Should I give up CCNA?

To make my story short, I worked on labor job for the past years and was sick of it. I have tried to come back to study. My first step was to study Cisco Networking so that I can mix with my skill in programming, web development (I sometimes got a few IT projects to work on and earned a few bucks).

For a year now, I still haven't been able to get an interview for web developer job. I am at a point that I think I would waste my time and would rather work on labor job because I can earn money. I love working in web development and truly love Cisco networking. However, my hope to get a job in these fields is just a dream. My English speaking is broken and weak, my reading is okay because I spend most of the time reading programming, networking books, magazines, blogs. My academic score for CCNA 1 & CCNA 2 all above 90 - 100.

My question is should I quit studying CCNA now? I know I shouldn't and continue pursue my dream, but I have a family and a young wife to take care. There seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel for me.

Sorry to post in the wrong forum. I need your advice.

Thank you.

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Comments

networker050184

If you enjoy it you shouldn't give up. Just keep at it and you will find something eventually. Maybe you are applying for the wrong jobs. You should try to find something entry level that doesn't require experience. It is hard to break into a field that is dominated by experience when you don't have any. It is not impossible though, everyone got their start some where. Just keep your labor job so you have income and keep looking for IT related jobs. While you are at it work on your english which will probably help you a lot too. Good luck and never give up on your dreams!!

pryde7

Never give up!!
You may feel its because I'm not in your shoe, but the truth is those who fail are those who give up their course!
If you truly want to be somewhere, put ur head high and aim for it! Its never a smooth or joy ride.

nel

From what ive read from your post, your english seems good to me! if you really feel this is an issue consider going to english classes where you can actually speak the language on a regular basis because if you live in a country where english is not the native language then you wont be able to practice it verbally. In the UK there are a ton of courses at local colleges which run english classes for foreign nationals of the EU. there maybe something like this for you?

I wouldnt give up because i believe everyone should try and work with something they like/love because it gives you more satisfaction from your work. but like you say you have a family to support so any job will do to provide that vital support for the most important thing in your life - your family. So keep the labour job and keep getting your certs and then if you really want to work in IT you will most probably have to start at the bottom just like most of us have had to do!

but keep the hard work going - i believe you make your own destiny!

hugolucky

No, dont give up if you can do right by your family, and persue your dream, at the same time

think about what you are offering, and how you are communicating, to prospective employers, you say...

"I sometimes got a few IT projects to work on and earned a few bucks"

what does that mean?... how are you relaying that to prospective employers?, i assume that you would be mentioning any experience that may apply to the position, if you have web dev experience then do you have any work to show?, do you have a portfolio?

are you using proper english when communication to prospective employers?

your english is fine here, but if an HR person gets a notion that someone is still learning english, or is less than willing to do it properly, and it only takes one word, or lack of, to lead people to that conclusion, that could be all it takes for your application to get tossed in the can, for example....

"For a year now, I still haven't been able to get an interview for web developer job."

the mssing word 'a' before web would be all it takes for some to put a label on you, i know it was written for us here, so im not faulting you for it here so please dont get me wrong in using that example, but... if your resume/CL uses english like that it will work against you, have someone proof read your communications to prospective employers if need be, but continue to work on your english because theres interviews to consider, and the same rules will apply in verbal communications as well

english is a difficult language to master, and here in the states people can get easliy putoff, and downright territorial about how its used, and it may not be right or fair to feel that way in many cases, but when ur job searching theres way too many people presenting perfect english, and way too many people expecting to see it, and hear it, to let a simple grammatical slipup reduce ur odds

continue to work at your english, it can only help you, and continue working towards your dream, its really all about who badly you want it, best of luck to you and your family

dynamik

You might want to give this thread a read: http://techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28119

You're probably going to need a couple of years of experience at a help-desk type job to break into the field. As networker said, you may be setting your sights too high for your level of experience.

What's your native language, and where are your currently residing? You seem to have a solid grasp of the written language. Do you just have trouble speaking it fluently? I'm studying Japanese right now, and I'm well aware that it is far easier to write the language than it is to speak it.

You need to do what you are passionate about. If you have to take another job to provide for your family for the time being, do it, but keep on studying because you will get your break eventually. I worked for three years as a sign fabricator. I ran some fairly heavy machinery that cut the shapes out acrylic, wood, aluminum, etc. as well as handling the majority of the painting. I often came home a grubby mess. I also networked the entire shop (they were still shuffling floppies around) as well as did any miscellaneous IT work. They merged with another company a couple of years ago, and I got to take over the IT responsibilities for the new entity. That was never the way I would have imagined that I would have gotten a serious IT, so hang in, you'll get whatever you desire if your persistent with your goals.

liven

NEVER GIVE UP!!!

