I'm concerned about this CCNP change...

I realize this is only my personal opinion, so please don't take it as anything other than that.

IMO, the CCNP seems to have been devalued from a real world standpoint with this change.

For example, I'm still studying off and on for BCMSN. The knowledge I've gained from that study, I've been able to directly apply to 3Com hardware. Looking forward, I was actually fairly excited to get to ONT and ISCW, because topics on those exams (VPN's, QoS) directly relate to things I either do now, or will be doing more of in the future.

As best as I can tell, Cisco seems to have simply eliminated nearly all topics on those exams and essentially turned the CCNP into a pure routing/switching certification. Hell, even this new TSHOOT exam seems to basically be troubleshooting what you already learned on BSCI/ROUTE and BCMSN/SWITCH.

In all honesty, if I hadn't already devoted so much time to BCMSN and if the CCNP wasn't so valuable in the job market, I'd just disregard it, because I feel like this narrow focus has done nothing but limit the scope of this certification. From a practical standpoint, I feel I'll know a lot less when I complete the CCNP now than if they would have kept ONT and ISCW.

Am I the only one who's frustrated with this?

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Comments

AlanJames

I think the new CCNP is great

if you want to learn QoS, do the QoS exam. If you want to learn ipsec, do ccna security.

Although, I'm not sure why they removed spanning tree from the switch exam.

Forsaken_GA

I don't think they removed Spanning Tree, I think they just got all lawyery with their exam descriptions:

# Configure loop prevention for the VLAN based solution

That would seem to indicate to me that the various forms of STP are alive and well in the new CCNP

AlanJames

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

I don't think they removed Spanning Tree, I think they just got all lawyery with their exam descriptions:

# Configure loop prevention for the VLAN based solution

That would seem to indicate to me that the various forms of STP are alive and well in the new CCNP

you're right! I missed that.

well the new ccnp is fine

Forsaken_GA

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

Go look at the ISCW Exam Cert Guide if you have it. Their *entire* idea of teaching a network 'Professional' to configure a Secure GRE Tunnel....... is to use a wizard. Really? Seriously? That's not good training. I haven't taken a look at the most recent edition, but I'd be willing to bet I could get a better solution out of O'Reiley's Cisco IOS Cookbook.

Incidentally, I was right about this. IOS Cookbook provides much better configuration examples for various types of tunnelling and VPN than the ISCW guide does.

'Click the next button' does not require Professional level expertise to accomplish.

gorebrush

I'm going to hold my hands up and say that I was wrong about ISCW.

After sitting down and going through the entire IPSec VPN section with CBT Nuggets, I've actually grown very fond of ISCW.

I've covered IPSec VPN configuration on my own only once or twice, and have to admit muddled through the configuration (it is so big). Seeing it in video - it all made sense.

aldous

gorebrush wrote: »

I'm going to hold my hands up and say that I was wrong about ISCW.

After sitting down and going through the entire IPSec VPN section with CBT Nuggets, I've actually grown very fond of ISCW.

I've covered IPSec VPN configuration on my own only once or twice, and have to admit muddled through the configuration (it is so big). Seeing it in video - it all made sense.

yeah i've found the same with various things , cisco books seem confusing watch a video (TS or CBT) and its lkike alightbulb moment!

does anyone know how good the cbt nugs/train signal is for ISCW? i've done BSCI (exam next week) in uni this year and we are nearing the end of bcmsn(exam likly in 5 weeks) but we dont cover iscw material (but we do the entire CCNA:S). is it good or a bit lacking (like i heard the switching one was)

gorebrush

Seems pretty good for the ISCW (CBT Nuggets) but I always use the CBT's as complimentary to the books

SysAdmin4066

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

Incidentally, I was right about this. IOS Cookbook provides much better configuration examples for various types of tunnelling and VPN than the ISCW guide does.

'Click the next button' does not require Professional level expertise to accomplish.

The ISCW lab portfolio is also a pretty good piece of learning material, at least the current one is. Studying for certs shouldnt really be the only way you learn your job. knowledge without depth to me is worthless, i.e. ONT and ISCW.

DevilWAH

gorebrush wrote: »

Seems pretty good for the ISCW (CBT Nuggets) but I always use the CBT's as complimentary to the books

I do like the CBT videos, they are great for giving you a nice intredution to topics. nothing like seeing it happen on screen, And Jeremy is such a great person to llisten to talking, nice to hear his entusasam, (and spot his mistakes before he picks them up)

I just hopping they are going to release the new CCNP videos soon.

Forsaken_GA

SysAdmin4066 wrote: »

The ISCW lab portfolio is also a pretty good piece of learning material, at least the current one is. Studying for certs shouldnt really be the only way you learn your job. knowledge without depth to me is worthless, i.e. ONT and ISCW.

Y'all seem to be misinterpreting what I'm saying!

I think knowledge is good. I like knowledge.

I don't like ISCW. It's a horrible exam that is nowhere near representative of what a network professional needs to know. What you actually need to know to execute the technology it purports to test you on bears absolutely no reality to what it actually will test you on.

So for that reason, I do not mourn it's demise. From the blueprints of the new exams, it looks like the important stuff that was on ISCW's blueprints have been moved around, and I sincerely hope that the new stuff bears a closer resemblance to reality.

SysAdmin4066

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

Y'all seem to be misinterpreting what I'm saying!

I think knowledge is good. I like knowledge.

I don't like ISCW. It's a horrible exam that is nowhere near representative of what a network professional needs to know. What you actually need to know to execute the technology it purports to test you on bears absolutely no reality to what it actually will test you on.

So for that reason, I do not mourn it's demise. From the blueprints of the new exams, it looks like the important stuff that was on ISCW's blueprints have been moved around, and I sincerely hope that the new stuff bears a closer resemblance to reality.

I'm sorry, I must not have conveyed correctly. I am agreeing with you. although I thought the ISCW lab port went into some good detail, the exam itself does not really test that level of detail. It was pretty basic. So I agree with you