What approach do you use if you get stuck labbing

N2IT

I stink with Windows server OS, I'll be the first to admit it.

I was wondering what approach you would take when you get stumped. I've utilized admin tools before, but actually configuring the dang things is a lot different.

Do you just move on and don't let it stop your progress? You aren't going to remember everything anyway, I suppose, or maybe I am just talking myself out of this particular part.

Anyway from a technology certification standpoint how do you handle that?

I think for some people just getting in there and actually doing the work is the best remedy for learning any technology. It feels like I am going at a snails pace.

Maybe I should just stick to my MBA when I have some free time or VBA within Office tools.

<<<Shakes head>>>

ptilsen

Getting stuck is a great thing that can happen to you, professionally. Some of the most valuable time you can get is trying to troubleshoot something unexpected. It's okay if you ultimately end up asking for help, but it's not okay to give up and move on. You can't give up an move on in a production environment, and you probably can't afford to skip that question on the exam.

Asif Dasl

I don't think it's any different than anything else - if you get stuck, research, research, research - there is a solution or a misunderstanding or both. The real question would be, are you enjoying that technical work? I know you were more on the management side of things, and there is probably more potential earnings in that sector than in administration.

If it were me, I'd focus on the MBA one way or the other, cause that will open up so many doors in management, administration or as a business owner. That's the kind of thing that benefits you more than short-term technical knowledge. But if you like the admin side of things, then repetition is the best way to get to grips with things - 30 mins a day will work wonders - reading or labbing. Labbing with the server OS, you've got to lab with the client OS too, to get the full picture of what's going on.

undomiel

Since this is in a lab sometimes the best thing to do is to just step away from that particular problem for a bit and go do a different lab. Then come back to the original lab problem that you're having difficulties with and pound it out. If working on it hands on is not making any sense then it is time to read some documentation. Then some more documentation. Find some related blog posts. Do what it takes to find that bit of documentation, video, blog post, book, whatever, that will make the solution click for you. And if you do figure out the solution but don't understand it, go back to your reading.

It is not much good knowing how to do something but not knowing the why. I see it at work all the time. For instance there's a guy who knows how to do a lot of things. But half of it he doesn't understand the why. So when it doesn't work he ends up trying random things from Google searches and then asking someone else. So then he gets his solution but he doesn't understand why that was the solution. And sadly when I offer to explain the solution, or even to explain what the problem is, they just aren't interested in knowing.

DevilWAH

I go google.

Then again I make up my own labs, don't work out of books. so I set my self a challenge and just work at it till I have it working

NetworkingStudent

N2IT wrote: »

I stink with Windows server OS, I'll be the first to admit it.

I was wondering what approach you would take when you get stumped. I've utilized admin tools before, but actually configuring the dang things is a lot different.

Do you just move on and don't let it stop your progress? You aren't going to remember everything anyway, I suppose, or maybe I am just talking myself out of this particular part.

Anyway from a technology certification standpoint how do you handle that?

I think for some people just getting in there and actually doing the work is the best remedy for learning any technology. It feels like I am going at a snails pace.

Maybe I should just stick to my MBA when I have some free time or VBA within Office tools.

<<<Shakes head>>>

Depends on what the problem is and what I’m studying. I got stuck on the windows 7 labs for the 70-680, so I watched CBT videos to get a better understanding of the process and why a certain deployment method is used verses another.
If you want to learn server 2008R2, I would start with the two videos I listed below. Yes, there are based off the Server2008 and not R2 build, but the content is on point.

Server Basics | Windows 2008 Domain Services - YouTube

Windows server 2008 active directory 1 - YouTube

The first video is a guy that works in IT, but he explains the concepts in plain terms ,and helps you setup the server, and do basic things with server 2008. I have used the first video and it’s really nice.

Having used server in my own lab, I can tell you that it’s not something you can learn over night, it does require some time to really grasp the concepts.
The 2nd video is a first part of 13 videos from train signal that will help you build out a huge lab.

I learned this through work(which is non IT)

Sometimes my operator will leave the machine I work on and I have to run the machine. If something breaks I try to fix it, but most of the time I watch what my operator does, and copy what he did to fix the problem. Often I don’t always know why the solution worked, but I know it fixed the problem. If I ask him what went wrong and he explains it I get an idea of what went wrong. However, if I find a solution and fix the problem myself, I have a better idea of what happened and how to fix it next time it breaks.

afcyung

I usually walk away for about 30 mins, let your mind do something else for a while, then I come back and try a different angle. If that doesnt work I hit google.

paul78

I usually have 2 gin martini's and go back to it in a few days.

Forsaken_GA

I usually go out and smoke and come back with an epiphany.

Or I try and explain the problem to someone else, forcing myself to reorder my thoughts and usually seeing the answer plain as day.

Or, you know... google.

N2IT

Excellent responses.

I shut down the VM's and started screwing around with Excel and VBA. I've been doing it for a while, whooopy, but I'm familiar with it and it's less stressful lol.

NOC-Ninja

research thru google. If that doesnt help then I ask others who I think have the answers. I usually tell them "i tried this and that" what do you think Im doing wrong here?" This is ONLY when google and other forums doesnt solve the problem. I dont like asking if I didnt try my best to figure it out.

RobertKaucher

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

I usually go out and smoke and come back with an epiphany.

Or I try and explain the problem to someone else, forcing myself to reorder my thoughts and usually seeing the answer plain as day.

Or, you know... google.

I don't smoke, but going to get some coffee can help... The second option seems to be the one that helps me the most at work. My work-mate in the cube across from me is the perfect guy for this. Usually I get about 30 seconds into the conversation and I can then see what I have done wrong. If not, he's fairly good at helping me reason through the situation and that helps me find a path forward.

If I still cannot get a solution, I go to specialized forums like SharePoint.StackExchange.com or StackOverflow.com. I work with the Telerik controls a lot and sometimes you just have to take it to the Vendor's support forums.

DevilWAH

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

research thru google. If that doesnt help then I ask others who I think have the answers. I usually tell them "i tried this and that" what do you think Im doing wrong here?" This is ONLY when google and other forums doesnt solve the problem. I dont like asking if I didnt try my best to figure it out.

Personally I see using Google and Forums no differently to talking to other people I know. Posting on a forum is just asking with out the face to face part. And like you say I make sure that when I do ask its presented as what I have tried, I also like to know enough that I can ask a specific question, rather than simply asking for general help.

Like others have said, talking or just writing down your thought process often gets you to rethink the idea and get an answer. I often work out answers when cycling home from work. once the day to day tasks are removed, and building up the system in my head so I can visulise what is happening (or should be happening)

I do most of my design work and trouble shooting in my head away from the keyboard or a note pad. before I put pen to paper or fingers to keys I generally know exactly what is needed.

rsutton

Get your mind off the problem for a bit and look at it from another angle. I like to white board the problem if I'm stuck.