Losing Focus :(

I'm finding that my ability to hit the books hardcore has diminished greatly since getting my CCNA. When I was studying for my CCNA, I only took breaks on the weekends, and at least four days a week I was studying for 8 or more hours. Now here I am, almost ready to take the BSCI, but my drive is just lagging horribly. I mean, if I had kept up with the same study regimen, I could've been ready to take the exam this week...now it's looking like the beginning of February before I'll feel ready.

So, my question to you is, when the fire starts dying, how do you guys stoke it back up? The large sum of money I paid for tuition at the school I'm going to helps a little, but even so, I think I may be starting to burnout.

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Mrock4

I'm the same way man..exactly. I've found that a few things work for me:

1) Guitar hero. I'm not a big fan of this thing or anything, but I get on and fool around for a few minutes to clear my mind and just relax. Music also falls into this one..I'll throw some music on for a bit, and put the books away.

2) oddly enough, I look at the salary charts and job listings for jobs that require CCNP. After seeing those, I'm usually more motivated, because I see what good it will do me once it's complete.

3) Take a break, go do something you enjoy. Maybe try some alternate methods. For example, if you normally read, then hit the lab, watch some CBT Nuggets/Train signal, etc. Try changing things up so it's not always the same thing, that can get old really quick.

Worst case scenario, move the test date back a bit. Just do you can re-focus and get back on it. I'd say it's totally normal though. We all have our ups and downs.

Edit: Oh yea, and as you said, the money spent motivates me too! I can't imagine wasting the money on the books, tests, CBT Nuggets, etc!!

networker050184

I usually only take one day a week off from study (Sunday). I find my self at least labbing something up that day thats running through my mind. Some days I just don't feel like hitting the books so I just do labs for my whole study period, but that mostly leads to haivng to crack the book open to look something up.

Just try to mix up your study like Mrock4 said. If you do the same thing everyday you will get burnt out. If it really is that hard to study maybe you should just move on to something that interests you more. No point in forcing yourself to learn something. If you are forcing yourslef you probably aren't getting too much out of it anyway. Most of the time I can't wait to study as I have questions in my head all day I want answered. Good luck!

c0d3_w0lf

It's not that it doesn't interest me...it's probably actually because I don't get enough time with the labs. In order to do lab stuff, I have to schedule time on the school's lab equipment. They have extremely limited scheduling, so it's really hard to get any time to do the labs. So, it's mostly reading and watching videos with the rare lab interspersed. I want to actually DO some of what I'm learning :P

I think a big part of it might be frustrations with not being able to do the labs as often as I'd like. I can't afford a rack setup worthy of the CCNP, so I gotta rely on what the school has to offer.

Mrock4

Hey, try mindtechcom.com, pretty cheap and good racks. I use em' a lot. Good alternative to physical racks, and you can schedule almost any time.

networker050184

You should probably get some equipment of your own. Grab Dynamips and go to town, especially for BSCI. Its one thing to memorize the facts and pass the exam and another to actually be able to implement it. I know a guy who got his CCNA and never touched real equipment. He can't even set up a simple switched network.

Hands on is the fun part anyway

. It is going to be hard to learn all these new technologies with little or no hands on.

nel

im in a similar situation but im not studying for ccnp! - unhappy studying my degree and unhappy with my job.

The way i motivate myself is looking forward to finishing my degree and my mcse and starting the cisco track. i HOPE this will bring about a job with more satisfaction, im on 2nd line helpdesk and i despise this role now because its lack of interesting jobs and no light at the end of the tunnel, ive been in this type of role for 6 yr nearly.

I also let my hair down by spending time with my gf or watching football (or soccer for some!) on the tele with a few beers or simply kickin arse on my 360! i love doing these things and despite what some may say i feel you should work to live, not live to work. a good mixture of enjoying work but making the most of your life is the key.

So stick with it because if some one said to me that i would have a ccnp within the next few years and a better career then i would be so proud of that achievement because its not easy by any means.

I intend to start my ccna study in the summer but already im buying real equipment to prepare for when the time comes. Im doing this because its easier financially to do it this way for me but the main thing is because ima very hands on person. i could read books all day but i can say hand on heart i wont take it in or enjoy it as much as doing it in real labs. ive used sims and there pretty good for what they are but for what you pay you could get a decent lab for it.

Keep with it mate, you'll get there in the end.

Mrock4

networker050184 wrote:

Hands on is the fun part anyway . It is going to be hard to learn all these new technologies with little or no hands on.

Definitely. Back when I had my rack of 2600's for the CCNA, I had a blast. I would spend hours just playing around with debug commands, and trying to make weird stuff happen, to see what the symptoms would be, how to fix them, etc. I remember I used to get sidetracked so quickly, I'd have to go back and look at my paper with my topology on it (and lab info), and find out what the original goal was.

