struggle with motivation and drive

Hi guys, I am a desktop support engineer, i have had past exposure to vsat engineering and cisco and have a masters degree in software tech with network management, however i have not done any major studying since 2011(graduation) i really want to get a Cisco networking role and i want to get the ccent and ccna. not just the certs alone but the knowledge, currently i am still recovering for a separation from wife so motivation and drive have become difficult for me. have got lemme and odoms books and even 2 2960 switches and 1 2900 router, have started study and even seem to progress well in cli..Iv lost drive and motivation due to personal situation but i really want them back as i want to ensure i get into a network role soonest, most importantly to prove to myself that i can do this in spite of all odds and have the knowledge and experience. i have also booked the exam for the 12th of march (was initially moved from 31th of jan) and to be honest i am not even 20 percent ready... Any advice or motivation tips will be greatly appreciated. My goal is to become a Cisco network engineer before the years end. I have read so many stories on the forum and i feel so encourage however i feel like getting responses to my own story would be greatly helpful. thanks guys for doing what you do.. these stories go a really long way

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

gorebrush

Hi there,

I am sorry to hear about your recent seperation. Don't be ashamed about loss of motivation, what you are going through is mentally very tough on anyone and nobody will blame you for not really feeling it. Taking any kind of certification requires time out of your own personal schedule and you probably have enough to worry about! I'm going through some major personal issues myself and I have zero motivation at the moment for my second CCIE but I know I need to get it done. Sometimes life takes over, and you need to spend time resolving the outside things before looking at the exams.

If you are feeling like you have no motivation, then you need to take time out completely, disconnect, get your batteries recharged. When the time is right, you will start picking it all up again. Obviously you can't leave it too long, but you will know when the time is right.

Take care.

Cyberscum

I say take the time you need to emotionally recover first. If you need help, get it. Your mental wellbeing is the most important thing you have. I have seen and work with people who don’t deal with their problems appropriately and sidetrack themselves with jobs and activities and become mentally exhausted or burnout.

Once you can look in the mirror and feel centered is when you should attack the CCNA. There are plenty of threads in the CCNA section to accomplish this, but resources like UDEMY, FEDVTE, CYBRARY and the book from ODEM should help. Good luck in your journey and take care my friend.

volfkhat

Everyone copes differently; you just have to know what works best for you.

Back in the day, my childhood cat kicked the bucket. I was devastated by the loss of my buddy of 18 years.
Having never gone through something so traumatic, i threw myself into my job.

It worked for about 3 months.
But one day.... i cracked, and it all came pouring out.

I sitting here and tear-ing up just talking about it!
lol

oh well.
You may never fully get over it; but each day will hurt a little less in passing.

Take as much time as you need :]

tonygoz

thanks guys....thank you

fuz1on

Sorry to hear/read about your situation but keep your head up - you're doing a great job of taking it in stride and attempting to work through it while studying to further your career. Remember to take that "me" time you need to rewind, recover and general R&R - recharge and come back stronger than ever.

P.S. I'm going through some drama too but I use my studying to unwind - as odd as that sounds. Take care and good luck!

tonygoz

Thanks for the support guys, I know, I may need time however life must go on plus I really want to progress in my career and I really desire having my full ccna and a networking job role before the end of the year. Not only will studying for this keep me distracted but it will also give me something to look forward to. I was studying wendel odoms book but it was kind of boring so I got lemmes book after reading a few reviews but now I cannot even get myself to finish one chapter constructively. I have jeremys cbts as well. Should I just go through the cbts to re-sensitize myself then jump right into the books? just one of them.(pls can anyone help me with deciding which of the books is a better option and a possible study plan as this is a kick-start to get me fired up?? i really appreciate all the help... thanks in advance

pinkiaiii

Also in same boat as tonygoz,after nearly finishing semester two i felt drained,no previous experience,but it became a lot of monotony-and funny enough getting sick of doing labs,thats what we were told will happen when we started course,didnt believe it at the time,but it gets boring doing same tasks,and specially if you run into troubles and theres no one to help you.

