CCNA Course - Local College

ThunderPipe

Hey guys and gals,

I want to try to find a CCNA course at a local college, but I am unsure of the easiest way to find who offers this kind of thing. A quick google search brought back next to nothing. I'm an ex soldier with VA benefits, as well as the GI-Bill. (college tuition) I don't want to go to college per se, but I would like to attend a course for CCNA. And not a "bootcamp" either. I would like something that lasted a few weeks to months.

Thanks

PS. I'm in Atlanta GA. Lots of colleges. Lost of places. We also have New Horizons here. Any reviews of their offerings???

daJway

Different colleges have different times for courses. I go to a college that offers cisco network academy courses (4 in total for ccna) so it takes 4 semesters (about 2 years) to complete. It might be different in your area. I found something when I searched Cisco Network Academy Atlanta, GA I do not know if it will be any help to you.

http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/netacad/career_connection/promoteIT/resourcecenter/docs/P51-FY09-Georgia.pdf

But just keep searching, im sure its around your area.

fieldmonkey

I moved from the southeast to the northeast (Boston area). I wanted to find the Academy courses locally available so, I used ciscos' website in an attempt to find local CCNA Academy courses. I planned to take a course or two as refreshers and exam prep. I had previously taken the full course, while at a community college in the southeast. That way I could utilize the equipment and get hands on for all the labes etc...

I was highly dissapointed that I could not find any courses available in the immediate area or even remote areas to my zip code that I could take. Now what I mean by that is ... The majority of the courses that were offered were located within high schools or vocational technical schools. This limits the individuals that can register to take these courses to those already in high school! Pretty smart of cisco if you think about it... Someone just entering the workforce is going to demand less of a salary than someone that has been in the workforce for a few years...I personally feel this is age discrimating to a degree, but what can ya do, right? So the courses are really not "public courses" that are avaiilable.

I spoke to a couple of these schools, well the administrators of the program or actual instructors. The information they provided me was very interesting, but left me feeling uninspired about the CCNA Academy that I once took.

I continued my search and found a a couple of community colleges located 2 hours away or more, equating to more than 4 hour commute, plus class time. Community colleges are the best value by far!

I also found some local continuing education facilities and after looking at the prices for 10 day training packages, I did not feel it was worth it, so I put it off and have recently decided to do the self study approach. I do not recommend this approach unless you have a significant amount of previous training / education and/or hands on with cisco products. I have my Network+ now, which I did a self-study on using only one book and recently passed.

After all of this research and my previous experience I came to 3 conclusions...

1) Look at the closest and most convenience community colleges, actually visit them and talk to the department chairs. Usually the information on (or not on)the website can be innaccurate. I found that some were trying to offer it, but did not have it advertised or either did not know if there was enough demand. Community Colleges that offer the CCNA Academy are the best value in my opinion.

2) New Horizons is probably the most reputable facility when it comes to continuing education facilities, but are others that might be better suited for your needs. I would never pay (with my own money) to take one of the "boot camp" style courses, learning from scratch. Again visit them and let them know what way you learn best and see what they offer, along with making sure you have unlimited access to the lab (as much as possible.

3) Go to your local unemployment office and asked them where they do there continued training programs for technical studies and what is the best value in their opinion. They regularly deal with individuals that need more training, and provide funds for people that need it. They also now the cost to get the training. It's "approved training", so they have done all the work for you, and will give you a starting point. Might be the first place you contact.

Of course there is the self study approach like I am going to start doing. I plan on creating my own lab and doing my self studies in my loft. It should be interesting!

Best of luck!

hixster

Just look up the community colleges around your area and then look under continuing education(usually) and then look for IT or computer certifications. I have 3 community colleges near me that offer them.

mikej412

Cisco Networking Academy - Cisco Systems

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