You’ll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they’ll pay for another exam.
The cost of exams was approximately 112 pounds in the last 12 months via UK VUE or Prometric centres. So why pay hundreds or thousands of pounds extra for ‘Exam Guarantees’, when it’s no secret that the most successful method is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.
Sometimes people are under the impression that the tech college or university track is still the most effective. Why then is commercial certification slowly and steadily replacing it? The IT sector now acknowledges that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, the right accreditation supplied for example by Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA most often has much more specialised relevance – and a fraction of the cost and time. In essence, the learning just focuses on what’s actually required. Actually, it’s not quite as pared down as that, but the principle remains that students need to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (including a degree of required background) – without attempting to cover a bit about every other area (as degree courses are known to do).
When it comes down to the nitty-gritty: Authorised IT qualifications let employers know exactly what you’re capable of – everything they need to know is in the title: i.e. I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003′. Consequently an employer can look at their needs and which qualifications are required to fulfil that.
Being at the forefront of progressive developments in new technology gives you the best job satisfaction ever. You personally play your part in defining the world to come. We’re in the very early stages of beginning to scrape the surface of how technology will influence everything we do. Computers and the web will massively revolutionise how we regard and interrelate with the entire world over the years to come.
Should lifestyle be high on your list of priorities, you will be happy to know that the income on average of the majority of IT staff is a lot greater than with most other jobs or industries. It seems there’s no end in sight for IT industry increases throughout this country. The industry is still growing quickly, and we don’t have anywhere near enough qualified skilled IT professionals to fill current job vacancies, so it’s highly unlikely that things will be any different for a good while yet.
About the Author:
The author: Jason Kendall has worked in IT for 2 Decades. He now consults around commercial certification. If you’re interested in CCNA Certification, visit LearningLolly CCNA Training.
Robin Lee :: Apr.21.2009 ::
Cisco CCNA News ::
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