Here I go...back at the cert game...

So after a multi year break from even studying for any cert, I'm back at it. This time, Security+. I don't need it, but I could probably get a better review if I had it. Not to mention the place I work wants all IT related staff to have it. I have a few resources, including some CBT on disc I was given. I don't know what brand, but I took a quick look and they seem to be pretty good. I plan on watching a few lessons a day if I can. I'll probably also pick up a book to read over. Thinking about getting either the Mike Myers or Exam Cram 2. I've used both before and liked how the information was laid out. Myers makes all his books very his to read I think.. Plus I'll use whatever I can find here.

I guess some things never change though... I was assigned to a central helpdesk to cover for a few days; which totally sucked by the way. Not that I consider myself an uber expert, but I'm certainly past working the help desk.. Anyway, while there I overheard someone bragging about how they just passed the Sec+. I was about to congratulate him, and ask for any pointers, and then I heard this : "Man I'll tell you..those braindumps..whew! Right on man. At least 20-30 questions exactly as I saw them before. It was great man!!" I instantly had a very pissed look on my face. The guy didn't know who I was, and when he noticed me, he got real quiet. It turns out all the helpdesk people used that crap. Including one who, by her own admission of pure luck scored an 882. If I had any other proof other than my word versus the word of multiple people, I would have reported him. It gets me because, some will say wait til they go out for a different job and their lack of knowledge will show. Unfortunatly, these people are career workers here, and will never have to worry about that. They only got it to stay in accordance with a regulation. GRRRRR!!!!!! I really wish they all got exposed. But I'll stay true and honest, and feel better about earning my certs, not just cheating my way through.

Okay, no more rant...time to start studying. I want this done by end of the year, so it will show on my review...

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dynamik

Glad to hear you're back at it.

Don't worry about others. They'll fall by the wayside sooner or later for whatever reason.

Turgon

Ricka182 wrote: »

So after a multi year break from even studying for any cert, I'm back at it. This time, Security+. I don't need it, but I could probably get a better review if I had it. Not to mention the place I work wants all IT related staff to have it. I have a few resources, including some CBT on disc I was given. I don't know what brand, but I took a quick look and they seem to be pretty good. I plan on watching a few lessons a day if I can. I'll probably also pick up a book to read over. Thinking about getting either the Mike Myers or Exam Cram 2. I've used both before and liked how the information was laid out. Myers makes all his books very his to read I think.. Plus I'll use whatever I can find here.

I guess some things never change though... I was assigned to a central helpdesk to cover for a few days; which totally sucked by the way. Not that I consider myself an uber expert, but I'm certainly past working the help desk.. Anyway, while there I overheard someone bragging about how they just passed the Sec+. I was about to congratulate him, and ask for any pointers, and then I heard this : "Man I'll tell you..those braindumps..whew! Right on man. At least 20-30 questions exactly as I saw them before. It was great man!!" I instantly had a very pissed look on my face. The guy didn't know who I was, and when he noticed me, he got real quiet. It turns out all the helpdesk people used that crap. Including one who, by her own admission of pure luck scored an 882. If I had any other proof other than my word versus the word of multiple people, I would have reported him. It gets me because, some will say wait til they go out for a different job and their lack of knowledge will show. Unfortunatly, these people are career workers here, and will never have to worry about that. They only got it to stay in accordance with a regulation. GRRRRR!!!!!! I really wish they all got exposed. But I'll stay true and honest, and feel better about earning my certs, not just cheating my way through.

Okay, no more rant...time to start studying. I want this done by end of the year, so it will show on my review...

Welcome back. While I have no empirical evidence to support this, my gut feeling is that we may well be in the minority these days in terms of taking tests without using braindumps. People working for service providers are encouraged to take tests to get partner status up. Your buddies are sailing through and it takes you 6 months to cover material properly. Then you actual fail the test you spent 6 months longer than the other guys who aced it and have long moved on to other certs they will ****. The boss just wants those exams passed. Your bonus is linked to it. On the perm front lots of people are encouraged to take CCNA or what have you. There is always the threat of layoffs with more companies looking at VR. Performance evaluations like people that pass certificates. I became friendly with one network engineer at my last gig who was under a bit of pressure to pass the CCNA. He told me he had P4S up his sleeve. I gave him a lecture for a few minutes but then got off the subject. I had to work with him, quite liked him and it's a frame of mind Im not going to alter. I also had my own work to do.

