Studyng for Net+

I passed my A+ last year and lost the drive to get any more certs after landing a decent starting job (deskside/field support for an electric company), but now I've started studying for the Net+. I'm using Mike Meyers All in One Net+ book and the Professor Messer videos. I'm thinking about using ExamCram as well, I liked it for the A+, but I feel that might be overkill.

It's just difficult to find time to study. I'm usually exhausted by the time I get home, so they most time I put in after work is usually around an hour, and that wont be enough to get this cert by mid February. Is anyone else in this boat? Where do you make time to study?

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Comments

H3||scr3am

Lunch breaks and commuting are great times to get some studying in.

Not sure what your company AUP is like for accessing web videos on your lunch break, but if you can get through some professor messer videos on your lunch and take some notes that will help.

You can also look to get some audio books or make some audio feeds of the Prof. Messer videos to listen to on your way to work. If you take transportation where you don't need to drive (subway, train, carpool, bus, etc.) you could read there as well, or watch videos on your cell phone.

Weekends are another great time to get some studying in, just block off even 2-3 hours a day on the weekend, and get some solid studying in.

cyberguypr

At some point we all need to sacrifice something to achieve our goals. Time is limited so you have to carve out slots. Some sacrifice family, friends, etc. In my particular case I've always sacrificed sleep. I'm usually juggling work, masters studies, cert studies, friends/family commitments, hobbies, home improvement projects. etc. so sleep time is what's left to steal from.

OTBO

Thanks for the suggestions. I guess I'll start staying in for lunch for some extra study time, and I'll have to cut into my sleep/other obligations in order to get this done.

Betrayal

You'll have to find time in your day to sacrifice for studying for the Net+. If you can, buy a tablet so that you can study wherever you are easily.

Boxxer

Betrayal wrote: »

You'll have to find time in your day to sacrifice for studying for the Net+. If you can, buy a tablet so that you can study wherever you are easily.

I agree! The tablet has been the best thing to ever happen for studying at work

marcj04

I think you will be fine putting in an hour a day and then 2-3 hours on the weekends. I am currently studying for the Network+ as well using the ExamCram and Professor Messer videos. I started when my semester ended which was about December 15. I have an internship that is full time and I dedicate my lunch breaks to studying and then spend about another 1-2 hours when I get home. I still have plenty of time to work out, spend time with friends and family and relax. Then I put in an extra 2-3 hours on Saturday and Sunday. I am already 3/4ths of the way through the book and about 1/2 way through the videos. I am going to spend about 3 more weeks studying, do some practice tests than hopefully schedule the cert exam before the end of the month.

I set up a schedule in order to study all the material and be ready for the exam before my winter break ended. I wanted to get a Network+ to supplement my B.S in Information Systems because my biggest fear is not landing a job once I graduate. I feel pretty safe getting an entry level help desk job now.

As long as you are dedicated, focused and disciplined with your study regiments, I am sure you will be fine within a month or so. I feel that a lot of the topics are fairly simple and I have zero networking knowledge whatsoever. It's a lot of theoretical stuff so it can get boring. i can't wait to start studying for the CCNA where it's more hands-on.

Good Luck!!

P.S this is my first cert exam I ever started studying for. Hopefully I don't just completely bomb it lol.

OTBO

marcj04, if you have a B.S in Information Systems and your Net+, you should be able to land something more than helpdesk. I went to a tech school years back for networking and tech support, got my A+, and I started off as a tier 2 deskside.

I'll try to do as you suggested, thanks for the tips/

marcj04

You really think so? I would be more than happy with a Tier 1 Help Desk job as long as I am getting experience. I just feel that with the lack of experience, it hinders me from getting anything more than a tier 2. I might just apply for all the jobs anyways just for the hell of it.

OTBO

I worked doing laptop repair and testing at the time, and that was my only "official" experience (besides school and fixing computers most of my life), I got my A+, heard about an opening at the local energy company, and have been a tier 2 deskside for almost 8 months now. I can say that I know as much as the other techs here with that limited experience.

Tpresto1

Im also in the same boat, by the I get home from work I cant get through my CCNA Security cert guide.

reubs6

OTBO, honestly you just have to push yourself. I started studying for my Sec+ this past September, and I have a wife and a 2 year old at home. It is also the same month that my wife gave birth to our twin girls. I also work full-time on a help desk and also am in school for my B.S. in Information Systems. Not to mention some other obligations that I have, but I still managed to find the time to study and pass my exam in November. That's without sacrificing time with my family, which comes first. You have to study, study, study. On lunch breaks, study. If you have an ebook, use your phone to read it while ur using the bathroom at home or at work. Make recordings and listen to them in the car. Sacrifice going to bed at 10 and go at 11 instead. Sacrifice waking up at 7 and wake up at 6 instead. If you want it bad enough, you will sacrifice some sleep to get it done.

Trifalger

This. reubs6. I'm in the same boat as you with a 2yr old, finishing a BS in Network and Security, and testing for Network + soon. If you're working toward something you have to do everything you can to get that study time in. Luckily I ride the train and I can honestly say I've read many full-sized textbooks on my little iphone screen and save a load of time doing it. If you can't get through another page of cable specifications and keep backtracking I use the text to voice option on my phone to make sure progress. Time and pressure. Invest the time and keep up the pressure and you'll get there.