Cisco Academy courses

Anybody here who has taken them before? Can you give me specifics on them? How much you paid, how long they last, class size and when you met? Was it worth it?

I am thinking of taking the CCNA exploration.

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Comments

SephStorm

I have taken CCNA 1&2 through the US Army. Personally, I think it is a great opportunity to get some hands on experience on cisco devices, but I did not like the books. Reading Wendell Odom will give you the necessary knowledge without the extra fluff.

As for length, that depends on how you are taking it, at a college, the entire curriculum is meant to be spread out over a few semesters.

If I were you, I would seriously suggest self study.

nhan.ng

local community college here has them. I paid 26 dollars per unit. CCNA1+CCNA2 is one semester, CCNA3/4 is another semester. Same with CCNPx.

powerfool

I took them at my university. They are actually offered as a total of 4 semesters there. I only took CCNA 1 & 2. I was going to take CCNA 3 & 4 but CCNA 3 was only offered during the summer and I always dedicated summers to my math courses.

tpatt100

I know people who went in my Guard unit. I think learning slowly over time would help me greatly as far as retention goes

Heero

It is a GREAT way to learn the CCNA material in a classroom setting. I did my CCNA through my community college (netcad). Was well worth it, and they had plenty of gear and time to use it. If you need to save money or do it faster, self-study is probably what you want to do, but if you want the classroom experience, netcad.

mikej412

From another thread:

mikej412 wrote: »

I started my Cisco Certifications with the CCNA Network Academy -- but my local Community College had a web based self paced option (with final exams in the proctored test center on campus). It was nice to have access to the school lab and a bit of structure.

For the CCNP I would have had to shift to the Regional Network Academy -- but two counties over was too far to travel. So after the CCNA I shifted to self study and added some Cisco equipment to my home data center (and added a Cisco wing to the home library).

The cost was reasonable, the lab equipment was excellent, and the self-paced web based class experience was priceless. But not everyone has the self-discipline to do self-paced and/or self-study -- so it was good practice for further self-study.

[Deleted User]

I don't think I can say enough good things about the Cisco Networking Academy. If you have the time to commit to it then I would definitely do it. My local college offers night courses so that works for people who work during the day. The courses are great if you actually do the work and read the material. I think if you complete all of the CCNA courses and then self study for a week or so you should be able to knock out the CCNA.

shodown

I took it for the older exam and it was great. You get a great foundation and it helps when you take advanced topics. We had a full lab, and I only used it for things that weren't covered on packet Tracer. We had a great instructor who also writes cisco press books. So if you can get a good instructor I highly recommend it.

hex_omega

They are offering an accelerated program that combines CCNA 1 and 3 and CCNA 2 and 4 into two separate semesters.

jamesleecoleman

I took 1 and 2 back in highschool so it was free. The class size was around 15 people. The only problem is that it everything was being rushed because we had block schedualing (90min a class) every other day. It was really really worth it because I found what I wanted to do in life when others were looking but I didn't really learn anything then. I still have access to some of the material at the netacad and it's really helpful if I get stuck on something.

gosh1976

After many years I decided to go back to school this summer. The university offers an A.A.S in networking with the cisco academy. I took a c# class and a core class this summer so I start the first Cisco class on Monday. The first course is Networking Fundamentals and LANs the second is Routing and WAN Technologies then there is a 1 credit hour review course that I'll take next summer unless I have already have my CCNA by then in which case I can get credit for the course and not have to take it. Actually to get an A in that class you have to pass the CCNA.

After that there are two more cisco classes Fundamentals of Wireless LANs and Fundamentals of IP Telephony.

By the time I finish the cisco classes I'll have the credits for the A.A.S. and I'll be able to move on to the B.A.S. in Technology Management with concentration in Computer Networking.

I'm halfway to the A.A.S. now so by the time I finish the Cisco courses I'll have that A.A.S. Not too bad for only being able to take 1 or 2 courses a semester.

rogue2shadow

I have nothing but good things to say about the Cisco Network Academy. So many labs and resources were available to me online and taking the courses gave me access to the real equipment. The costs weren't bad about ~$150 or less for each course and the instructor was a seasoned Cisco veteran and CCAI. These classes definitely helped me in the long run this far.

CompuTron99

Does anyone recommend that you use any material other than the "Academy Connections" web site for the material?

Heero

CompuTron99 wrote: »

Does anyone recommend that you use any material other than the "Academy Connections" web site for the material?

I never needed anything extra. Just having access to do the labs in addition to the website was enough for me. The website is basically an exact clone of the content in the cisco press books (not sure which ones specifically, probably the self study books.)

CompuTron99

Thank you.

I've just submitted my application to the local community college. I still plan on finishing up my MCSA (only need to pass the 291). I guess my DVR will be used alot this Fall.

CompuTron99

CompuTron99 wrote: »

Thank you.

I've just submitted my application to the local community college. I still plan on finishing up my MCSA (only need to pass the 291). I guess my DVR will be used alot this Fall.

Well I'm registered. I start Sept 1st with the CCNA Class 1, then it looks like the 2nd course is the LAN Switching and Wireless.

Heero

Nice, hopefully the teacher is good.