Time management and passing exams?

When I look through this forum, I admit that I do envy some of you guys and girls who are able to churn out exam pass after exam pass. You must be earning more than me!

I rarely find time to pick up a book and study. I always put my excuse down to the fact that I have a full-time job, get home on average at 6.30pm each day and have 3 young kids (10, 8 & 5).

Anyone else in a similar position to me who can find the time to study and do their exams? How do you do it? I've been pestered twice by my youngest whilst typing this out. Now 3 times! Now 4. I'll hit the post button now

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RouteMyPacket

FastEthernet wrote: »

When I look through this forum, I admit that I do envy some of you guys and girls who are able to churn out exam pass after exam pass. You must be earning more than me!

There is absolutely nothing to envy from seeing people pass "exam after exam". There is a BIG difference between passing exams and being able to back it up in the real world. NEVER forget that, focus on yourself, invest in yourself and don't worry about what others are doing or not doing.

Iristheangel

I don't know if you ever saw a member named Mrock but he had three kids around the same age and nailed his CCIE. I remember asking him about it and it came down to working as a team with his wife, setting hours of more intense study and labbing for when after the kids went to bed or early in the morning before they woke up, etc. There's always distractions and other things in life, sometimes it's just scheduling around them.

For me personally, I used to get up a 4am to get to work three hours early to study and I'd almost never go to lunch so I could study. That would usually be 4 hours of study right there

overthetop

It shouldn't be necessarily about the money. You have a family, you have children. You know how many women in the world would give or gave the life to have a child? You know how much people pay to attempt to get pregnant? Its not always about the money. .Ok I am done......

Kinet1c

Iristheangel wrote: »

I don't know if you ever saw a member named Mrock but he had three kids around the same age and nailed his CCIE. I remember asking him about it and it came down to working as a team with his wife, setting hours of more intense study and labbing for when after the kids went to bed or early in the morning before they woke up, etc. There's always distractions and other things in life, sometimes it's just scheduling around them.

For me personally, I used to get up a 4am to get to work three hours early to study and I'd almost never go to lunch so I could study. That would usually be 4 hours of study right there

Yup, it's a team effort with children involved. I think your wife/husband/partner should understand that your progress benefits them in the long run.

I also used to study at lunch time. Eat a quick sandwich and then hit the books. It's something I used to do in my old finance career 10 years ago.

dukedar

I am in the same boat... Mid-forties, 3 kids (15-3-3), and I find it really hard to focus. I do study at lunch, but I find by the time I get into something, lunch is over! With the 9-5 job taking up most of the time... then the kids.

Started my cert in '99, and it was much easier then!

My biggest challenge is focus and time. I really need to figure out how to get back into studying, especially after having my ass kicked by MS70-648 not once, but twice! I cant seem to find my motivation after that

Buckles

There's so many distractions in general. Doesn't matter how young or old you are.. There will always be distractions. Social Networking, TV, Shiny things...Kids

... I try to block it all out and get in 3 or so hours on a weeknight. I've been studying for the last week and a bit, i've got another two to go til I re-take my 70-685. It's caused me some pain thus far. I'm just trying to be as effective in my study as possible this time around. Labbing etc. I didn't do that last time.

Claymoore

You don't need to manage your time if you don't need to study. Some (most?) of us who pass exam after exam are actually testing on the real world tasks we do every day in our jobs. You can acquire the knowledge through study or through your daily work. If the exam is structured correctly and it assesses the real skills required to be competent in the technology at that level, you can pass with little or no studying.

When that's not the case, schedule your study time. I was going through AWS training and preparing for the first exam so, for the first time in a long time, I had to put in some real book time. I blocked out a couple of nights during the week and a few weekend afternoons for studying. We asked my mother-in-law to spend time in the evenings helping out around the house with my son and daughter so I could study. Even then work got in the way and I had to sacrifice some evenings to my client's DR test.

markulous

I have two younger kids and a wife but I do have the opportunity to do the majority of studying at work. If I didn't have that, it'd be difficult, but I would find a way to make the time.

