CCNA & CCNP doable in one year?

I just finished my MCSE 2003 certification, and I am so thankful to be done with it. It's been a long road. I've taken 12 certification exams this year (I failed several exams, and I failed one exam two times before passing it on the third time by just one question), and need less to say I am ready for a break. I just can't do any more studying this year. I am looking to do CCNA and CCNP next year; and I was wondering is this possible?

I little bit about my background, I have a BS in information systems, I've passed the CISSP exam (which was a major beast that I never want to have to go through again) and I am currently waiting to fulfill the experience requirement, I've been working with Server 2003 and Active Directory for the past 3.5 to 4 years; and I have good basic knowledge of networks.

I also got my Network+ certification this year along with the MCSE. I know there's not much you can do with the Network+, but my company wanted me to get it and they paid for it.

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Comments

dynamik

Dude, c'mon. You can knock out the CCNA by the end of the year

That sounds like a rough road, but it's not necessarily impossible either. Depends on you.

The Shadow

dynamik wrote: »

Dude, c'mon. You can knock out the CCNA by the end of the year

That sounds like a rough road, but it's not necessarily impossible either. Depends on you.

I think about doing CCNA before end of year, but right now I am enjoying some much needed rest. I figured if I do 1 exam every 3 months (and do the 642-892 composite exam), then I'll have CCNA and CCNP by the end of next year.

dynamik

You're planning on getting through the composite in three months?

stuh84

Have you even looked at the study material yet?

It might be possible, but only if you do NOTHING but study. One day off from studying and you'd be lost.

kalebksp

Whether it is possible or not depends completely on your ability to pickup the concepts, previous experience, and time you can put in. A year ago I didn't know how to get to privileged exec mode (in case you have no Cisco experience, that's very basic), but I dedicated a lot of time to studying. Everyone is different.

Why do you need to set a specific time period to finish those certs? I would suggest taking your time and really learning the material. I don't remember much from my MCSE because I rushed it, not a good thing.

TBellamy

Sure it is. Go for it, dude.

trackit

stuh84 wrote: »

It might be possible, but only if you do NOTHING but study. One day off from studying and you'd be lost.

Im yet to sit for INCD2 an start CCNP but i wouldnt be so harsh

I would like to think that 1 year for CCNA CCNP is very reasonable. 2 months for CCNA (one ICND exam per month) and 8 months for CCNP (one exam per 2 months) and you still have 2 months to spare for some unforseen distractions or for failing some exam.

Of course this schedule requires that you take your studies seriously, but i would like to think that this is definately doable.

WilliamK99

The Shadow wrote: »

I just finished my MCSE 2003 certification, and I am so thankful to be done with it. It's been a long road. I've taken 12 certification exams this year (I failed several exams, and I failed one exam two times before passing it on the third time by just one question), and need less to say I am ready for a break. I just can't do any more studying this year. I am looking to do CCNA and CCNP next year; and I was wondering is this possible?

I little bit about my background, I have a BS in information systems, I've passed the CISSP exam (which was a major beast that I never want to have to go through again) and I am currently waiting to fulfill the experience requirement, I've been working with Server 2003 and Active Directory for the past 3.5 to 4 years; and I have good basic knowledge of networks.

I also got my Network+ certification this year along with the MCSE. I know there's not much you can do with the Network+, but my company wanted me to get it and they paid for it.

Doable? Yes... Reccomended to get a job?

I don't know about everyone else here but to go from Net + to CCNP in a year, I would not hire you because you do not have the life skills necesarry to be a qualified CCNP. Sure, you may have the certs, but you do not have the life experiences that come with it.

One thing I have learned is that unfortunately, networks do not follow the books. If they did, our job would be so friggin easy...

IMO, I would take it slow, master the material, and then go for the CCNP. One thing I have learned from studying for Cisco exams is that they have little to nothing to do with Microsoft, so knowledge of Microsoft networks and AD help very little....

