My motivation is gone

cisGO

Hey guys,

I got my CCNA R&S a month ago and now I want to go for the CCNA Security.

I'm really happy that I already got my CCNA R&S as i'm still in my apprenticeship (i'm from Switzerland).
If I had the CCNA Security before I finish my apprenticeship, I would have a good foundation for a networking job which i'm aiming for.
BUT I got no motivation at all. I love routing/switching/security and I also want to increase my knowledge but I can't get myself motivated at all.

I made a study plan, I tried to learn but my motivation is always gone after a few minutes.

Now i'm here because I don't know how to handle this. How do you guys handle this?
Do you take a break from study? Study in a slower speed? Or how?

I appreciate every correction of my English as i'm still learning it. Thanks.

Cheers,
cisGO

TheFORCE

People sometimes take breaks and some times they don't. Myself I took 6 months break and then 3 months break for my certifications, taking another 6 months before my next one. Everyone has different ways to go about it. Summer time is even harder to study, i don't study during the summer at all, i do research and find materials but that only takes 5-10 every few days, then 3-4 months before my exam i would study many hours.

You also need to find a reason and it has to be a good reason why you want to take a certificate so that you get motivated. If you do not have a good reason, you will feel tired, you will feel like your motivation has gone etc etc. Find a reason that drives you and start slowly, 30 minutes a day, that is fine, once you get in the routine it will be easier and then you will be studying for 3-4 hours and will think only 30 minutes passed.

delanajero

I think its something you should be asking yourself once in a while. What motivates you? like not only with certifications but with everything else. Why take certifications? why cisco security instead of security+?

I can only speak for myself, certification thus give you an advantage over other candidates who are looking for jobs because those letters would pop-up on your resume specially if you are trying to gain work experience. I took my certification while I was still in my diploma course, just so happens i was crazy enough to take CCNP Route exam before graduating, my motivation was I wanted to teach in the same school I was in which true enough after 6 months they hired me as a teacher So anything is possible as long as you answer the why's.

cisGO

Thanks for the replies guys.

@TheFORCE
I think you are right, summer time is really hard to study i never thought about this but maybe, as you said, starting slowly with like 30 minutes a day can help me, and others, to geet in a routine.
30 minutes is not that long and you can still go outside and do something with your friends or do some sports.
Maybe i had my expectations on me too high..

@delanajero
First of all, congratulations what you archived!

I love networking and security in general, i really have fun configure switches/firewalls etc. and i also love to enlarge my knowledge. I want to study so bad but i just can't get my ass up and work for it.

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I think i will try to start from the beginning again and go slow. Hope that helps.:)

aderon

I tend to think about the results. What am I getting out of this? Was it a work requirement? Degree requirement? What kind of knowledge will I have attained after passing? If the results are something that I want enough, then I force myself through it. Sometimes it's just about having the determination and willpower to get things done even when you're not motivated.