Juniper with no Juniper experience

dazl1212

Hi I am looking at doing another cert after my Network+ and the JNCIA-Junso exam is one I'm considering.
Would this be as hard as the CCENT/CCNA for someone with my level of experience? I have no Cisco experience either.
Is there an all in one up to date study guide for it? Or would the stuff on their website be enough?
Any help is appreciated

Ahriakin

The Fast-Track material is all you need for the first 2 exam levels. I would say it's a little easier than the CCNA, but then pretty much everyone who approaches it already has that under their belt so you have the foundation as a headstart.

networker050184

Agree with Ahriakin. Fast-Track is the way to go for this exam. Everything you need to know for free including a 50% off exam voucher!

I might be biased as well, having done the CCNA, CCNP and CCIP before doing the JNCIA, but it does seem to be an easier exam to tackle.

dazl1212

So I may be better doing the CCNA first?:

networker050184

I wouldn't say you'd be better off doing the CCNA first, but it would make the JNCIA easier. It will also make the CCNA easier if you do the JNCIA first. Going in with the knowledge helps in both directions.

dazl1212

Cheers for the advice man. Definitely something to think about

Aldur

Sounds like I was in a similar situation as you about 5 or 6 years ago. I had just switched my college major from zoology to computer science and I wanted to break into the IT field. I hadn't taken any networking related classes yet, but I did get lucky and got a job on the Juniper TAC SSL/VPN team (an entry level help desk type of job). I learned what I needed to learn purely through self study. Then, I started some Cisco classes at college, about 2 months worth, before being offered a job on the Juniper TAC router team. Then, I had to stop my Cisco studies to learn the Juniper routing side of things. At which point I picked up the old JNCIA-M certification. The JNCIA-M was comparable to what the JNCIA-JUNOS is today, however, the JNCIA-M was considerably harder. I should know, I helped write the JNCIA-JUNOS exam.

At the time that I had to study and take the JNCIA-M exam, which I studied for about 3 weeks before taking the exam, the Cisco prep did help since I had a good networking foundation. But I believe that I could have still passed the JNCIA-M exam without my previous Cisco studying, it just would have taken me a few extra weeks. My point being, both the CCNA and JNCIA-JUNOS will help you with your networking career, but if you need your JNCIA now, don't delay thinking that you need your CCNA first.

On a side note, I have a friend who is in a similar position as you are, my advise to him was to go through the Juniper fast track/learning portal stuff, which is free, and pick up his JNCIA-JUNOS as fast as he can. Even though he has no foundational networking knowledge, there is a free CBT on the Juniper fast track website (Networking Fundamentals) that walks people through the basics of networking. But alas, my friend is the very unmotivated type, and that type doesn't get far in any work field.

dazl1212

I did a post in the Jobs/degrees forum http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/86155-help-me-plan-my-future.html
basically i'm in what amounts to a dead end IT job where I do small setups for ANPR car park management systems.
Before that I did customer facing PC repair and advice for a large PC and computer components reseller.
Whilst I was there I decided I wanted to broaden my horizons and earn some decent cash.
A guy who worked in the company network support team advised me to try and get my MCSE, so I looked into it and was like "no this is boring"...
Me being the smarty pants I am decided my CCNA was the way to go, having no experience this didn't end well for me
After some thinking I decided I needed to build my foundations up so I did my A+ and never took the exams as I didnt have the cash at the time being on £6 an hour.read a few N+ books and somewhere in this time met a girl and everything got put on the backburner. I got my new job and was promised X,Y,Z which never materialized Started doing my CCENT this time and struggled massively, then work decided they would pay for me to do my Comptia Certs to shut me up. I couldn't sell them the Cisco certs as we dont use their equipment.
My exam for the N+ is coming round the corner and I should pass it pretty comfortably to be honest.
But I don't see it landing me anything job wise so now I'm stuck for what to do. I am leaning towards the Cisco stuff (have been advised to from people on here, but I am a bit twitchy about another frustrating few months with subnetting etc.
Juniper seems to be almost as highly regarded where I live as anything else.
So in all honesty I am just exploring avenues> I'm sure a massive part of the issue with everything is my ADHD style of chopping and changing what I'm doing.

TL;DR struggled with Cisco due to lack off experience, wondering if I'll have the same issues with Juniper

Aldur

I had absolutely no experience with Juniper or Cisco when I started working on Juniper routers and picking up Junos routing certs. Granted, it was a hair raising experience at times, but it's definitely doable. When I started into Junos certifications, I kind of went obsessive compulsive about it and studied like crazy, took tons of OT to get experience on the routers, and picked up my first JNCIE within a year of starting any Junos related certs. To this day I believe that I still hold the record at JTAC for getting my first JNCIE in under a year. I'm not saying that is the norm by any means, just giving my personal example.

Point is, that it's definitely doable with somebody in your position. Heck, I came from a cabinet making background and jumped into it. If I could do it, with the background I had, anybody can. It just takes time, motivation, and the willingness to invest in yourself through routing gear and certification exams.

One thing to remember, it's not just about getting the certification, it's about knowing the material inside and out. The certification can get you the interviews, but you better know what that certification represents. Best advice I can give here is study for the certification with the materials provide by Juniper, but don't be afraid to invest in yourself and pickup some low-end (branch) level Juniper gear to get your feet wet. You could also attempt to create some olives, but that can be more frustration than it's worth.

Ahriakin

It'll always be harder with less experience but remember these are entry level courses, though at the higher end of that scale, they are made to be passed by folks such as yourself. I failed my CCNA the first time I took it ( also with zero network experience) you just have to try again, don't let occasional exam failure put you off as it happens to everyone, it's the cost of doing business in certville.

wes allen

There are many more resources (paid and free) out there for Cisco certs then Juniper. But, there is more then enough from Juniper (free) to pass this test.

Spinning up a cisco lab in GNS3 is way, way easier then spinning up an Olive. But, Junosphere isn't to pricy, and way cool.

Older used Cisco gear is cheaper and more available then Juniper gear. But, Junosphere can cover all you need anyway without the noise, space and electric bill of a home lab. Though, starting out, hands on gear would probably be a good thing, learning cables and modules, etc.

More Cisco gear out there in the work world, but way more CCxx as well.

Just a sorta IMHO thing - to me, the CCNA content seemed a little stale compared to JNCIA. Like frame vs. MPLS, more COS in Juniper, etc. Not scientific, just an impression. Plus, JunOS just kicks ass on IOS.

dazl1212

Cheers for all the advice guys.
You're all correct these certs are not supposed to be easy.
I just need to keep a handle on my frustration.
I have the exam for my N+ so I at least will hopefully have cert soon which should help me take my time with my next cert.