Opinions wanted for cisco networking academy training

Hello all,
I brand new to IT and are considering entering on this path. 1st , get a+ and find any entry level job I can to start gaining experience. 2nd, attend this Cisco Networking Academy program and attain the CCNA cert. , upgrade job and decide which cert. to pursue next. I would appreciate any feedback on this plan that you all may have. Here is the link to the program if anyone is interested.

Thanks.

www.macomb.edu/Academics/CareerTechEd/Cisco/default.asp

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Comments

oo_snoopy

You'll want a degree that says "Bachelor" or something. The CCNA class is something extra nice you could do for a leg up as well.

Yes this requires times and effort, but hey, it's worth it.

empc4000xl

it all depends on the school you take it at. Some places are better than others. I would ask or e-mail the teacher and ask what is there experience outside of teaching and what kind of labs do they have setup. I would even go as far as to sit in on one of the classes so you get a strong idea of the setup. There are a few academies in this area and people tend to go to the real expensive one for a reason over the cheaper ones.

Cherper

I will agree that the quality of the instructor is the biggest factor at the Cisco Academies. You might want to check if a local Community College is an academy. That will keep the cost down.

Crunchyhippo

You can really accelerate your own independent study with the Cisco Networking Academy. But don't let it replace your own study, because the Academy alone won't get you the knowledge you need to pass the CCNA test. I learned this the hard way.

As far as employment, I would get the A+, then use it to get some kind of computer repair job. Get some experience in that, then go after the CCNA. With the computer repair experience and a CCNA cert, I think you'd stand a decent chance of getting something entry level, networking-related. I think it would be a mistake, though, to go after the CCNA first - unless you just want to sit on it while you complete some kind of A+-related experience. You could always vounteer somewhere for a networking company, though.

Best wishes.

Daniel333

Nothing wrong with A+ as a start. It's get you a Geek Squad/Help Desk job with some good interviewing skills on your part.

newguygary

Thanks for all the feedback. I will check up on the instructor's exp. it is at the local community college and the website says the instructors are cisco certified but I will follow up further. I ultimately want to go into networking. I will first get my a+ so that I can start working right away while I work on getting my CCNA.

empc4000xl

before you jump on the A+ check out your local market. I know in my cisco class people were getting hired before they even finished working on there CCNA. If there is a lot of networking stuff going on in your area I would go stright to the CCNA.

Crunchyhippo

empc4000xl wrote:

I know in my cisco class people were getting hired before they even finished working on there CCNA. If there is a lot of networking stuff going on in your area I would go stright to the CCNA.

What city are you in?! Employers hiring people in networking without even a CCNA (and no experience)? Your city must have had a significant plague among networkers for employers to be so desperate. Or so foolish.

pooker

Hey buddy i am in the ccna 4 class right now, its very helpful i learned everything in that class to pass my certifications i have so far. but they are right you will learn a ton in those classes but they wont be enough, i am taking that class and i am currently reading the cisco exam library.

mikej412

I took the CCNA exam a few days after finishing the old CCNA Academy courses and I found it was enough to pass -- but I averaged 99% in all 4 courses.

And I got my first IT job (a gazillion years ago) when one of my Professors asked if I would be interested in a job. Good Instructors usually have industry contacts and can get their best students into jobs long before graduation.

A couple places I've worked had a "standing order" with some Community College Instructors for "superstars" -- and never bothered with listing jobs with the Placement Office.