Course / Training / Preparation!

Flaw3d

mikej412 wrote:

Cisco has just started offering their new entry level - the CCENT Certification -- which you get by taking the first exam of the 2 exam CCNA option. I think of it as Cisco's version of the Net+ since the old INTRO exam covered about 75-50% of the Net+ material.

Firstly Hi and thanks for the amount of information accessable on this forum!

I am looking for a career in Network Administration and possibly security in the long run. I have just finished uni and was thinking about taking the CCNA as from what i can see on the net, its _the_ course to have to "kick-start your career" :P . However now from reading (pretty much the whole of) this forum you seem to inply the exam is a lot harder than i had imagined.

Now i was considering reading every bit of knowledge i could find for the next 3 months while i gather funds and then enrolling on a bootcamp as this seems like a fast way to get all the 'hands-on' experience i would need. They have sent me an email suggesting the CCENT first, however im pretty sure this would just be a marketing ploy to take more money off me as it's a very expensive course anyway.

Edit:: Also it seems many people take the A+ course first, is this valuble or more as an introduction to people who dont have any prior knowledge to general computing?

Anyway i've kind of lost track of my question here, but any input on anything i've mentioned would be great.

Thanks.

dtlokee

I wouldn't take a bootcamp until you have most of the material down, and you're just looking for a refresher, not to learn new material (for the most part). There is a large amount of material that needs to be covered in a short time.

The network+ would be more valuable before heading down the CCNA track than an A+ certification.

networker050184

Welcome to the forum!

I don't know if its the certification to have to "kick start your career" as you say, but it is a valuable certification. Its value will increase if you get some experience to back it up. I would suggest getting the CCNA guides by Wendall Odom and start reading through them to get you started. You will probably realize pretty fast why the certification is hard for people new to networking. It covers a lot of topics that can take a while to grasp if you have never really worked with networking.

Boot camps are fast paced training which is probably why they suggest the CCENT first to ensure you have a good foundation and are able to keep up with the pace. They will probably not go very deep on the basics of networking. I don't think bootcamps are worth the money in my opinion, but some people like them.