Do you get study burnout / headaches / diziness toward the end of intense studies?

It seems like the further I went into my CCNA studies, towards the end my coworkers could tell I just looked mentally drained when I came into work every day, and I can feel it starting to creep in with the CCNP material.

I've pushed my test date out a couple of times, but I feel I must terminator my way to being ready to give the CCNP ROUTE try #1 by the 28th (two weeks from tomorrow) which is more than possible, but I need to crunch some videos this weekend then its reading / labbing until the day. I don't want to push it out further because I can feel the topics I don't use on the job starting to slip from memory, and will need to be re-covered.

Do you guys slowly degrade mentally after studying complex / brand new topics for long periods of time? Do you feel the burnout or get the headaches from lack of sleep as well? Its not like I even study into the night, but I've recently got CCNP induced insomnia, like some kind anxiety where I am CONSTANTLY wanting to to be studying the next topic even when I'm so fried I can barely walk straight.

Anyone feel me or am I just killing myself studying?

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hurricane1091

Studying is mentally draining, it's not even a question.

tunerX

I get eye strain and eye fatigue. Not necessarily headaches and dizziness.

ande0255

After intense study sessions like last night, where I studied then re-cabled my rack, and drew up the new topology for the next subject and afterwards it was as bad as me losing my balance randomly and my brain just feeling dead.

Today I woke up (with lack of sleep of course) for work, and I developed a major headache at some point today, but a mixture of aspirin / carrots / water / getting outside for 5-10 minutes helped quell the headache... for now.

It seems like since I hit BGP, the brand new material to me is really just a BRAIN KILLER for me, I'm wondering if this applies across all certification fields and candidates. I've never gotten the brain kill THIS bad.

Though most other days I'm normal just a bit fried, but now that I'm nearing the end of all the topics, I am REALLY starting to feel it!

ande0255

tunerX wrote: »

I get eye strain and eye fatigue. Not necessarily headaches and dizziness.

Coming from a CCIE, I officially feel like a gomer pile now

It doesn't happen most nights, but since BGP it has, and as it gets deeper and more complex it seems to happen more. Never noticed any kind of dizziness or headaches before.

I do also get the sand paper eyelids and brain fatigue at the end of the night throughout most study sessions along the journey.

NetworkNewb

I barely got any sleep the night before my CCNA:Sec exam (stayed up cramming) and now have been having a little twitch that comes and goes a few times a day in my right eye ever since... Tempted to go to the doctor but hope it just goes away. Been a few weeks tho

ande0255

Yeah I cleared 3 BGP topics yesterday and setup my lab for the 4th today, and have tomorrow off work, so I am going to finish off (or try) to get through 10 more BGP videos this weekend.

Then I have IP CEF, NAT / PAT, IP SLA to cover over the week, then the last week is speed reading while labbing to re-cover older topics before ROUTE attempt #1.

I may come out of this with an eye twitch as well, maybe our eyes will twitch in synch

shimasensei

Good luck Ande! I know how you feel, finally passed TSHOOT yesterday, my final exam in the CCNP:RS series. I plan on taking CCNP:Sec in the near future, but I am balking at the 4 exams, at $300 each!

Did you get your CCNA recently? I usually take a 3-4 week break after each exam to get much needed rest and get out of the "study mode" adrenaline rush zone I was in.

ande0255

shimasensei wrote: »

Good luck Ande! I know how you feel, finally passed TSHOOT yesterday, my final exam in the CCNP:RS series. I plan on taking CCNP:Sec in the near future, but I am balking at the 4 exams, at $300 each!

Did you get your CCNA recently? I usually take a 3-4 week break after each exam to get much needed rest and get out of the "study mode" adrenaline rush zone I was in.

That is fantastic to hear, +1 karma for you, I have a whole new respect for people who earned their CCNP without brain dumping the answers which Cisco is finally addressing I have heard.

I am in rush mode for two reasons, being that I found with CCNA studies that the longer I take to finish all the material, the less I remember the material I studied in the beginning. Secondly I need the knowledge for my job, as my group got mixed into a high level specialist group at my MSP and I am one of the few network infrastructure "engineers" which means I now see a lot more complex tickets compared to 3-4 months ago

Also I need to get on CCNP Security, as more customers are starting to use Firepower / SourceFire / AMP / Whatever it gets called on their ASA's, and I've never actually learned the ASA stuff outside of my job and the book "Accidental Administrator" which is actually extremely useful for 8.3+ code.

Hopefully as my skillsets increase, my manager will agree that my salary should increase proportionately

dontstop

tunerX wrote: »

I get eye strain and eye fatigue. Not necessarily headaches and dizziness.

