Common questions people ask about the CCNA

Hopefully the title isn’t too ambiguous, this thread refers to common questions people ask when they are seeking the CCENT/CCNA. I have heard people say all sorts of things about the CCNA. Some think of it as some sort of heroic achievement that will win lots of money, and fear/respect from the IT industry. Please add your own experiences!

1.) Hi my name is XYZ from (Country of origin) I have just completed my degree in _____ and would like to pursue the Cisco CCNA, what study material should I use?

ANSWER: Read Todd Lemmle’s CCNA Study Guide, Watch CBT Nuggets ICND1/ICND2 videos by Jeremy Cioara, Buy a small Cheap Lab! Seriously, it’s not physically possible to go wrong when armed with real equipment and lessons from guys with funny sounding last names.

2.) How much money will I make a year with a CCNA?

ANSWER: Zero, not $40,000, Zero! I don’t care what your CCNA Boot Camp recruiter says; having the CCNA alone will NOT turn you into an IT Rockstar that every company wants to throw money at. It takes Experience that is earned over time so take that $13 an hour Helpdesk job and work your way up. We all had to do it!

3.) Can I make two VLAN’s talk without a router?

ANSWER: No. I hear this one all the time and the simple answer is go setup Router on a Stick, Now!

4.) I need the latest Brain **** for the CCENT/CCNA! Anybody have them?

ANSWER: It took me a second to decide if this is worth a serious answer or a barely comprehensible string of action words and foul language. Brain **** are self-defeating in the worst way. Let’s say you use one and pass the test, land the interview, but then it comes time for the technical questions and you don’t actually know anything. Do you really think a clueless **** can contend with the ability to apply one’s mind to new concepts through repetition and determination and achieve mastery? This is why the CCNA is losing value.

5.) Hello I am taking the CCENT/CCNA in __ weeks for the ___ time and would like to know if you have any advice?

ANSWER: Go over the exam objectives and tackle anything you feel you are weak on, if you want it bad enough you will pass. Good luck!

Well, I want to keep going but please let’s see everyone else has run across, thanks!

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Comments

Forsaken_GA

Overdash wrote: »

3.) Can I make two VLAN’s talk without a router?

ANSWER: No. I hear this one all the time and the simple answer is go setup Router on a Stick, Now!

Sure you can. See layer 3 switch

CodeBlox

Thats true Forsaken but I think he was talking about in the scope of CCNA. Anything beyond Router On A Stick goes beyond the scope of the CCNA.

Forsaken_GA

CodeBlox wrote: »

Thats true Forsaken but I think he was talking about in the scope of CCNA. Anything beyond Router On A Stick goes beyond the scope of the CCNA.

For now. I'd expect that to change with the next revision.

And honestly, there's nothing wrong with studying above your level. I was using CCIE level texts to clarify points I was curious about during my CCNA studies. And given how cheap layer 3 switches have become on the reseller market (I picked up a pair of 3550's for $100 each a couple weeks ago - compared to the $500ish I paid when I built out my lab), it's a viable alternative that CCNA candidates with a brain should be looking into.

jibbajabba

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

For now. I'd expect that to change with the next revision.

And honestly, there's nothing wrong with studying above your level. I was using CCIE level texts to clarify points I was curious about during my CCNA studies. And given how cheap layer 3 switches have become on the reseller market (I picked up a pair of 3550's for $100 each a couple weeks ago - compared to the $500ish I paid when I built out my lab), it's a viable alternative that CCNA candidates with a brain should be looking into.

I am not studying for a CCNA at the moment but I only ever worked with layer 3 switches lol .. wouldn't get anything but ... Granted, I am lucky enough to get a bunch of 3750Gs if I wanted to, but I agree - those 3550s are cheap as chips, even here in the UK.

Overdash

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

Sure you can. See layer 3 switch

You are correct a layer 3 switch will work. but that's not really a ccna topic. The important thing is to press the idea that a layer 3 device is needed, guess I could have worded that better.

alan2308

CodeBlox wrote: »

Thats true Forsaken but I think he was talking about in the scope of CCNA. Anything beyond Router On A Stick goes beyond the scope of the CCNA.

