Passed 887

killcrush

Third time is a charm! All three tests were very different so you really need to know just about everything in the books. I had one ospf sim that was pretty tough, I had to dig deep to find the problems, all Im gonna say is know how to read wildcard masks and fix them! lots of vtp and stp, and switching in general. This site was a big help even though I have never posted before I learned alot from lurking. So thanks!

ccnp or ccsp next I cant decide which track to go with.

jescab

CONGRATZ dude........you are Da Man!

keenon

congrats... depends on what u want to do.. i will tell you this much.. if going the ccnp route i would do the ccda first only reason why is after i read over a few topic covered in it ... it looked more like intro to ccnp i had considered doing it but that was after i was well into 1st ccnp exam... i still will add this to my certs

Alien

Congrats on your pass.

Hey Keenon, seems like you have decided to go the pure Cisco route.

keenon

indeed

Alien

Would have loved that route but then i realised when one is out job, home users become family. I've learnt that as a private practioner, one needs to be very friendly to microsoft hence i'm about to take the 70-270. After studying thru most of the stuff in the books i've realised Windows XP isn't just simply Windows XP. It's a way to feed a hungry unemployed professional. Income is begining to look good as satisfied users recomend others. . Atleast the exam fees are begining to finance themselves and there's some change left over for the pub. I'm really getting into the groove with microsoft, almost forgot where i've kept my CCNA

Jiggsaww

congrats dude.....Alien i agree with u.......if ya home on d outz better get friendly with MS

keenon

its a good plan. i used it before but i started getting alot of referrals from the networking i have done so ....cisco has helped me more

mikej412

Congratulations!! I bet you're jumping for joy!

CCNP or CCSP? Well.... if you jump on the CCNP right now, you're building on what you learned for the CCNA, and reinforcing that knowledge so you don't forget as much (if you're not using it right now). If you go for the CCSP, which is a "hot certification" right now, you're missing some of the stuff from the CCNP that would help, so the CCSP could actually be more difficult. Plus, if you can't build the network, how do you expect to secure it?

But... if you do the CCSP, you get all those funky CQS things and an INFOSEC letter. So if you need resume candy or some immediate certificate gratification along the certification path, that CCSP could be an option.

It comes down to doing your research about the certifications and what your job market is like (or the chance for advancement where you are at). There is no right or wrong choice -- only your choice.

I came up with my certification plan before I started the CCNA, and then changed it while I was doing it -- oops, gotta go sechedule a test I didn't plan to take until the end of next year...

Good luck!