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

djhss68

I'm not really a fan of making timeframes for acquiring certs. The way I see it, study as much as you can every day, whether it be 1 hour or 6 hours. Take in as much as you can without interfering too much with your life or free time. And when you think you're ready, give it a shot. Does it really matter whether you complete it in 1 year versus 1 year and 3 months? You have bigger and better things going for you right now. Namely a B.S. and a great job.

trackit

I think seting timeframers is very good idea. The "take your time, dont rush, doesnt matter when or if you get certified etc" will lead you nowhere imo. Seting yourself realistic timeframes on the other hand will keep you focused on your goals.

And "i wouldnt hire you if you did CCNP in one year" is bull also imo... Of course its very nice if you have massive work experience etc, but you make it seem like studying for CCNP in one year is somehow worse and not studying is better. I would say 1 year for CCNP is very reasonable timeframe, its not rushing.

WilliamK99

trackit wrote: »

I think seting timeframers is very good idea. The "take your time, dont rush, doesnt matter when or if you get certified etc" will lead you nowhere imo. Seting yourself realistic timeframes on the other hand will keep you focused on your goals.

And "i wouldnt hire you if you did CCNP in one year" is bull also imo... Of course its very nice if you have massive work experience etc, but you make it seem like studying for CCNP in one year is somehow worse and not studying is better. I would say 1 year for CCNP is very reasonable timeframe, its not rushing.

If you do CCNP in one year , you are rushing it, plain and simple, unless you dedicate 6 to 8 hours a day for studying.

5 tests if you add CCNA, so he would have to study and pass for 5 tests, with only having Network + or MCSE certs, neither of which will help you too much on the CCNA.

If he had a few years networking experience, then yes, I will find it believable, but he has been working with Microsoft systems and AD, and not routers and switches.

If he wants to go for it, that sfine and dandy, but I am going to stick with my guns and say he will not be as good of a CCNP as someone who took their time and mastered the material rather than rush through it to pass a test every 2 months.

stuh84

I'm looking at having my CCNP completed by the end of the next year, and even I think that might be overambitious. I'm already in the industry and have the CCNA under my belt already. Trying to do both in the same time frame without the experience?

I think this is where the term "paper certs" was coined in the first place.

trackit

WilliamK99 wrote: »

If you do CCNP in one year , you are rushing it, plain and simple, unless you dedicate 6 to 8 hours a day for studying.

5 tests if you add CCNA, so he would have to study and pass for 5 tests, with only having Network + or MCSE certs, neither of which will help you too much on the CCNA.

If he had a few years networking experience, then yes, I will find it believable, but he has been working with Microsoft systems and AD, and not routers and switches.

If he wants to go for it, that sfine and dandy, but I am going to stick with my guns and say he will not be as good of a CCNP as someone who took their time and mastered the material rather than rush through it to pass a test every 2 months.

Well, he has also passed CISSP (which is very tough test) and he said that he has good basic knowledge of networks and that network+ is not something he "values" that much... I think he is perfectly capable in doing CCNP in one year. Maybe for you its rushing but for someone else it isnt.

WilliamK99

trackit wrote: »

Well, he has also passed CISSP (which is very tough test) and he said that he has good basic knowledge of networks and that network+ is not something he "values" that much... I think he is perfectly capable in doing CCNP in one year. Maybe for you its rushing but for someone else it isnt.

On this point we will agree to disagree, the CISSP is easier than CCNA/CCNP for one reason and one reason only... No hands on experience is necesarry. Anyone can memorize a bunch of facts, not discrediting him at all, the CISSP is a major accomplishment, I just feel it is easier because you do not have to use learned hands on skills in order to pass the test unlike CCNA/CCNP.

