CCNA/ CWNA

mkhamad

Hello everyone,

I am new here, I found that you guys give a professional advice. Well I am a graduate from college with a 3 year electronics engineering diploma which didn't get me where I wanted, I've been doing a technician job which doesn't require more than a high school diploma for 3 years now. Basically, my goal is to get into wireless telecommunications "Cellphone Company" with a decent office job doesn't really matter what but within technology for sure. I already signed up for CCNA starting soon and I am thinking about CWNA after that ... I am really not sure if that's a good way to start in order to get to my goal, and if yes what should should be the next step. I would really appreciate any advice .. thanks

Mike

dynamik

I guess it depends on what you want to be doing at the Cell company. The CWNA and the CCNA wireless specialization both focus on IEEE 802.11x, which varies a considerable amount than the wireless technology used with cell phones. What exactly do you want to be doing?

mkhamad

I am really not sure what I want to do and that's my biggest confusion, my goal is to have some certificates in addition to my diploma just to get me in any decent office job and from there I can start working toward a specialization. The reason I choose those 2 certificates was from just from a small reasearch I 've done, nothing professional but I saw that those were kind of basic but important certificates. Now If you think that's a good start what would be the best title that I can aim for in a Cell Company and if not what certificates do you think is a good start just to get in this technology

mkhamad

and do you think these two certificates go together to aim for one job

mamono

I do not believe that CWNA covers EVDO and WiMax, neither does CCNA. Cell phone wireless technologies seems to be vendor specific and not related to the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking standards. There are a number of jobs for professional in the wireless networking world that are covered by CCNA and CWNA, but they are mostly site survey and field work. I believe that you maybe going the wrong route if all you want is a desk job. I think the benefit of CWNA and CCNA:Wireless is the outdoors appeal of walking away from your desk and outside of the IT department.

kryolla

I am a tech support engineer for a cell phone company everything is going IP based but most office jobs are at HQ.

mkhamad

Sorry maybe I choose the wrong words, all what I want to avoid is a job that requires alot of physical work, for example my job now which is installation and repair technician for a cable company. I really don't mind to be involved in the field or on sites as long as it have a good future especailly if it is for supervising new projects.
Basically my long term goal is to get into management in a cellular company and all what I am looking for now is to have some of the certificates that might attract these companies to hire me for any professional job since my diploma wasn't enough ..

I know I am asking questions that are too general but I really don't know much in those fields and I would really use an advice

kryolla

The telecom field is saturated everybody has cell phones. We are no longer in a growth phase try new startup companies like cricket or metropcs. Also look into head hunters or recruiters and see if they have anything. Find out where the NOC and the company head quarters are at and if you are willing to relocate maybe you can find a job there. CCNA is a good step to take and dont limit yourself to just cellular. Nowaday it is hard to get an entry level position in this field but you have an EE degree so you are already one up. Good Luck

mkhamad

Thank you all for the avices, I guess it helped me to decide on going for both certificates for now .. I already signed up for a 10 days boot camp for CCNA but regarding the CWNA do you guys think it shouldn't be hard to study it at home from the study guide if I don't have a strong wirless background, or it is a better idea to sign up for a classes

and after finishing those courses what would be the ideal job to apply for??

/usr

I already signed up for a 10 days boot camp for CCNA

I just want to tell you, please be careful with this.

If you have no prior experience with networking and have never learned any of the material covered on the CCNA, I'm not sure I believe that you can learn it in a 10 day boot camp, especially not to the point where you're going to really "get it".

Take that with a grain of salt, as I am certainly no authority on CCNA boot camps.

But I do deal with LAN and WAN troubleshooting/configuration on a daily basis, have a bachelors degree in MIS and had my Network+ before even beginning studying for ICND1.

I've spent countless hours reading and practicing and I am just now getting to the point where I feel confident in my ability to pass the exam.

And you're talking the CCNA, which is ICND1 and ICND2 combined.

I just don't want you to get the wrong idea and think these exams are simple, or that a 10 day crash course is going to teach you the material to the point where you really understand it.

Just my 2 cents.

dynamik

/usr wrote:

Take that with a grain of salt, as I am certainly no authority on CCNA boot camps.

Nah, I think that's pretty much the consensus. If you're new to all of this, the material is pretty much just going to go in one ear and out the other. There's nothing wrong with classroom learning, but you might want to do it towards the end of your studies as a review.

/usr

It's just seems to me, based on what I have observed, that these boots camps often appeal to people who are just entering the field. Often times it is misleading and people tend to get the wrong idea that they will be able to pass the exam after the course.

Again, I've never been through one and that may be the case.

OP, just be careful is all I'm saying. Try not to expect that taking this course is going to get you your CCNA.

