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Recruiter/home lab help

bud08bud08 Member Posts: 58 ■■□□□□□□□□
in IT Jobs / Degrees
I have no hands-on experience. My recruiter has me inline for a helpdesk position. However, she is pushing me to buy a home lab. But I just don't have the room or the $ to run it. She sent my resume saying that I have one. She said if I don't get into this position now, she will resubmit me for the next round. She calls me every day if I got that home lab up and running yet.

Is there a minimalist home lab that I can use that will appease my recruiter and sound good on my resume?
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    KrunchiKrunchi Member Posts: 237
    What are you suppose to be labbing for a CCNA lab is different then a MCITP lab?
    Certifications: A+,Net+,MCTS-620,640,642,643,659,MCITP-622,623,646,647,MCSE-246
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    bud08bud08 Member Posts: 58 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Krunchi wrote: »
    What are you suppose to be labbing for a CCNA lab is different then a MCITP lab?

    Sorry. CCNA.
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    NetworkingStudentNetworkingStudent Member Posts: 1,407 ■■■■■■■■□□
    bud08 wrote: »
    I have no hands-on experience. My recruiter has me inline for a helpdesk position. However, she is pushing me to buy a home lab. But I just don't have the room or the $ to run it. She sent my resume saying that I have one. She said if I don't get into this position now, she will resubmit me for the next round. She calls me every day if I got that home lab up and running yet.

    Is there a minimalist home lab that I can use that will appease my recruiter and sound good on my resume?


    A. Sounds odd..I never heard of a recruiter pushing someone to get a lab setup.
    B. I have never heard of a position that requires you to have a lab at home, or to list it on your resume. I have seen a lot more positions/companies lately that want candidates that are willing to constantly keep learning.


    Not sure where you live, but check free geek out. After you volunteer for 20 hours they give you a free computer. They might give you a free one if you tell them about your situation.
    Free Geek - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    In addition to Portland, a number of other cities have started their own Free Geek organizations.[5]
    • Portland, OR ("the Mothership")
    • Fayetteville, AR
    • Central FL
    • Chicago, IL
    • Columbus, OH
    • South Bend, IN (Michiana)
    • Vancouver, BC (Canada)
    • Seattle, WA
    • Murfreesboro, TN (Born Again—no longer recycling)
    • Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN (Twin Cities)
    • Toronto, ON (Canada)
    • Providence, RI
    • Ferndale, MI (Greater Detroit area)
    Reach out to a e recycler in your state, and see if you can get a donated computer.
    Good luck!!

    E-cycling Central: Find a Recycler
    When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened."

    --Alexander Graham Bell,
    American inventor
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    buzzkillbuzzkill Member Posts: 95 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Whilst a home lab will go some way to showing a willingness to learn and experiment in lieu of any actual experience, it sounds a bit weird how a recruiter is asking you to do this. Very odd. What do they think is going to happen, you set one up so you can put it on your resume and then use it as a talking point in the interview - except since you will have only got the lab at the recruiter's behest you won't actually be able to talk about anything you have done with it.

    By all means set up a lab - but do it for the right reasons, not because a mong recruiter tells you to.
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    bud08bud08 Member Posts: 58 ■■□□□□□□□□
    buzzkill wrote: »
    What do they think is going to happen, you set one up so you can put it on your resume and then use it as a talking point in the interview - except since you will have only got the lab at the recruiter's behest you won't actually be able to talk about anything you have done with it.

    This exactly. She called me up and asked if I bought a lab on ebay...24hrs before my phone interview.

    I wouldn't mind having the physical equipment for studying purposes, but I just want to have something minimal to supplement my Packer Tracer labs not replace. I also want to be able to keep this recruiter happy. This recruiter is driving me nuts but she has gotten me two phone interviews in one week. Maybe I am too much of a people-pleaser.
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    bud08bud08 Member Posts: 58 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Problem solved. I got a really good deal on someone's old lab. Worried for no reason.
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    alxxalxx Member Posts: 755
    You don't need to spend much for a lab.

    gsn3 for routers and a switch or few. Could be as little as $30 ($10 each for a 2950 switch).
    Graphical Network Simulator - GNS3

    CBT Nuggets Player

    And you can pickup 1721's/1751's from $10ea , just take your time, don't be in a hurry.

    this stack of routers cost me AUD$268 (US$280) with wics(cables extra)
    3.png
    Goals CCNA by dec 2013, CCNP by end of 2014
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