Cisco Academy

apcronnelly

Hey guys, this is my first time posting after browsing the forum for almost a year.

Has anyone gone through the Cisco Academy, and how has it helped you prepare for the exams?

I have been through the CCNA portion and am halfway through the CCNP. I feel it has been very beneficial with plenty of studying and 2.5 years of hands on lab work. I plan on taking the CCNA over winter break.With plenty of studying I am hoping going through the Cisco classes will also pay off.

Thanks

sprkymrk

I did the CCNA portion about 4 years ago and really enjoyed it. As it turns out, it was the most "hands-on" experience I had before and since with routers. So I am very glad I went (it did help a lot with passing the CCNA) and recommend the class to others.

I manage a 100% Windows environment, but it's a small network of about 400 +/- computers, so we only have 3 routers which are rarely touched, but we do have several dozen switches - however even with those it's the same old "port security" and "shut/no shut" commands all the time, nothing much to do on them otherwise.

mikej412

I went through the CCNA Cisco Network Academy Courses. While the courseware could have used the services of a good technical editor and/or proofreader, I thought it (and the labs) covered more than enough material to pass the CCNA. I took my CCNA4 final on a Tuesday and took (and got) the CCNA that Friday.

apcronnelly

Thanks guys, and yes I agree they should have hired a technical editor.

DirtySouth

I just finished semester 3 of the Cisco Academy and so far its been great. I've been getting TONS of hands on experience so I'm very grateful for that. I'll let you know how I test goes probably in February. One more semester to go.

lwwarner

Yeah, there are plenty of errors in the course materials, especially the labs. In my CCNA Academy class it got to be a bit of a competition to see who could find the most errors in each lab. But, still...

IMO there are 2 big pluses for the Academy classes:

1. As others have said, the lab time is a good thing. Especially if you go beyond the cookbook labs and spend time fiddling with the gear available.

2. Lots of practice answering Cisco exam questions and access to Cisco's CCNA practice exams complete with sims, simlets, etc.

One downside to the Academy classes, depending on the pace of the program, could be the length of time to complete the series. Fortunately we did the CCNA 1-4 series in 2 semesters (about 8 months). More than enough time, IMO.