FastEthernet

I'm the sort of bloke who struggles getting out of bed at 7am, so getting up early isn't an option at present.
I work out in the field doing jack of all support, so no desk at work with a Cisco lab and some books.
My wife has never been the professional type. She was a nanny for various families. So has never entered an office or had a single work colleague ever. So zero knowledge of anything really! Which is a big drawback. And I get no support if I want to do something like study. It's constant interruption. Just shouted at me now from the other room to insist the I take a look at the photos her friend has just posted on Facebook of our kids at the park earlier!
And my kids are very naughty!
I know that if I was at a job interview I certainly wouldn't want to say "I can never find the time to study" as that is a negative answer. I would like to have a bit more than a N+ and CCNA on my CV.
So yes, I do envy people who have the time to study

Iristheangel

Struggling with getting out of bed is something we all have but if those certifications are something you want bad enough, you'll do it. As far as the "no desk at work," I've been there. I used to work as a security guard early in my career and I'd go to my car to study. You don't need a full lab to study necessarily - there are online rack rentals, GNS3, Packet tracer, etc. As far as your wife's support, having a serious talk with your spouse about your goals and how it helps BOTH of you (job stability, increase pay, better options, promotions etc) might help you out. She doesn't have to have the same professional experience that you have to give you support and understand how it can benefit you both.

Good luck

H3||scr3am

FastEthernet wrote: »

She was a nanny for various families. And my kids are very naughty! - I'm lost, aren't nannies supposed to discipline and raise fine, respectable children?
So yes, I do envy people who have the time to study - I have lots of study time currently as I'm out of work, and have no children, but I envy you for having a job.

that being said, I do hope to find work, and continue my studies, towards a CCNA, CCNA:Sec for WGU and my Bachelors at WGU. After that I may focus on another round of Sec certs (CISA, CISM, GRISC), and maybe the CEH or OSCP before considering a Master's program.

RouteMyPacket

FastEthernet wrote: »

I'm the sort of bloke who struggles getting out of bed at 7am, so getting up early isn't an option at present.
I work out in the field doing jack of all support, so no desk at work with a Cisco lab and some books.
My wife has never been the professional type. She was a nanny for various families. So has never entered an office or had a single work colleague ever. So zero knowledge of anything really! Which is a big drawback. And I get no support if I want to do something like study. It's constant interruption. Just shouted at me now from the other room to insist the I take a look at the photos her friend has just posted on Facebook of our kids at the park earlier!
And my kids are very naughty!
I know that if I was at a job interview I certainly wouldn't want to say "I can never find the time to study" as that is a negative answer. I would like to have a bit more than a N+ and CCNA on my CV.
So yes, I do envy people who have the time to study

Man, the hard reality is this and take it however you wish but what I say next is merely the reality of the situation

You have made every excuse you can to NOT achieve a better position or higher certification. It's all about priorities, I hear people talk about facebook, fantasy football, their favorite sports team/s and talk about how this player did this or that, who is being signed bla bla bla, I hear people talk about TV shows and all the details, they know when the games are, who is playing, when the TV show is on, what will most likely happen...they always seem to find time for these things...but then "I have no time to exercise".."I have no time for studying", "I wish I had that job".."I wish I made that amount of salary".."I wish".."I wish..."

I will try to summarize individuals as I have experienced them over the last decade or so.

Group A: There are those who land a job and are content, want nothing more and are quite content (i.e., Help Desk, Desktop, Sys Admin etc.)

Group B: There are those who land a job, want the big money, want the big titles, want the respect, "certification is useless", "I don't need to study", they can do "everything", they "know" everything but seem to never progress so they complain year after year about how they should be getting this or being able to do that. A lot of these types are in at 8:15AM and out by 4:45PM everyday. This group has infected the Enterprise environments and are like a plague.

Group C: Then there are the people who push themselves day in and day out be it through practical hands on day to day work and through studies at night (reading/labbing). These people are putting in the time to grow their knowledge and skillset/s, actively setting goals and achieving higher certifications step-by-step, these are the people who will become the SME's or Senior Admins/Engineers the industry sorely needs. This group will eventually become part of group D below

Group D: Then there are the elite of the elite, these individuals have been in the game for at least 10-15yrs, have PROVEN theoretical and practical knowledge. Have obtained at least one higher level certification at the expert level. These people are in a class all to themselves, they have found what works for them when it comes to approaching technology and how to best absorb training materials and generally have NEVER stopped expanding their knowledge. This is the group EVERYONE wants to claim to be a part of but very few have what it takes or lack the priority it takes to become a member of this group.