..I need a hobby.

JohnDouglas

1. Like others have said, I look at Jobserve etc and teh salaries. 2. Remind myself this is a long term investment. I don't want to be sitting through rounds of redunancies (9 in total between 2000 and 2004) without any qualifications. I mean it was stressful enough for me as a 25 year old with little to lose. But for a guy with mortgage and kids - I can't imagine how stressful that was. 3. Qualifications also will make it easier to shift jobs when I'm older too. Can't be anything more annoying than getting stuck in a role you're bored of in your 50s. 4. Also helps to be better qualified to your collegues.
Unfortunately my eight years on comms has been 1 year of drinking followed by 7 years of brutal dog-eat-dog stabbing your collegues in teh back etc to just keep your job. Sadly that's what informs my reasons for studying and motivation. I also find it interesting.

r_durant

c0d3_w0lf wrote:

I'm finding that my ability to hit the books hardcore has diminished greatly since getting my CCNA. When I was studying for my CCNA, I only took breaks on the weekends, and at least four days a week I was studying for 8 or more hours. Now here I am, almost ready to take the BSCI, but my drive is just lagging horribly. I mean, if I had kept up with the same study regimen, I could've been ready to take the exam this week...now it's looking like the beginning of February before I'll feel ready.

So, my question to you is, when the fire starts dying, how do you guys stoke it back up? The large sum of money I paid for tuition at the school I'm going to helps a little, but even so, I think I may be starting to burnout.

Talk about deja vu...I'm the same way, but what I'm doing (like Mrock4 said) and if you have them, try CBTNuggets or some other brand of videos to get you back up and running...
I completed my CCNA back in October and this is January...I just now starting to get back in the groove, but I've found the nuggets to be a good pick-me-up...I'll definitely go over them again, but for now they're getting me back into it...

What materials do you have? Maybe we can keep a check on each other, set some targets, etc...

ITdude

Yes, the CBT Nuggets can be a more fun way to learn in spite of yourself, but don't use it as your only resource!

This is probably not what you want to hear but if you REALLY want to motivate yourself, pick an exam date, schedule the exam and don't change it! You will be surprised just how much an impending exam deadline will motivate you!

snadam

finding myself in the same spot. Im one exam away from MCSA, and it seems like I cant get into study mode. 2 days off has turned into a week off, then 2 weeks, and so forth. Even worse, sometimes the study material puts me to sleep. When this happens, I go play guitar for about 20-30 minutes to wake me up. After that, I hit the books and i dont usually get sleepy anymore. I also found changing up the study routine helps too. For instance, I usually go CBT, Primary Book, then my secondary book, then labs. Sometimes I just cant stay awake for the videos. If taking a little break from the videos dont work, I start reading the book, and then go back to the videos another day. Mixing it up keeps me interested in the material.

good luck with your studies!

jbaello

ITdude wrote:

Yes, the CBT Nuggets can be a more fun way to learn in spite of yourself, but don't use it as your only resource!

This is probably not what you want to hear but if you REALLY want to motivate yourself, pick an exam date, schedule the exam and don't change it! You will be surprised just how much an impending exam deadline will motivate you!

This has been my tactic, the exam coming soon, always keeps me geared and studying.

Also think about it when you knock out your exam, then you got nothing to worry about, you will have time to take all the break you want, like play WOW

I like to reward myself after accomplishing something, my reward after MCSE is a drumset and to be able to play World of Warcraft again.

Well this is just the few technique I use when I slack and get bored.

I also look at the salary that I want, and visualize myself making that money and driving a nice car.

IMAGINE!!!

c0d3_w0lf

networker050184 wrote:

You should probably get some equipment of your own. Grab Dynamips and go to town, especially for BSCI. Its one thing to memorize the facts and pass the exam and another to actually be able to implement it. I know a guy who got his CCNA and never touched real equipment. He can't even set up a simple switched network.

Hands on is the fun part anyway . It is going to be hard to learn all these new technologies with little or no hands on.

I keep hearing about Dynamips, but I'm not really all that familiar with it. I'll have to google it when I get a free second. My problem is that I just can't afford to build a rack (right now), even used. Wouldn't be a big deal if I wasn't currently shouldering the rent of my band's practice space, but since I've got that expense I really don't have any spare money anymore.

The CCNA I had no problem with, cuz I had a simulator program that worked great for all the labs, but it doesn't support any of the options I need for BSCI (can't even do multi-area OSPF!).

Fortunately though, I think I've worked out a way to maximize what the school offers for it's labs. It won't be as much time as I'd ideally like, but it's definately a lot more than what I'm currently getting.

And I completely agree...hands on is the best part!