So there's a lot of pressure there to pass exams. Add this to the fact that while I have worked with a wide range of IT professionals, some good, some bad and some indifferent hardly any I met had anything near approaching the equipment and books I have at home, or it has to be said much inclination to spend personal time studying for exams. These rae just some of the reasons why so many people shortcircuit the certification process. There are many others. One I can think of is failing a test. If your boss is an ******* then test fails will not go down well. If you are paying you have the cost to worry about. The CCIE written was 350 dollars something like that? I took two attempts at that recently before clearing after reading for weeks. The first I just missed by a few marks but it's still a cost and honestly while I cleared the second with a bit to spare it was no cakewalk and neither would it have been if I had studied for it for a whole year quite frankly. I recall back in 2001 finishing up my CCNP exams at a testing centre and the same couple of guys always seemed to be there doing Cisco tests of one form or another. It was like 30 - 40 minutes and blam out of there. Now I know why.

Darril

Welcome back and good luck in your studies.

I work in support of a very large network operations support center and I can tell you that the people that study the material for certs and and learn it do much better in the long run. A direct correlation is in salary. The people that are able to study the material and pass the certs often rise to the better jobs and earn better salaries.

I'm not sure if people that use braindumps do so because they can't learn the material, or don't learn the material because they use braindumps, but the end result is often the same - they don't learn the material.

Turgon brings up good points. When the boss pressures people to get the certs at all costs without regard to the methods, it often results in ethical dilemmas for individuals.

I like dynamik's words: "Don't worry about the others." Do what you can to learn the material.

Darril Gibson
Author: CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead
www.sy0-201.com

Security+ Blog
http://sy0201.blogspot.com/

Security+ Tip of day Tweets
twitter.com/DarrilGibson

Darril

Turgon,

Congrats on passing the written CCIE. I know that's quite an achievement. Is the practical in your future?

Darril Gibson
Author: CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead
www.sy0-201.com

Security+ Blog
http://sy0201.blogspot.com/

Security+ Tip of day Tweets
twitter.com/DarrilGibson

Turgon wrote: »

The CCIE written was 350 dollars something like that? I took two attempts at that recently before clearing after reading for weeks. The first I just missed by a few marks but it's still a cost and honestly while I cleared the second with a bit to spare it was no cakewalk and neither would it have been if I had studied for it for a whole year quite frankly. I

dynamik

Darril wrote: »

Turgon,

Congrats on passing the written CCIE. I know that's quite an achievement. Is the practical in your future?

I'd say it's more like his destiny

Norbie

Ricka182 wrote: »

So after a multi year break from even studying for any cert, I'm back at it. This time, Security+. I don't need it, but I could probably get a better review if I had it. Not to mention the place I work wants all IT related staff to have it. I have a few resources, including some CBT on disc I was given. I don't know what brand, but I took a quick look and they seem to be pretty good. I plan on watching a few lessons a day if I can. I'll probably also pick up a book to read over. Thinking about getting either the Mike Myers or Exam Cram 2. I've used both before and liked how the information was laid out. Myers makes all his books very his to read I think.. Plus I'll use whatever I can find here.

I guess some things never change though... I was assigned to a central helpdesk to cover for a few days; which totally sucked by the way. Not that I consider myself an uber expert, but I'm certainly past working the help desk.. Anyway, while there I overheard someone bragging about how they just passed the Sec+. I was about to congratulate him, and ask for any pointers, and then I heard this : "Man I'll tell you..those braindumps..whew! Right on man. At least 20-30 questions exactly as I saw them before. It was great man!!" I instantly had a very pissed look on my face. The guy didn't know who I was, and when he noticed me, he got real quiet. It turns out all the helpdesk people used that crap. Including one who, by her own admission of pure luck scored an 882. If I had any other proof other than my word versus the word of multiple people, I would have reported him. It gets me because, some will say wait til they go out for a different job and their lack of knowledge will show. Unfortunatly, these people are career workers here, and will never have to worry about that. They only got it to stay in accordance with a regulation. GRRRRR!!!!!! I really wish they all got exposed. But I'll stay true and honest, and feel better about earning my certs, not just cheating my way through.

Okay, no more rant...time to start studying. I want this done by end of the year, so it will show on my review...

I have a female friend of mine who is going for her CCNA and she told me today that when she was at a CCNA bootcamp the instructor gave her some type of practice material that he stated was 90% question for question what is supposed to be on the exam. (When she was at the bootcamp she got her CCENT but failed the second exam). Doesn't that qualify as a brain ****? Am I over reacting or is what she doing more or less cheating. I don't know enough about brain **** to lecture her but it made feel really uncomfortable the way she went on and on about how this guy gave her questions that she is positive will be on the exam. I'm not even sure if she knows what she's talking about truth be told.