CCNA Voice: Training or Self-Study?
virtutech
Registered Users Posts: 2 ■□□□□□□□□□
Hello everyone,
I am new here but have been following this amazing forum for a few weeks and finally decided to join. I am currently pursuing CCNA R&S at a local institute and so far, I love it. The sole reason I decided to take it at an institute is to get away from home so as to be able to concentrate and not be distracted at home. The institute I am attending is also offering CCNA Voice starting May 4th which I am also interested in considering my academic knowledge (BComm in Business Technology Management with a major in Infrastructure Management and Telecom) and experience. I know this is the path to go as I have done four major VOIP projects in the previous companies I worked for. Once I complete CCNA Voice, I plan to focus on CCNA Security and may look into CCNP Voice next year.
As the course is $500 and I am currently on a budget in terms of education as I have various certification goals this year and need the extra money for other courses and exams, I was wondering if CCNA Voice can be accomplished through self-study i.e. CBT Nuggets. I already have all the videos but was wondering if studying in a class environment will help as I heard it's an easy exam. In other words, Is CBT Nuggets enough to gain knowledge and 'at home experience' or is it better to go attend a class and apply the academic knowledge in a Cisco VOIP environment? The only reason I prefer self-study is to save the $500 so I can save $ for other courses and exams. However, if you recommend taking a class is better for employ ability, experience and be able to suceed in an interview - I will go ahead and register.
By the way, I have seen many of you have goals under your posts. How do you go about doing that? I entered the certifications I am currently working on but it doesn't show up under my post.
Please advise, Thanks in advance.
I am new here but have been following this amazing forum for a few weeks and finally decided to join. I am currently pursuing CCNA R&S at a local institute and so far, I love it. The sole reason I decided to take it at an institute is to get away from home so as to be able to concentrate and not be distracted at home. The institute I am attending is also offering CCNA Voice starting May 4th which I am also interested in considering my academic knowledge (BComm in Business Technology Management with a major in Infrastructure Management and Telecom) and experience. I know this is the path to go as I have done four major VOIP projects in the previous companies I worked for. Once I complete CCNA Voice, I plan to focus on CCNA Security and may look into CCNP Voice next year.
As the course is $500 and I am currently on a budget in terms of education as I have various certification goals this year and need the extra money for other courses and exams, I was wondering if CCNA Voice can be accomplished through self-study i.e. CBT Nuggets. I already have all the videos but was wondering if studying in a class environment will help as I heard it's an easy exam. In other words, Is CBT Nuggets enough to gain knowledge and 'at home experience' or is it better to go attend a class and apply the academic knowledge in a Cisco VOIP environment? The only reason I prefer self-study is to save the $500 so I can save $ for other courses and exams. However, if you recommend taking a class is better for employ ability, experience and be able to suceed in an interview - I will go ahead and register.
By the way, I have seen many of you have goals under your posts. How do you go about doing that? I entered the certifications I am currently working on but it doesn't show up under my post.
Please advise, Thanks in advance.
Comments
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JeanM
Member Posts: 1,117
Hi, welcome to the forum!
My 2 cents is, benefit of attending a local college is that you'll gain some hands-on experience, otherwise get ready to buy some gear to lab with
2015 goals - ccna voice / vmware vcp. -
Legacy User
Unregistered / Not Logged In Posts: 0 ■□□□□□□□□□
If you think by doing self study you will save $500 that won't happen. With voice you will need an actual lab to play with which depending on the lab kit you put together that can start to add up. Does the course in school allow you to access they're equipment offsite after hours? The exam isn't that difficult I watched cbt nuggets took notes then watched INE then took notes. If you are serious about voice you will need a lab to keep practicing on to keep your skills sharp otherwise you will forget what you learned.
If I'm not mistaken INE still have the ccna voice offered online for free. The only way you will be able to succeed in an interview is if you can show that you know the stuff. That level of aptitude can be obtained by really understanding the technology which can be obtained by self study or classroom. The reality is self study will happen in a classroom setting as well because they will probably give you a book along with the course and tell you to read at home.
In my opinion the benefit of classroom training is that if you do not understand something you can ask the teacher to explain it again. They usually should have the correct equipment to practice which saves you time and money to build and piece things together.
Disadvantages are that classroom based training can be pricy. Also, depending on the frequency of class they could bombard you with information at a fast pace leaving you with more questions then answers. Once class is over you do not have access to the equipment.
Benefit of self study you can go at your own pace. If watching some form of cbts you can pause and rewind. You could practice all day on your lab if you like. Once you feel you got it you go back and watch the video series again with a better understanding of the material.
Disadvantage of self study is that you may not understand a topic and will need to find alternate resources to get the answer e.g. forums, cisco docs, blogs, etc. Also, piecing together a lab can be pricy and take up space in your house. Once you done with your studies you have a lot of excess equipment catching dust.
I took a networking program in mcse and ccna which ran me a pretty penny. After I was done I looked at trainsignal and it was the same experience for me. IMO I prefer self study everytime in comparison to expensive training courses but I know everyone has there own learning styles.