Advice needed!

capitanuionut

Hello guys,

I try to get you opinion on something. I followed the Netacad classes! I started from the desire to know more, and the fact that i love technology. Then i thought only to assist on the first module, Network Fundamentals, to find out more about networks and protocols, cause i have a job that implies machine communication, but not exactly routers/switches/etc. I mean i'm not in the IT netorking.

After the first module, i cannot just quit,cause it started "to get sticky" and i continued to learn and get trough all modules, in fact tuesday i will have the final exam for WAN.

And now, of course i want that certification, not to find another job or something else, but i learned and i think i deserve it.

I know now that i need to review all that i've learned and make more labs, also read from other sources than the Netacad curriculum, cause it's not enough and the cert exam is quite difficult.

What do you think about this? Since i'm not in IT networking and maybe i'll never be it is worth to go for certification or i need to be thanksfull that i've learned new things and go on? Are there other individuals that are not in networking but still got this certification ?

viper75

capitanuionut wrote: »

Hello guys,

I try to get you opinion on something. I followed the Netacad classes! I started from the desire to know more, and the fact that i love technology. Then i thought only to assist on the first module, Network Fundamentals, to find out more about networks and protocols, cause i have a job that implies machine communication, but not exactly routers/switches/etc. I mean i'm not in the IT netorking.

After the first module, i cannot just quit,cause it started "to get sticky" and i continued to learn and get trough all modules, in fact tuesday i will have the final exam for WAN.

And now, of course i want that certification, not to find another job or something else, but i learned and i think i deserve it.

I know now that i need to review all that i've learned and make more labs, also read from other sources than the Netacad curriculum, cause it's not enough and the cert exam is quite difficult.

What do you think about this? Since i'm not in IT networking and maybe i'll never be it is worth to go for certification or i need to be thanksfull that i've learned new things and go on? Are there other individuals that are not in networking but still got this certification ?

If you're not working in networking and don't plan on working in IT and networking, then I say there's no need to get the CCNA. If you want to just learn it, then buy a few books and read them.

Studying for Cisco exams, specially the CCNA is like having a second job. I say read a few books if you want to learn it.

It's like me becoming a certified mechanic. I will never work as a mechanic, so what's the point of getting certified.

Just my 2 cents

chmorin

Agree with the above. I have recently become infected with the A/V bug and have started to record music and things, and this takes a bit of my spare time and effort (what little I have, given I'm a cisco guy). But I DO work in a cisco/networking environment, so my pursuit of cisco certifications is to better that. If I didn't have to get a piece of paper that made my job think I'm competent, I would probably just leave it to the books.

That is a bit of a lie, I like having pieces of paper associated with my name. That does not mean, however, that I am going to be gong to A/V certifications. Because, frankly, I don't need to. I enjoy the information, why waste money on something that is going to expire and wont help my job?

EDIT: But, if you want to get into IT, go for it.

capitanuionut

I'm not a mechanic or an artist:), i'm a software developer. I did the Cisco netacad classes cause i work with communication protocols and really helped me.
I don't know if in the near future i will go straigth in Cisco networking but this is a posibility since i'm at the beginning of my career. And I thought if i followed the Cisco academy classes, to go also for the certification. I know that's like a second job cause i did it when i learned at the academy, and i loved it.
I don't know, i still have time to think..
Thanks for your advices

MrRyte

You could just go for the CCENT and call it a day. You may not need it; but it will look good on your resume and you could probably use it as leverage for a pay raise; IMHO.

viper75

MrRyte wrote: »

You could just go for the CCENT and call it a day. You may not need it; but it will look good on your resume and you could probably use it as leverage for a pay raise; IMHO.

Pay Raise?

Where do I sign up???

martell1000

capitanuionut wrote: »

And now, of course i want that certification, not to find another job or something else, but i learned and i think i deserve it.

I know now that i need to review all that i've learned and make more labs, also read from other sources than the Netacad curriculum, cause it's not enough and the cert exam is quite difficult.

What do you think about this? Since i'm not in IT networking and maybe i'll never be it is worth to go for certification or i need to be thanksfull that i've learned new things and go on? Are there other individuals that are not in networking but still got this certification ?

You have to decide if it is worth the time money and the stress. Passing ICND exams costs you a few weeks of your sparetime 125$ for the test and a night of sleep before the test. In return you get a certification and a very good feeling that you know a lot about networking basics now.

As far as i know cisco certs are always welcome in the it world because the say that you know a lot about tcp/ip and other basic stuff...

So if the price doesnt scare you go for it.

alan2308

If you passed the NetAcad classes with a high enough score (I dont remember what the score is off hand), then you get a voucher for 50% off of the CCNA or one each for ICND1/ICND2. If you did well enough in the classes to earn the voucher, then taking the actual CCNA exam will be no problem with a little review beforehand. I found the 640-802 to be easy in comparison to the exams in the classes.

capitanuionut

alan2308 wrote: »

If you passed the NetAcad classes with a high enough score (I dont remember what the score is off hand), then you get a voucher for 50% off of the CCNA or one each for ICND1/ICND2. If you did well enough in the classes to earn the voucher, then taking the actual CCNA exam will be no problem with a little review beforehand. I found the 640-802 to be easy in comparison to the exams in the classes.

I think i did well in classes...above 90% at all the exams...but i think i need a review since it;s been one year since i first started...

alan2308

capitanuionut wrote: »

I think i did well in classes...above 90% at all the exams...but i think i need a review since it;s been one year since i first started...

That's certainly eligible for the voucher. Once your instructor marks you as having passed, you'll see the link. You have forever to request the voucher, but once you request it you have 3 months to use it.

And you'll probably be surprised how little review you need. Think about how many times you revisited CCNA2 material in CCNA3, and so forth. A couple weeks to go back through the books and lab up everything you're not 100% certain of should suffice.

capitanuionut

alan2308 wrote: »

That's certainly eligible for the voucher. Once your instructor marks you as having passed, you'll see the link. You have forever to request the voucher, but once you request it you have 3 months to use it.

And you'll probably be surprised how little review you need. Think about how many times you revisited CCNA2 material in CCNA3, and so forth. A couple weeks to go back through the books and lab up everything you're not 100% certain of should suffice.

That's true that they constructed those classes to keep repeating...the thing that was not cover in exams was the simulations that you find in the actual CCNA exam...and that's what i'm affraid about....i mean the time that takes to complete those simulations.
I will review, i have CBT nuggets and already started to look over, i like jeremy cioara, he really knows how to keep you there in front of your monitor...cause at the first movies it's a little boring since you know that stuff already, but he really keeps you there..also i have Todd Lammle's book.. with these two resources, and the curriculum from academy, some labs, subneting practice, i think i will succed..

Thanks for encouragement!

martell1000

simulations scared the hell outta me. the time you need for the simulations can be "bought" by beating subnetting questions in 20-30 seconds.

for the simulations itself a solid knowledge of how to move in the ios and how to analyze stuff is the key. good thing to practise is taking the cbt nugget videos where jeremy builds the small routed network at the end of the series and rebuild that in packet tracer.