CCNA Bootcamp in San Diego

I was wondering if anyone had any experiences (good or bad) with a CCNA bootcamp? Due to time contraints I am considering attending the following one in San Diego:

http://www.itmentor.com/ciscotrain.htm

I called them up but I'm still a little iffy on bootcamps in general. It costs $995, they don't do testing there, runs from 8am to 6pm over a weekend. So it'll end up costing the price of the class plus the cost of the test.

If anyone has attended this one in particular or wants to recommend one in the San Diego area I would really like to hear from them.

Do bootcamps work? I have a very general experience with cisco switches routers and I have about 9 months to complete my mcse (1 exam done, six to go) and I would to add a CCNA to that so I am more well rounded. Any ideas or comments?

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Comments

networker050184

I wouldn't spend that much money on an entry level exam like the CCNA. You could easily buy a couple books and lab equipment with that much money.

nicklauscombs

the fact of the matter is you won't be well rounded from a 2 day bootcamp (2 days is not enough time to get used to all the commands not to mention you probably won't be able to retain any knowledge to even pass the exam which isn't even included in the bootcamp) this would only be a good idea if you did the self study route and wanted a quick refresher before taking the exam

dynamik

Just buy the Train Signal or CBT Nuggets CBTs. Ask here if you have any questions

You can rent rack time from various places if you don't want to put a lab together.

tech-airman

rickjr13 wrote:

I was wondering if anyone had any experiences (good or bad) with a CCNA bootcamp? Due to time contraints I am considering attending the following one in San Diego:

http://www.itmentor.com/ciscotrain.htm

I called them up but I'm still a little iffy on bootcamps in general. It costs $995, they don't do testing there, runs from 8am to 6pm over a weekend. So it'll end up costing the price of the class plus the cost of the test.

If anyone has attended this one in particular or wants to recommend one in the San Diego area I would really like to hear from them.

Do bootcamps work? I have a very general experience with cisco switches routers and I have about 9 months to complete my mcse (1 exam done, six to go) and I would to add a CCNA to that so I am more well rounded. Any ideas or comments?

rickjr13,

Which area of San Diego are you in?

rickjr13

tech-airmen,

I work in Point Loma, live in Clairemont. U from around here?

petedude

I'd differ a bit from the other folks, but. . .

This class would be best if you've already studied for your CCNA, but need a little (and I mean a little) help from a live instructor to push you over the finish line.

A two-day boot camp is likely to focus highly on the exam as opposed to giving you a thorough background in the subject. There's a reason most boot camps are 5+ days anymore, regardless of which vendor certification they're specializing in. The vendors caught on to the cram-style boot camps and upped the ante to beat those. I went through one paid for by an employer, and saw a guy come in with no preparation at all expecting to pass his MCSE 2000 in a week. He did not do well.

On the flip side, I'm glad someone pointed out the IT Mentor program. . . I need it! The CCNA has been elusive, even though I passed Intro OK.

rickjr13

Thanks for all the help, I actually got some good advice from tech-airmen about a free 9 month program that the state offers through the community college district here. It's part of the Cisco Networking Academy and fall right within my time limit of 9 months to a year to have my MCSE and CCNA. Also the 9 months will probably help me absorb the information a lot better than the 2 day boot camp would and make me a better tech because of it. Again thanks to all.

If anyone is San Diego wants to know more about this program PM me and I'll give you the info.