As for reading getting lammle brick book,i looked at it maybe 2-3 times,having read maybe 2-3 books in life its something that not many can do.
That said,do it in reverse grind trough the reading,since im on netacad but it can be as dry as Sahara sand to read trough most chapters,and use videos afterwards,since usually cbt or whatever is on youtube danscourses summarizes many important points into way shorter frame where you can say i did read on that,and see where you might missed something or seeing it done by someone else just to reassure what you already read.

Since videos are type where you might not feel to read the dry material there is afterwards,thus seems couple hours reading and video before end of night day just to do quick review on how you took information is hard but better,that said of course everyone's different to how they learn and some can get away just reading books,or watching videos.

HAMP

tonygoz wrote: »

currently i am still recovering for a separation from wife so motivation and drive have become difficult for me.

Of course this is the hardest part, and you have good reason to lose motivation. Honestly, you need to look at it this way, when you find that next lady that appreciate you, you won't have time to study. So, you better get it done now, and be in the perfect position in life when she comes across your path.

The motivation you need now, this is a great field to be in. I haven't come across something I didn't like.

tonygoz

wow... thank you...thank you

tonygoz

HAMP wrote: »

Of course this is the hardest part, and you have good reason to lose motivation. Honestly, you need to look at it this way, when you find that next lady that appreciate you, you won't have time to study. So, you better get it done now, and be in the perfect position in life when she comes across your path.

The motivation you need now, this is a great field to be in. I haven't come across something I didn't like.

wow...thank you.... thank you sir

Simrid

Everyone hits high and low points in their revision. I would recommend keep going at it whilst you can, try and make the subjects a bit more fun and reward yourself once you have finished a section/chapter. I know STP and FR can be boring, but keep going man.

tonygoz

Simrid wrote: »

Everyone hits high and low points in their revision. I would recommend keep going at it whilst you can, try and make the subjects a bit more fun and reward yourself once you have finished a section/chapter. I know STP and FR can be boring, but keep going man.

Thank you Simrid

Drackar

tonygoz,
That’s a tough one. Motivation, or lack thereof can be a killer. Try looking up your ideal job. I mean the job that you feel lucky for having. Take a look at the prerequisites and try to match them. Try to knock out the "low hanging fruit" first. The first few "wins" will serve as great motivation to keep you on that track. That’s what worked for me. It really was the short term wins that motivated me to go that one more step.
“How do you eat an elephant?” – Answer: One small bite at a time…

I hope that helps

tonygoz

Drackar wrote: »

tonygoz,
That’s a tough one. Motivation, or lack thereof can be a killer. Try looking up your ideal job. I mean the job that you feel lucky for having. Take a look at the prerequisites and try to match them. Try to knock out the "low hanging fruit" first. The first few "wins" will serve as great motivation to keep you on that track. That’s what worked for me. It really was the short term wins that motivated me to go that one more step.
“How do you eat an elephant?” – Answer: One small bite at a time…

I hope that helps

thank you so much Drackar,thank you for the motivation and advice.bless

No_Nerd

Been there in almost your exact same situation.

I can honestly say you have to find one small thing that makes you happy and do that . Then you have to realize that each day is a new day and an opportunity for excellence. Do not let the actions or circumstances of yesterday influence how you feel today ( easier said than done) but really just make an attempt to move forward inch by inch. My advice? Go to the gym or train for a triathlon. Do something to just really "work it out " . I rediscovered figure competitions when I was separated from my wife and was passed over for promotion.

Just keep at it....... if fitness isn't your thing or you can't seem to feel better I would suggest you " find a buddy" and then have them help you though what you are dealing with ... No reason to go at it alone if the weights can't help you though then find a buddy who can.

Go outside close your eyes take a deep breath and open your eyes again and just be grateful for life.... the success will come even a small one will show up... if you get back to work.

sufius

Start with very easy attainable learning goals like a single chapter and stop. Each week try and ratchet it up a bit with a better goal if ready. Always remember you do not learn the tools of a trade that last a lifetime overnight as it is not a sprint but a marathon. So just learn and enjoy the view. Take the mandatory timelines out of the equation if you can.