Darthn3ss

where on earth do you find 8 hours a day to study

Mrock4

When working on my CCNA, I was able to hammer off a good 6-8 during work (while deployed), and then get off, and go practice my labs after work. Those were the days. Now I am lucky for 30 minutes of no interruptions!! I dunno about c0d3_w0lf though.

mikej412

Suck it up. Drive on!

But that could be the old Infantryman in me talking.

To avoid burn out, you need to mix up your study (books, videos, labs, review) and take study breaks. And while 8 hours of study in a day works great for doing CCIE Practice Labs, it could be counterproductive for the CCNP. If you can split the study over more days, that may work better and be "more sustainable" in the long run.

Good Luck! Now get back to studying!

Crunchyhippo

ITdude wrote:

Yes, the CBT Nuggets can be a more fun way to learn in spite of yourself, but don't use it as your only resource!

This is probably not what you want to hear but if you REALLY want to motivate yourself, pick an exam date, schedule the exam and don't change it! You will be surprised just how much an impending exam deadline will motivate you!

I think mixing the video in occasionally is a good idea, too. Btw, for those of you who use the CBT Nuggets, how much did it set you back?

networker050184

Follow the link and check the prices of the videos you want.

Mine were financed by employer so $0 out of pocket.

cdad2000

I'm on the same boat Cod3_wolf, and great post! After bombing the BSCI last week. I was actually thinking is all this stress really worth it, so I took a vacation to Cancun it was planned way in advanced. I tried to pass before the trip. But the of feeling of excitement onces you pass is worth it, remember that feeling with the CCNA . Stay focus and good luck. In the organization I work in the cert's do all the talking.

ilcram19-2

dude try to study for 16 test in a 1 year and half and not getting discourage, i would subject to take advantage and do it now and not be regreting later with not certs that are wort having

r_durant

Crunchyhippo wrote:

Btw, for those of you who use the CBT Nuggets, how much did it set you back?

I was lucky, my company paid for an entire year's subscription...I think that was about $1,300 USD. So I have access to all the videos, not only the Cisco ones...

dynamik

r_durant wrote:

I was lucky, my company paid for an entire year's subscription...I think that was about $1,300 USD. So I have access to all the videos, not only the Cisco ones...

That's the route I'm going to take from here on out. I'm probably going to have to pay out of pocket though. I want watch their C|EH series, which is $800, so $1400 doesn't seem that bad when I think about how many others I'll be able to go through in a year as well.

c0d3_w0lf

Actually, the school I'm at uses a mixture of KnowledgeNet and CBTNuggets videos, provided free of cost. The videos are awesome at explaining how things work, but I've found that the Cisco Press book is absolutely essential to getting a full grasp on the material...it mentions a lot of little details that really help fill in the gaps the videos sometimes leave. Not to mention I've found stuff in the book that wasn't even close to being mentioned in the videos :P

Then again, so far in my courses I've only used the Knowledgenet videos...I think they might use CBT for the ISCW and the ONT, so it'll be nice to get some exposure to a different set. Though my instructor says that they're pretty much on par with each other.

And as for how I can fit 8 hours of study in a day...I usually spend three to five hours at the school, and then study as much as I can at work. Sometimes on slow days I can get in four or five additional hours worth of study while I'm at work. Sometimes it's only 30 minutes. All depends on how the intarweb is feeling about me :P

Mrock4

mikej412 wrote:

Suck it up. Drive on!

But that could be the old Infantryman in me talking.

Drink water, right

.... Pass out, drink water, break an arm, drink water...long day at work, drink..........eh, drink beer. It has water in it, right?

netteaser

I was going through the exact same problem, I am 1/2 way through my CCNP and at my current position I dont get to use Cisco equipment other than a few times a month with certain customers. What I started doing is talking and helping other of my friends who are studying for their CCNA and trying to get together with people who are studying for their CCNP to keep motivated.

Teile

Well knowing you personally. With the CCNA you had good motivation. Id say after you get your BSCI. Take a break for a week before you start going for the next exam. Its easy to get burned out quick when all your doing is studying.

Paul Boz

The CCNA provides instant gratification. As a result it's much easier to study for and pass the test. "If I pass this one test I will have a CCNA."

Compare that to "I have passed one test but have three to go" and you can start to see how the burnout factor comes into play. when I was studying for the BSCI I got so down and out about it because it was leading to no instant end-result. That's largely why I opted for the composite. At least the composite let me say "I'm half done."

I think another factor is the fact that the CCNP level exams are more nitty-gritty detail oriented which makes studying for them much harder. I found the CCNA more enjoyable than the CCNP exams because the CCNA was constantly introducing me to new concepts without going into exceptional detail. When something is new to me it's fun to learn about, but once I have to start studying the deeper material I tend to lose interest.

In the end all I can do is suck it up and move on, like Mike said. I live by the mantra "Bide your time but hurry up." It's fine to go about something slowly but just make sure you get it done.