Hello to everyone and thanks for taking the time to read this;
I suppose i should maybe start with a little history of myself, and then jump into the topic at hand. i am preparing to take the network +. This will be My first certification in the IT field. Many have told me that attempting this cert first is unorthodox, but i am doing it because networking is what interests me, and my employer has already told they see no value to me personally in taking the A+ at this point, based on the knowledge i have demonstrated since being hired on to a helpdesk l1/l2 position just under 6 months ago. I am new to the IT field, having changed my major 5 times while in college, and then dropping out because i simply could not figure out what i wanted to be when i grew up. Well that changed when i got hired on to a helpdesk "call center" of sorts. While i am not professionally versed in IT, i love computers and tinkering, and consider myself to be "more skilled then the average bear" when it comes to understanding how thinks interact. Long story slightly less long, i have decided i want to work in IT, i love troubleshooting, finding solutions to problems others shy away from, and working in a fast paced environment, IT is the for the career for me. Why i chose networking is simple enough, I like solving puzzles, troubleshooting and finding the break in the line.
Now Down to it, i have spent the last 2 months studying full time (2-3 hours a day when possible) on my own for Network +. I have religiously read the Mike Meyers Network + book cover to cover, and have consistently scored 85-90% on the included practice test engines . Up until a few days ago, i was feeling pretty confident in my abilities, i even purchased my CompTIA voucher, complete with retest, ready to take on the exam this week. On Sunday that all changed, i started trying out some other testing engines/looking at some of the forum post on this and other sites, and my ego was deflated. On some of the other test engines, i was scoring 50-60%, and struggling with a lot of the questions. I also saw that many people are saying that it is very difficult, and that the performance based questions can make or break you in the exam. I am now terrified of the exam, the book i thought could prepare me for anything did not even mention "performance based questions"! the biggest struggle for me is getting real world experience with handling the network; anytime terms like "vlan","firewall" or "gateway" come up in my current position, i have to send right on to another team by default.
I am hoping there are people on here who have gone the self study route for Network + who may be able to offer some words of wisdom on how to gain some real world exposure to networking when resources are limited. I appreciate any advice that can be given, i honestly have my future riding on this exam and i am in panic mode as i was hoping i could take it at the end of the week
, i don't think that is going to happen now.