I find that eBooks and pumping up the font helps with that. I'm not sure who decided that we needed 12pt. font in books I'm sure it's far less than ideal for human eyes. I guess they use that size to save on paper/ink costs?

JoJoCal19

ande0255 wrote: »

Also I need to get on CCNP Security, as more customers are starting to use Firepower / SourceFire / AMP / Whatever it gets called on their ASA's, and I've never actually learned the ASA stuff outside of my job and the book "Accidental Administrator" which is actually extremely useful for 8.3+ code.

The CCNP Security track is an absolute mess right now as far as self study materials go. For what your needs are, it seems this book would be a better option: Cisco ASA: All-in-one Next-Generation Firewall, IPS, and VPN Services (3rd Edition)

ande0255

@JoJo - Yes I actually eyeballed the security tracks blueprints tonight, I do have an INE All-Access pass through my work and found the 4 exams under the Cisco stuff, but I see they are retiring or updating one of the exams soon here.

I got a ways to go before I hopefully earn the CCNP R/S and a break from studying before going into Security (or whatever the next topic may be), hopefully it will be smoothed over by then.

Thank you for the link as well, I will check it out!

EDIT:

I found under related stuff or 'buyers also bought' section, a new Cisco ASA book from the Accidental Administrator series, I might have to grab that

Verities

ande0255 wrote: »

It seems like the further I went into my CCNA studies, towards the end my coworkers could tell I just looked mentally drained when I came into work every day, and I can feel it starting to creep in with the CCNP material.

I've pushed my test date out a couple of times, but I feel I must terminator my way to being ready to give the CCNP ROUTE try #1 by the 28th (two weeks from tomorrow) which is more than possible, but I need to crunch some videos this weekend then its reading / labbing until the day. I don't want to push it out further because I can feel the topics I don't use on the job starting to slip from memory, and will need to be re-covered.

Do you guys slowly degrade mentally after studying complex / brand new topics for long periods of time? Do you feel the burnout or get the headaches from lack of sleep as well? Its not like I even study into the night, but I've recently got CCNP induced insomnia, like some kind anxiety where I am CONSTANTLY wanting to to be studying the next topic even when I'm so fried I can barely walk straight.

Anyone feel me or am I just killing myself studying?

Sounds like you're putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on yourself and that's probably causing your anxiety. Just relax and maybe reduce your study time. The fact that you are studying at all means you're improving yourself. A certification just validates knowledge, it does not define your technical abilities. To reduce stress, you should try exercising and make sure to stretch afterward. Also, make sure to drink plenty of water so you stay properly hydrated. If you can afford it I suggest you go get a nice massage and then maybe go see a chiropractor. When you're done with that combo, you'll feel like a million bucks and super relaxed.

DatabaseHead

Eye strain and redness is about it.

I am 100% anti ADHD, if I lock into something it can get weird. Like 10 hours of studying, I have to watch it or I'll blow my whole night. In fact my wife has to nudge me about 4 - 5 times before I finally get it.

ande0255

The sad or unusual part, is I actually have like an addiction to studying, I have a PS4 and I love me some Ghost Recon with my online buddies a LOT but when I sit down with my lab and start hammering away and troubleshooting and configuring things I get a great feeling from the knowledge I am gaining (and when it commits to memory and I don't need notes its double the satisfaction).

I just get mentally worn out afterwards to the point I can hardly walk straight, but that is how I feel after almost every time I've walked out of a test room, I usually have to drink a bottle of water in the lobby before I am focused enough to start the drive home.

I am a sick puppy that loves the abuse

Ismaeljrp

Having a rest day in which you aren't straining your eyes, and perhaps some outdoors mindless activity could help. Pair that up with a solid 8-9 hrs of sleep, and generally just not thinking much and you should be recharged. Always helps me.

I will just take a day, go home, relax for an hour or so, eat a decent meal. Then I like to go to the park shoot some hoops for a bit, walk back home, get some video gaming in or perhaps a couple episodes of a decent sitcom, then go to bed early. Next day is like I just got back from a vacation itching and ready for the grind.

ande0255

Yes I just finally finished the video series, and am reading the ebook on my generic ipad thing with kindle reader on it, and I am blazing right through that.

The next time I feel completely refreshed and focused, I plan to use the INE ROUTE exam simulator, so I can see where INE thinks I am in terms of readiness and where I could use improvements (as I have the all-access pass for work).

The night before I won't study at all, I might during the day to memorize some of the IPv6 well known prefixes and such, but nothing ultra heavy before I walk in the door. At this point I feel confident in my ability to pass, I have to just keep myself from freaking out exam day.