Three Options To Take

kage

I just completed the first course in the Cisco Academy CCNA program at the local college and I'm going to start the second course on March 23 and the couse is in on Mon's and Wed's.

I have 3 options that I may need help to decide after I complete the basic routing course in May and they are:
1. Take the CCENT exam in late May or early June and look for an entry level networking job to gain more experience and skip out the summer session to complete the entire CCNA program,.
2. Finish the remaining CCNA courses in the Summer while taking a 55% paycut from work, because the classes are Mon thru Thurs from 8:30 am to around 1:00 pm and my company that I work for does not open weekends and take the CCNA exam in September to early October.
3. Go back in fall to the CCNA program and finish by Christmas and take the CCNA exam, also by taking a 25% paycut from work.

mikej412

It's hard to advise you when we don't have all the information....

What was your grade for the first class (and what was your % average)?

If you're one of the top students in your class, then you should probably try for a job using the CCENT (once you get it) to start racking up some experience -- but don't quit your day job unless you find a solid job opportunity and get an offer. I didn't see any CCENT jobs listed when I searched Job Search | one search. all jobs. Indeed for CCENT jobs in Arlington, TX.

Does your instructor have some local connections and a track record for getting jobs for their superstar student(s)? If so, it's probably worth finishing up as soon as possible. A lot of the jobs that showed up when I checked indeed.com for CCNA also listed CCNP, but there were still some CCNA only listings (but I only scanned the first page).

If you're a C student.... um, then ask us again if/when you pass the CCENT exam -- and don't quit your day job.

Are you married w/two kids and another on the way? Or are you a kid still living at home?

Is your current job trying to get people to order the large french fries or explaining what Venti means? Or are you in some type of Information Technology job now? Is the company you work for now still going to be in business by next Christmas?

In general, if you're any good at this Cisco Networking thing, the sooner you get your CCNA and start racking up some good experience, the better it is for your career. If you can get a rack 'n stack type of job or an easy 3rd shift NOC position with just a CCENT (and then work on your CCNA) that would be great.

But you also have to take into account the current state of the economy -- it may be worth digging in at your current job (assuming it's an okay job that pays okay) and minimizing the loss of work hours. And you may not want them to start thinking at your current job that they can get by without out.....