I just hate to see someone waste the money, fail the exam and then end up having to buy material for self-study anyway. I am not trying to discourage you in any way, shape or form.

Welcome to the boards, by the way!

mkhamad

I would really like to thank you guys for the advices and you actually made me take it more seriously now. I did take couple of networking courses from electronics engineering diploma not that I still remmember everything ..
Just to tell you guys, this boot camp is in a well know college in Toronto, the price is really decent, the hours are 80 hrs as total. Now compared to the other private schools the price is less than half the price and the hours in private school are only 30 hrs in total.

So it sounded to me like a decent offer and when I spoke to the coordinator she said that it should be enough to get me through the test.

I really didn't start yet, so info might change after , but until then if anyone still think that there is something fishy please let me know ...

Thank you all guys

Mike

/usr

Please don't think I was trying to say there was anything fishy about it, as I certainly didn't mean to.

I'm sure the place is reputable and I encourage you to take the class, I was only suggesting that you not rely solely on it for for passing the exam.

I suppose I got sidetracked a little.

Maybe take the course, then read through Wendell Odom's CCNA books, see how you feel about a practice test, then take the exam?

Are you planning on taking the CCNA exam, or splitting it up between two exams, ICND1 and ICND2?

If you want more info:
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/le2/le0/le9/learning_certification_type_home.html

dynamik

/usr wrote:

Please don't think I was trying to say there was anything fishy about it, as I certainly didn't mean to.

Same here. The point we're trying to make is that people spend months upon months preparing for these exams, and you're going to have a hard time taking that all in within a couple of weeks. 80 hours overall might be doable, but there's a difference in an hour or two per day and 8-10 hours per day. I don't know about you, but after a bit, I just stop absorbing extremely technical material and need a break. Even if you can cram it all in and pass the exam, you're going to have a difficult time recalling a lot of it a few weeks later. It really is beneficial to your long-term-memory to space your studies out. I would either take this right away and treat it like an introduction to the material, and then go through the books and lab things up, or use it as a final review.

kryolla

it might be enough for you to pass the test but not an interview

/usr

it might be enough for you to pass the test but not an interview

Or far more importantly, be able to actually apply the material in the field and solve a problem.

Please post if you have more questions, again, we are not trying to discourage you at all. Quite the opposite.

AlexMR

OP,

BUy the Sybex CCNA book by Todd Lamle. Download GNS3/dynamips and practice all the labs in the book.

Overall, with 300hours of study/practice I think you should be able to pass the exam, either the two exams route or the one exam path, and get your CCNA.

It took me above 300hours of study, but the reason was I was overwhelmed by the material so many times and the Sybex CCNA book is not organized using the exam topics on the cisco web page, and ended up getting both interconnecting cisco network devices and the certification library. Those are both good, but in all honesty not necessary IMHO. Lammle covers everything on the exam. I cant remember...well maybe one question had me lost, but i dont think neither of the exams have any question that was not covered.

Good luck.

mkhamad

Guys I know you are not trying to discourage me and I really appreciate the advices you are giving me . I wasn't taking it as serious as I should and I think I am going to take the course and then like you guys said start reading and absorbing the info until I feel comfortable about writing the test .. I am thinking about writing one test only.

What would be the best reference book to study before doing the practice tests .. I know you guys mentioned couple .. Which one is the best to use now and keep for future reference..

and what do you guys think about taking CWNA after CCNA .. is is a good route I am planning ??

It really feels good to be talking to you guys .. You really sound professional and helpfull

Thanks again

kryolla

CWNA is good but I would guess CCNA voice is more in demand and since you want to get into cellular this might be a good start

dynamik

And like I said earlier, Cisco recently added a wireless specialization to the CCNA, and that's going to be a Cisco-centric version of the CWNA. It might carry more weight with Cisco's name behind it. However, it is very new and people (HR) may not be familiar with it yet. However, you're probably anywhere from 3-6 months away from your CCNA, so it will probably become more popular by then.

mamono

mkhamad wrote:

Just to tell you guys, this boot camp is in a well know college in Toronto, the price is really decent, the hours are 80 hrs as total.

Personally speaking, I averaged about 4 hours per weekday studying for ICND2 since end of April. There were some on and off periods where I got distracted by 3 different certifications along those 6 months. In the past week alone, I spent 12-16 hours a day including weekends to brush up on my past 6 months and making sure that the theory melded with the applied.

Don't underestimate this certification and exam. Some of the questions will make you feel as if they put a bag over your head and smacked you with a paddle board.

mkhamad wrote:

What would be the best reference book to study before doing the practice tests .. I know you guys mentioned couple .. Which one is the best to use now and keep for future reference..