But whatever he decides , good luck... and I hope he keeps us posted on his progress.

dynamik

I wasn't trying to rag on him. It's important to set realistic goals, so you don't get discouraged. You also don't want to end up obsessing over things and end up neglecting other aspects of your life to meet some arbitrary time-frame either. From hearing about other people's experiences, three months per NP exam seems to be a pretty swift pace. That would mean no breaks in addition to adding the CCNA into the mix. I'd personally relax a bit and give yourself 18 months, but whatever you do is totally up to you.

trackit

WilliamK99 wrote: »

On this point we will agree to disagree, the CISSP is easier than CCNA/CCNP for one reason and one reason only... No hands on experience is necesarry. Anyone can memorize a bunch of facts, not discrediting him at all, the CISSP is a major accomplishment, I just feel it is easier because you do not have to use learned hands on skills in order to pass the test unlike CCNA/CCNP.

But whatever he decides , good luck... and I hope he keeps us posted on his progress.

hehe, i would say that the fact that you have to memorize a lot of facts makes the exam harder

cause with hands-on labs that you can do in your home (like gns3/packettracer/home lab) really helps memorizing and understanding the concepts much much better

mikej412

The Shadow wrote: »

I am looking to do CCNA and CCNP next year; and I was wondering is this possible?

Is it possible? Sure.

But maybe you should also ask if it's advisable....

Do you get to touch any Cisco routers and/or switches at work now?

Will you get to touch any Cisco routers and/or switches at work once you get your CCNA?

Will you actually get to use any of the Cisco skills and knowledge you'd acquire studying for the Cisco exams anytime next year at your current job?

dps

CCNA and CCNP in a year? That's a tall order but I think it's doable if you deal with Cisco equipment everyday in your work.

You would also definitely have to study like crazy for all those tests. I would say start with the NA first and go from there. You can knock that out by the end of the year. You might rush and pass all the tests but all of the stuff wouldn't sink in. IDK, but I would rather absorb all the technologies slowly than rush it and let some of the topics slip out.

Oh, congrats on your MCSE cert! WTG.

kalebksp

WilliamK99 wrote: »

On this point we will agree to disagree, the CISSP is easier than CCNA/CCNP for one reason and one reason only... No hands on experience is necesarry. Anyone can memorize a bunch of facts, not discrediting him at all, the CISSP is a major accomplishment, I just feel it is easier because you do not have to use learned hands on skills in order to pass the test unlike CCNA/CCNP.

No offense, but how would you know? Going by your cert list you don't have a CCNP or CISSP. How can you compare the difficulty level of two certifications that you haven't taken the tests for?

hypnotoad

Not to thread hijack, and I'm not implying this, but cheating is so rampant out there (makes me sick, btw) that you really can't trust things as they seem sometimes. If somebody did NA and NP in a year, I'd put them to the test when it came time for the interview.

If they pass the "quiz" for hiring, then you've got one heckuva candidate.

WilliamK99

kalebksp wrote: »

No offense, but how would you know? Going by your cert list you don't have a CCNP or CISSP. How can you compare the difficulty level of two certifications that you haven't taken the tests for?

I have extensively studied for both, and taken courses for both through the U.S. military. I have an extremely difficult time with tests, so my certifications do not match my skill-set at the moment, I am slowly trying to rectify this, but seeing as I am in the military for 8 more years, and certifications expire after 3, I am in no hurry to certify and recertify 3 years later.

So yes, not wanting to brag, but I have a skill-set that probably equals CCNA/CISSP certs, just haven't taken the actual tests yet.

If you want to test me, let's chat and you can quiz me....

miller811

WilliamK99 wrote: »

I have extensively studied for both, and taken courses for both through the U.S. military. I have an extremely difficult time with tests, so my certifications do not match my skill-set at the moment, I am slowly trying to rectify this, but seeing as I am in the military for 8 more years, and certifications expire after 3, I am in no hurry to certify and recertify 3 years later.

So yes, not wanting to brag, but I have a skill-set that probably equals CCNA/CISSP certs, just haven't taken the actual tests yet.

If you want to test me, let's chat and you can quiz me....

