Tips on studying?

First of all, 'Hi' from a newbie

I have worked using MSSQL and various languages for many years, however I have never had anything on paper to prove I know anything, I have always like working with SQL, probably because I'm a sadist :P so I have started on the DBA route.

However this is a very basic question, but I have never been all that good at studying, nothing ever seems to stick... does anyone have any good tips of working through the books?

Many thanks

p.s. Sorry if this is a really dumb question.

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Comments

mikej412

Welcome to the forum!

Unless you have a photographic memory, you usually learn by repetition -- but reading the same boring text over and over doesn't count. Usually a combination of multiple sources, hands-on practice, and review helps.

Some people like videos -- but don't be passive. Take notes, compare the topics covered with your books. What were the important points covered in the video? How do they relate to any published exam topics?

Studying is just like any other habit -- it may take you 30 days to develop the study habit, but only 3 days to lose it. Schedule your study time and stick to it. If you're "too tired to study" or "too busy this week" -- you might want to re-evaluate your commitment to studying. Some people sign up for courses at their Community College just so they are "forced to study" and have their "next class" as the stick to keep them reading.

Even if you start out just reading an hour a couple nights a week and doing some hands on practice and review on weekends, you'd still be making progress towards a certification goal.

Decide on a goal and start working toward it -- and see what happens from there.

empc4000xl

A trick that I use is limit your studying to 30-45 min at most in 1 session. Repeate this through the day. I usually pick a chapeter and go at it hard for 30 min. They I go play halo 3 for a hour. Come back and keep going. Lab up the topics and go play halo. I try not to give my brain a chance to get tired and frustrated. Playing video games or playing instrument doesn't take any thought you just feel it. I do this and I have been pretty sucsessfull when I plan accordingly and start studying early

networker050184

I usually break my study up during the day as well. I usually read a chapter in the morning and then do labs and and review at night when I get off work. This helps me stay motivated because I can't wait to get home and lab the stuff up that I read about in the morning. I end up thinking about it all day and I think that helps it stick. I almost always end up grabbing the book and going over the chapter again a couple times during the day because there will be something I can't remeber while thinking about it. It has wroked well for me! If you can't seem to concentrate on what your studying it probably doesn't really interest you and you would be better of studying for something that does interest you. If you are into what you are studying you can't wait to read another chapter and do another lab.

sinistamunkey

Thanks for all the advice... I must admit I seem to be absorbing more this time than I have with anything else I have tried studying, probably due to what was mentioned previously, I like it

My brain will understand partitioning, it just doesn't know it yet :P

IT_Admin

When I was studying, I found that the longer I went the more i was able to absorb. It was almost as if my brain needed a chapter to warm up.

2BEDB411

xntrix18 wrote:

When I was studying, I found that the longer I went the more i was able to absorb. It was almost as if my brain needed a chapter to warm up.

Find your most productive study time as well. Personally for some strange reason I really, really can hammer late at night.

Possibly because I know its the end of the day and nothing else is in front of me. Dunno. But I get further in 3 good hours at night than three days of 2 hour sessions.

Also, if studying Cisco, get it at the house. If studying Lynux, get it at the house,
If studying Win2k3 , (with SQL) get it at the house. Most of this is available to me at the job, but it's nice to have a lab system to just beat up, explore, or simply hammer to pieces.
These guys say mix reading with doing, and I agree. Dive in and good luck

Pash

Welcome!

Huge tip: You will not remember every subject in great detail in IT, nobody can retain information about every vendor technology, protocols, configuration etc etc. But what you can do to assist yourself is: go through material via practice in your spare time, take good notes and diagrams to assist with recalling the fundamentals of how the principals work (maybe with a few troubleshooting details thrown in. For example, for dhcp, dns, I have colourful diagrams explaining the fundamentals of the technology. So I forget about DHCP? I go to my diagram take one look at the big bold word DORA (abbreviated for discovery offer request acknowledgement) see my client saying FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF and I know immediately, ahh yeh its a broadcast for discovery, the dhcp server is listening for these discovery broadcasts and so on. DNS obviously more complexed and requires more reading, but with constant refreshing its not that difficult.

dtlokee

Pash wrote:

Welcome!

Huge tip: You will not remember every subject in great detail in IT, nobody can retain information about every vendor technology, protocols, configuration etc etc. But what you can do to assist yourself is: go through material via practice in your spare time, take good notes and diagrams to assist with recalling the fundamentals of how the principals work (maybe with a few troubleshooting details thrown in. For example, for dhcp, dns, I have colourful diagrams explaining the fundamentals of the technology. So I forget about DHCP? I go to my diagram take one look at the big bold word DORA (abbreviated for discovery offer request acknowledgement) see my client saying FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF and I know immediately, ahh yeh its a broadcast for discovery, the dhcp server is listening for these discovery broadcasts and so on. DNS obviously more complexed and requires more reading, but with constant refreshing its not that difficult.

Then your wife goes snooping around in your notes and you get "Who the hell is DORA and what makes her so important!?"

jahman182

EDIT: Then your wife goes snooping around in your notes and you get "Who the hell is DORA and starts ripping you a new one, believing that all the FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF you made in your notes are reminders of how many times you have already "HIT IT"?

That was funny.....LOLOLOLOL

ladiesman217

DORA? F-F-F-F-F-F-F?