CCNA/ CWNA

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

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Comments

mamono

mkhamad wrote:

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.

Most people recommend that you take the boot camps are review for what you've been studying. They help you get that edge for hand-on experience that self-study often doesn't cover.

mkhamad wrote:

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

CCNA isn't an exam that could be taken lightly unless you have prior experience with Cisco. There is no easy route. When it comes to Cisco, you really need to know what you're doing because wrong implementation can take down an entire network. That alone could cost you a serious reprimand or even worse. X_X

mkhamad wrote:

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

You could if you wanted. I studied for a total of 4 certs concurrently over the past 6 months. 3 out of 4 accomplished. But, I used them as breathers because I felt like my brain was going numb while studying for CCNA. I think that its better to focus on CCNA if you have no prior experience. I found myself reviewing the same material over again because I stopped mid-way through a topic and that cost me valuable time. Focus, turn that determination into willpower, and be strong about dedication to studies and you'll be fine.

Though, if you do work for a telecom, CompTIA Network+ would be good foundational information. You probably could study CCNA: Wireless with CWNA at the same time.

Network+ > CCENT ICND1 > CCNA ICND2 > CWNA > CCNA: Wireless > CWSP > CCNA: Voice

You could throw in CWNP Wireless# and CompTIA RFID+ somewhere in the mix. That sounds like good foundation to pursue the new Wireless track that Cisco is beta testing right now. I wonder what the CCIE: Wireless written test will be like...

kryolla

When I first started my job they sent me to a vendor class in Chicago because the original person couldn't make it. What did I get out of it, nothing but it was a good vacation with a nice hotel, nice rental car, nice dinners LOL. Would I gotten more out of it after I have been here for about 6 months hell yeah. My point is since you know nothing about IP the boot camp will be a waste of time and money because the pace is too fast for you to comprehend anything. Do some reading familiarize yourself with the technology and then take the boot camp to clear up some stuff you still dont understand.

mkhamad

Thanks guys .. With your help I am convinced, ready and excited to start. CCNA and CWNA is the beggining

mamono

mkhamad wrote:

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 just recently sat the ICND2 and can tell you that its not an easy exam. I would rate them from a difficult of 1 being easy and 10 being difficult as follows:

640-822 ICND1 = 7
640-816 ICND2 = 9

Keeping in mind that I did not have any Cisco network experience when I started my ICND1 studies in March. Cisco networking was very new to me and sometimes felt like foreign language. Now that I took the exam and I think back on the material, it doesn't seem as difficult as I thought it was... But that is relative to understanding the material now as opposed to learning it fresh and not knowing it at all. I learned a great deal from it and have a deeper appreciation for Cisco.

I used multiple sources of study. I'm sure that if you look around, most people will use multiple sources. The reason being is because each author has a different teaching style and the information is laid out differently. One topic that you may learn from one author might not make sense, but when you learn it from another it clicks.

Read the book reviews, get a feel for what people's impression of the teaching style and how the book is written. If you see one that seems to work for you, go with that book. I used the Sybex CCNA by Todd Lamelle. Good book and pretty detailed, but I didn't think it was enough because some of the topics didn't sit well with me so I sought out other explanations of those topics to get a better understanding.

mkhamad

u r absolutely right man .. I am going to get Sybex CCNA book tommorow and start with that, and after that start getting other sources,
Sound like me, kinda new to the field, telecom graduate but as u all know, it is really different out there,
Certificates is the only way, unfortunely it took me 4 years to get it

mkhamad

is this the book that I should get
CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide: Exam 640-802, 6th Edition
I saw there is too many kits ranging to 200 $.. this one is for 49 $ .. is it the right one ??