I liked the Sybex book by Todd Lamelle. He does a good job of explaining the details, but I felt that sometime he kind of drones on a bit as if he looses a little focus on long topics. I suppose the more the info, the better even if its beyond the scope of the exam.

I have a few Cisco Press books, but I only used them as reference material. If you want a visual aide, I recommend Train Signal CCNA by Chris Bryant. He does a very good job of explaining how things work from a technical and practical applied stand point. Plus, you can always use a sim or router to follow his demonstration for lab work.

mkhamad wrote:

and what do you guys think about taking CWNA after CCNA .. is is a good route I am planning ??

I plan to take the CWNA soon. The PW0-100 exam is being retired on Nov. 2nd, but is still available for a few months. It only focuses on 802.11b/g technologies. The new exam PW0-104 will be available Nov. 3rd and covers 802.11b/g/n technologies. This is really important, IMHO, because you need to know 802.11n for the CCNA: Wireless certification exam anyways. Great stepping stone, IMHO by going the new CWNA PW0-104 exam route.

mkhamad

Thanks guys

You answered all my questions for now and it was really a great help for me
I hope I will be coming back soon here with the good new

Mike

mkhamad

Guys, unfortunetly they cancelled this boot camp because there weren't enough student
the only one i am finding now is 5 days boot camp in a private school.

Do you guys think I should do my readings first then do the boot camp; or start with the boot camp so my reading will take less time after.

Please tell me what you think .. I need the fastest way to CCNA although I have a full time job now ..

do you guys have any background about CWNA, can I study at the same time with CCNA and how hard is it ??

Thanks

dynamik

Personally, I'd do the reading first and then do the boot camp. I think you'd get more out of it if you were somewhat familiar with the material. Have you looked at the Train Signal or CBT Nuggets videos? Those are great resources and you could get by for a couple hundred, instead of a couple thousand (you can ask all your questions here ).

The CWNA was a fairly difficult exam. There's a lot of layer-2 information you need to learn as well as all the various standards. I'd put it at about an ICND1 level. You can read about my experience here: http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=36803

mkhamad

Thanks for the advice,

Actually I was going to get the Sybex book by Todd Lamelle, more than one person recommended it, do you know anything about it or do you know a better book

dynamik

You'd want to check out the Cisco Press books as well:
http://www.amazon.com/CCENT-ICND1-Official-Certification-Guide/dp/1587201828/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224204846&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/ICND2-Official-Certification-640-816-640-802/dp/158720181X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224204860&sr=8-1

This helped a lot with learning the commands: http://www.amazon.com/CCNA-Portable-Command-Guide-Self-Study/dp/1587201933/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224204896&sr=1-1

I haven't used the Sybex book myself, but I've seen others use it. I think the consensus is that it's more readable than the Odom books, but it doesn't go into as much depth. You may want to start with that and then go over to the Cisco Press book.

/usr

I need the fastest way to CCNA

I would be hesitant to have this mindset. There is no way that is going to be faster than any others. The only way is to learn the material and I don't think any one way is going to get you there faster than the others.

Self-study is the best way to ensure you know the material well, as you can move at your own pace.

CWNA is reasonably difficult, especially if you have no networking / wireless background. I took it after having my Network+ and I failed it. I attribute it to me having to get up around 10 freaking times because the exam kept crashing, since I figured later that I failed by 1 or 2 questions. But, anyway...it's fairly difficult, most likely around ICND1 like dynamik said, based on what I've learned through studying.

mkhamad

So you think those 3 books for Odom should be enough to get me thru the whole CCNA certificate, I just want one good source that have all the info. And if I can find that in one book only that will take me all the way it will be even better.

I am sorry I am repeating the question but you guys look like you really know alot of stuff that I don't.
Thanks

/usr

I haven't sat the exam yet, so I can't vouch for how accurate the books are, but I imagine they will serve fine as your primary source of study.

I'm not being mean, but try to read around the forums a bit. Look through other questions, etc. Most people will still need actual hardware (a couple routers and a switch) to learn the stuff properly. People say you can get by with sims or whatever, but trust me, it's much easier to pick up when you can see and do it for yourself.

Only you can judge what's going to be enough. Just get one book and dive into it. Get a copy of Cisco's exam objectives for ICND1 after you read the book, go through each item and ask yourself if you know each particular one.

I think you're going to be a little surprised as to how difficult it is when you start reading Odom's ICND1 book, especially if you're new to networking.

mkhamad

u r right , I already can imagine how hard it is going to be ... u r right i am new to networking with little time in hand to go around the forum, but i am trying and like you said .. it is time to pick up the books and see myself..
Thanks to all of you guys