Where do you fit? How can you today ever hope to complete with individuals who fit into Groups C & D? While you sit back making every excuse as to why you can NOT do something. These groups have run you over without a second thought, actually they never saw you as they ran you over...they are focused on achieving their goal/s and it has been my experience very few of them give a second thought to those who make excuses or wish they had something.

I will let you in on a little secret, there is nothing easy about being in Groups C & D, it's an everyday struggle because when you chose technology as your career, how can you sit back and become stagnant when technology most certainly does not? The higher you go the more pressure or work ethic is needed to push forward.

So again, which group do you want to fit in? Most likely D eh? How do you propose to get there? Wishing is obviously not working, excuse making is obviously not working. Priorities, how about no TV at night? Replace TV time with reading/labbing, find the time in the evening after you've spent time with the family to set aside for studies. Again, priorities, where are yours?

pevangel

When you can't find time to do something, then it's not a priority. It really is as simple as that. You make choices throughout the day and you choose to prioritize other things over studying.

JoJoCal19

RouteMyPacket is spot on and I hope you take his post as motivation.

I have come to feel that sleep is for the uninitiated. When I was studying for my CISSP I did like Iristheangel and I woke up 2 hours or so before work (thankfully I worked from home). I also studied on my lunch time, and during the day if I had down time. I'm not good with night studying as I'm usually mentally drained. I also have three small kids (4,2,1) and I refuse to take time from them for my studies so again, I wake up early, at lunch time, during downtime, and during naps on the weekends. I can still pull 20+ hours a week for study.

You stated you work in the field, well you should study on your lunch break. Sit in your car for an hour. Also I would invest in a tablet and use either Safaribooks or my personal favorite, Kindle app/cloudreader and study when you have down time at work. Also as was suggested. Set aside a little bit of time after the kids are in bed, at least 30 minutes. Every little bit helps. As far as trouble waking up early, your body will adjust in short order. Now I wake anywhere from 4:30-5 automatically and I don't NEED to actually be up until close to 6. So I just get up then, get ready and come into work early and study.

If you really want something you will find a way to get it.

kiki162

Route is spot on...so is Iris.

You really need to have a talk with the wife. Then you need to get a plan in action. CCNP...etc...etc. Study on a daily basis, and at some point schedule the test for a few weeks out. That always lights a fire.

Bottom line...More action...less talk. You can do it.

MrAgent

I've got two young kids and I have still managed to pass exams with them running around.
I managed to finish my BS, a whole lot of certs/training (compliments of my employer), and I am finish my MS this May. It can be done.
Just as has been mentioned, you need to talk with your significant other dedicate time for you to study and get it done.
For me, it was always at night when the kids were in bed. I spent a lot more time and effort on Friday and Saturday nights, since I didnt have to wake up early to go to work.

Mooseboost

Having a plan in place is half the battle. Remember that there is a difference between being able to pass an exam and fully understanding the material as well. I see people pass exam after exam without really sitting down to understand it - a lot of these people if they retook the exam a few months later would fail. I understand the struggle with balancing time, it is a difficult thing to do. At one point I worked full time with a long commute and went to school full time. I couldn't imagine doing so with kids. The best policy you can have though is to make actions. I always tell myself if I have time to make an excuse, I could have spent that time better. Good luck with studying. I know you can do it!

NetworkNewb

pevangel wrote: »

When you can't find time to do something, then it's not a priority. It really is as simple as that. You make choices throughout the day and you choose to prioritize other things over studying.

This pretty much sums it up.

I only have 1 kid and know its hard. With you having 3 kids, you getting your certs definitely has to be team effort with you and your wife. The thing is it can't just be your priority, it has be both your priorities. It just not gonna work out if its just your priority.

My wife hates when I study 3+ hours each night. But she know theres an end goal that we are both working towards. It's definitely not easy. Best of luck!!