My wife became handicapped after a fall on the ice (CRPS) and I have two little kids. Working, taking a college courses, certs and while trying to be a good husband and father is tough on motivation so I get it.

Personally, I held on by the skin of my teeth for a while and moved forward the best I could. I adjusted, made sacrifices and dealt with the hand God gave me. Always try to move forward even if real slow, motivation will come assuming you liked the field to begin with

Treat learning as a puzzle you want to solve not have to solve...attitude is everything.

tonygoz

sufius wrote: »

Start with very easy attainable learning goals like a single chapter and stop. Each week try and ratchet it up a bit with a better goal if ready. Always remember you do not learn the tools of a trade that last a lifetime overnight as it is not a sprint but a marathon. So just learn and enjoy the view. Take the mandatory timelines out of the equation if you can.

My wife became handicapped after a fall on the ice (CRPS) and I have two little kids. Working, taking a college courses, certs and while trying to be a good husband and father is tough on motivation so I get it.

Personally, I held on by the skin of my teeth for a while and moved forward the best I could. I adjusted, made sacrifices and dealt with the hand God gave me. Always try to move forward even if real slow, motivation will come assuming you liked the field to begin with Treat learning as a puzzle you want to solve not have to solve...attitude is everything.

Thank you.... you guys have just given me a morale boost

tonygoz

No_Nerd wrote: »

Been there in almost your exact same situation.

I can honestly say you have to find one small thing that makes you happy and do that . Then you have to realize that each day is a new day and an opportunity for excellence. Do not let the actions or circumstances of yesterday influence how you feel today ( easier said than done) but really just make an attempt to move forward inch by inch. My advice? Go to the gym or train for a triathlon. Do something to just really "work it out " . I rediscovered figure competitions when I was separated from my wife and was passed over for promotion.

Just keep at it....... if fitness isn't your thing or you can't seem to feel better I would suggest you " find a buddy" and then have them help you though what you are dealing with ... No reason to go at it alone if the weights can't help you though then find a buddy who can.

Go outside close your eyes take a deep breath and open your eyes again and just be grateful for life.... the success will come even a small one will show up... if you get back to work.

Many thanks man, the gym has helped alot, slowly getting back on track, taking it step by step.. thanks for the boost

popquizkid95

I hear you, tonygoz. A couple months back, my company encouraged me to get my CCNA, and they are footing the bill. So that adds a layer of stress.. failure is not an option. Around that time, my wife severely injured her knee which required extensive knee surgery. So she is pretty much bed ridden right now and will be for several months.. so I'm basically taking care of our 4 kids alone.. That along with the demands of my job, motivation is is hard to come by. But I just try and study every chance I get. Lunch break at work, while I'm waiting in the car for my wife's Physical Therapy. Pulling some late nights when the family is in bed... I set a hard goal for the test next month, but if I don't feel 100% confident that I'm ready, I will delay it a month. It's great to set goals, but don't let them eat you up. That's the nice thing about the Cisco exams. Once you schedule them, you can always re-reschedule..

Best of luck. tonygoz.

tonygoz

popquizkid95 wrote: »

I hear you, tonygoz. A couple months back, my company encouraged me to get my CCNA, and they are footing the bill. So that adds a layer of stress.. failure is not an option. Around that time, my wife severely injured her knee which required extensive knee surgery. So she is pretty much bed ridden right now and will be for several months.. so I'm basically taking care of our 4 kids alone.. That along with the demands of my job, motivation is is hard to come by. But I just try and study every chance I get. Lunch break at work, while I'm waiting in the car for my wife's Physical Therapy. Pulling some late nights when the family is in bed... I set a hard goal for the test next month, but if I don't feel 100% confident that I'm ready, I will delay it a month. It's great to set goals, but don't let them eat you up. That's the nice thing about the Cisco exams. Once you schedule them, you can always re-reschedule.. Best of luck. tonygoz.

thank you for the encouragement