You don't have to do any configuration beyond ROAS, but you still have to know the concepts of MLS for the CCNA.

Bl8ckr0uter

alan2308 wrote: »

You don't have to do any configuration beyond ROAS, but you still have to know the concepts of MLS for the CCNA.

Exactly. When I did my CCNA, ROS was a topic as were multilayer switches.

Overdash

Come on guys this post is about something else. You are all correct, Yes you can use L3 Switches, and you need to know about inter-vlan routing for the CCNA though you don't really need to worry about setting up layer 3 switches on the test.

My comment was just that you need a L3 device for communication between Vlan's.

Forsaken_GA

Overdash wrote: »

My comment was just that you need a L3 device for communication between Vlan's.

Yup, and that's the point I was getting at - RoaS is not the only option (in fact, it's the worst of the bunch!). All you require is a layer 3 device, not RoaS.

I know it seems I'm nitpickity, but believe me, Cisco is even more so on their exams. Read or misunderstand one word incorrectly, and it changes the entire scope of the question.

CodeBlox

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

Yup, and that's the point I was getting at - RoaS is not the only option (in fact, it's the worst of the bunch!). All you require is a layer 3 device, not RoaS.

I know it seems I'm nitpickity, but believe me, Cisco is even more so on their exams. Read or misunderstand one word incorrectly, and it changes the entire scope of the question.

You tell me where you see MLS in the objectives. If you can, feel free to punch me in the face. I understand what you are saying and I am aware that it is okay to go beyond your level of study. I was just pointing out that as far as Cisco is concerned FOR NOW, L3 switching is beyond the scope of CCNA.

Forsaken_GA

CodeBlox wrote: »

You tell me where you see MLS in the objectives. If you can, feel free to punch me in the face. I understand what you are saying and I am aware that it is okay to go beyond your level of study. I was just pointing out that as far as Cisco is concerned FOR NOW, L3 switching is beyond the scope of CCNA.

Describe how VLANs create logically separate networks and the need for routing between them
Configure, verify, and troubleshoot interVLAN routing

That's what the exam objectives say.

I have no idea what the actual study material has, or the exam itself, I passed the CCNA two revisions ago.

Now, on the same challenge, show me where in the exam topics it says only RoaS is necessary.

My nitpick isn't with RoaS, it was with the fact that the OP said specifically RoaS, when that's not the concept - the concept is you have to have a layer 3 device doing the routing, and that may not necessarily be a dedicated router. You can implement a firewall to do your intervlan routing, or RoaS as well. The OP recognizes that his wording could have been better, and that satisfies me (note, I didn't take issue with anything ELSE he said)

If you know anything about me, you know that I've never been about study to pass the exam, I think that is a defeatist mentality, it's better to learn the concept, and then apply that concept to specific implementations. By teaching CCNA students that YOU MUST DO ROAS for intervlan routing, you rob them of the flexibility by not teaching them other options exist. It may help them pass the exam in the short term, but I feel it's ultimately harmful on the career path, because then you have to go relearn the concept!

Webmaster

Forsaken_GA wrote:

I have no idea what the actual study material has, or the exam itself, I passed the CCNA two revisions ago.

Just borrowing your disclaimer, as in I don't know exactly how far they go into MLS in study material/the exam either. But:

CodeBlox wrote: »

I was just pointing out that as far as Cisco is concerned FOR NOW, L3 switching is beyond the scope of CCNA.

Implementing, configuring, troubleshooting, and verifying (to stick with the exam objective terms) MLS yes, but, knowing that you need a L3 device rather than "a router" in particular is a classic bit of info for the CCNA. It would fit several of the exam objectives listed in the first section "Describe how network works".

Something like the following, just a quick-and-dirty made up example, would be a legitimate question to ask and still stay within the scope of the CCNA:

You are the network admin at large corporation that recently merged with another company. Several departments are being consolidated and you have been asked to provide communication between their VLANs. Which of the following devices would allow you to complete the task?

a. L2 switch
b. Repeater
c. NAT capable device
d. L3 switch

lochmoigh

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

Sure you can. See layer 3 switch

+1 i thought the same thing right off