You do not need to recertify....
Pass the CCNA it is good for three years, pass any professional level exam, (1 of the 4) required for CCXP and as you pass each one, the NA counter resets for another three years. Complete the CCXP certification and pass another professional level exam (1 of CCIP, CCDP) extra, and XP counter and NA counter resets for three years.....
You only need to completely recertify if your certification expires without passing one more exam in a three year period.....

So get busy working on the certs.....:D

kalebksp

WilliamK99 wrote: »

I have extensively studied for both, and taken courses for both through the U.S. military. I have an extremely difficult time with tests, so my certifications do not match my skill-set at the moment, I am slowly trying to rectify this, but seeing as I am in the military for 8 more years, and certifications expire after 3, I am in no hurry to certify and recertify 3 years later.

So yes, not wanting to brag, but I have a skill-set that probably equals CCNA/CISSP certs, just haven't taken the actual tests yet.

If you want to test me, let's chat and you can quiz me....

Fair enough, I don't know much of anything about the CISSP so perhaps your assessment was correct.

I have no interest whatsoever to quiz you or anyone else, I tend to take people at their word on this forum unless they have admitted to cheating or say conflicting things. To me quizzing someone else is basically like calling them a liar and telling them they have to prove their self to me, which is incredibly offensive in my opinion.

PC509

Well, considering some kid (21 yo) from Italy could go from nothing to double CCIE and MCSE in 18 month-24 months, I'd say a definite yes. If you are determined and study your butt off, it is very doable.

But, if you are a family man or juggling school or work, then you'd need a bit more...

stlsmoore

I managed to do the CCNA in two months but I had all the time in the world plus I already had a CCENT level of knowledge going in to it. I'm prepping to start the CCNP soon but my guess is that's going to take somewhere around 12-18 months to achieve. Doing both the NA/NP in a year can not only take up all your free time but you may be burned out with networking completely by the time you're finished. I really wish I would of had more time to thoroughly study everything for the CCNA but I was without a job and with limited funds so I spent at least 5 hours EVERY DAY for two months straight to tackle it.

ncsugrad2002

Just go straight for CCIE

Kaminsky

PC509 wrote: »

Well, considering some kid (21 yo) from Italy could go from nothing to double CCIE and MCSE in 18 month-24 months ...

That's just all the E numbers. And we were told they were bad for you !!! Enough E numbers and your brain is wizzing so fast, study takes half the time.

Stotic

CCNP in a year is very doable - however, when you factor in the CCNA also it is not. You have to master the basic stuff first.

Forsaken_GA

Is it doable? Of course it is.

If I were in a position to hire you, would I? For a job that required experience, it would depend on previous work experience. If all you had was a CCNA and CCNP, then absolutely not.

For an entry level position, yeah, you'd get at least a phone interview.

My advice would be to get your CCNA, get an entry level job, and then work on your CCNP. Networking is not a game you can brute force your way into with certs.

/usr

The only way to really find out whether or not it's doable is to do it, right?

Some people could, most people would struggle unless they studied nonstop and worked daily with Cisco gear.

I think what the other posters here have been hinting at is this: The CCNP is an advanced certification. If all you've dealt with at work is simple LAN setup or a little bit of troubleshooting on larger networks, the CCNP is going to look like a paper cert to an employer.

If I was in a hiring position, a CCNP without real work experience to back it up would more or less mean nothing to me.

For example. As a hiring manager, would you be impressed with a 24 year old college grad with an MBA, so much so that you would hire him into a management position? Of course not. Why? Because he has spent the past 6 years in school with no real world experience.

I realize it's a different scenario, but it relates closely with the message we're trying to convey here. Try to keep your certs just a little bit ahead of your skill set and what you're actually working with.

If you can do it, do it. It's not going to hurt you at all, but it also may not help quite as much as you think it will. And speaking from personal experience...unless your knowledge is already well beyond that of Network+ material, or you're simply gifted and a very fast learner, you are going to find this material difficult, because it just is.

My 2 cents.