Look I didn't want to start on the help desk either. But I did, and was there for about 4 years. Since then I have spent four years doing developement, administration, networking and security work...

It takes time.

And if it is truly a dream, you can never give up.

NEVER

freetech

I understand somewhat.
I have a family that I have to support. Two kids in college, house payment, etc.
You may not be able to leave your day job. Supporting your family is job #1!
However, do what you can. Think outside the box. Look for alternatives, be patient.
Above all, keep studying. Continue your personal development. A CCNA will only help.
You can do it.

EdTheLad

Having the ccna does not guarantee you a job.If you are getting good money laboring, its probably best to stick with that for now and do ccna on the side.If you find you cant work and do study after work its probably best you stick with the laboring as in IT you must continuously study after hours.
Since your asking this question i would assume you are more in love with the idea of the job rather than the hard work that goes into doing the job.Be careful what you wish for it might come true!

mikej412

tube wrote:

My English speaking is broken and weak, my reading is okay because I spend most of the time reading programming, networking books, magazines, blogs. My academic score for CCNA 1 & CCNA 2 all above 90 - 100.

nel wrote:

consider going to english classes where you can actually speak the language on a regular basis

+1 -- even if you're in an English speaking country. You may not be getting the speaking practice you need, so the class is a good idea.

Don't give up -- your academic scores are good.

mattsthe2

Never give up on your dreams my friend.

tube

Thank your for your valuable advice. I will print this page off and put it in my diary. It will help me each time I am really down.

To be honest, I have spent tremendous amount of my spare time working, and studying on Cisco stuff with a hope that my score + web development (I do have portfolios for my previous works) can give me something in return - an interview only. But a year passed by I still haven't got an interview even though I applied for several junior HTML developer positions. Unfortunately, I got responses from IT recruitment agencies that I was not in their shorted lists.

To be honest, HTML is the most easy thing in web development, and if I can't get an interview for such position then what else can I apply for? It really turns me down and it seems to me that I have no hope at all.

There is no doubt that Cisco stuff is extremely difficult, a big challenge for me. I thank you for your advice and I will keep working on it (while I am working on a labor job) and hopefully one day I can come back here and let you know a good news. But for now, my future in IT field is very likely uncertain.

Wish you and your family have a wonderful New Year and best wishes.

Cheers,
tube

dynamik

I wouldn't let the web development stuff get you down. Any type of design field is extremely difficult to get into (maybe even more so than IT -- at least in this area). I know some really talented designers that can't land design jobs to save their lives; it's just a saturated field.

If I were you, I'd focus on one discipline. Web development and IT are both rapidly changing fields with basically no overlap. If you are looking for a serious career in either field, you really need to become a master of that domain. I don't think it's realistic for you to attempt to do both. Keep one as a hobby. I do a ton of small business web design on the side; it's what finances my IT education and equipment.

What is your native language? You might want to look for some ESL (English as a Second Language) podcasts. I'm using www.japanesepod101.com for my Japanese studies, and it's been a phenomenal aid. I've seen ESL podcasts in the directory, but I'm not sure if they're geared towards speakers of a specific language or if they are for any non-English speaker. It's definitely worth looking into.

Here are a couple that I found:
http://www.eslhelpdesk.com/
Hopefully their podcast is better than their website. It was the highest rated for "ESL" in the iTunes store.

http://www.betteratenglish.com/
This was second highest, and looks like it's a good resource.

tube

Hello, Happy New Year

I finally got a call from an advertiser about an ASP.NET (C#) developer position today. They did ask me a few questions but not related to technical questions. Most questions they asked I didn't hear them clearly over the phone. I asked them to repeat several times. Yeah, I think I turned them off and killed the initial impression. Well, I have to work on my English speaking and listening. It is a very daunting task for me. I find it much harder than learning technical stuff. To be honest, in my class, I often get good marks for my maths, physics, programming but I can be failed very easy on my English subject.

Well, assume that I know well about what I am doing (programming, networking) but I can't speak English fluently on some basic things then should I expect to be employed in these challenging fields? Probably not! Well, I have to learn how to crawl before think about how to walk.

Thanks dynamik for your links. I will have to look at them and learn steady hard before I can apply for a job. I think I can't get away from English communication.

Again, thanks everybody for your helps and advice.

Happy New Year to all.

Cheers