Where do I start?

I work for a Cisco Partner (telecoms company) and want to approach them with studying for a CCENT. I have not much networking experience and know the fundermentals of VoiP; so I will really be starting from scratch. I am PC literate and spend a lot of time of PC's etc.

I've read on here I really need to do a Net+ cert first, is that right? Is this designed for beginners?

Any other advice on which cert to start with will be good, thanks.

Many thanks,
K

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I3astards

ajs1976

CCENT covers a lot of the same topics as Net+. If you have an understanding of basic networking, you can skip the Net+. taking the Net+ first will make the CCENT easier.

Personally, I think it would be good to have both. You will get a view of basic network from both a vendor-neutral and vendor-specific prospective.

I3astards

I forgot to add, I want a cert which will lead onto other higher certs OR employment.

ibcritn

I3astards wrote: »

I forgot to add, I want a cert which will lead onto other higher certs OR employment.

If you plan to do some Cisco certs like CCENT or CCNA just skip Net+ and jump right into Cisco.

CCENT is a lot harder then Net+ if you ask me....but you can certainly obtain the certification if you study hard.

I recommend the CBT nuggets for CCENT/CCNA training.

Edit: I say skip Network+ as nobody that I interviewed with for Entry - Mid level cared about Network+....but the second I got CCENT I got calls quickly for a lot of entry level networking roles.

I3astards

Thanks mate, that is really helpful! How long did it take for you to do CCENT?? What sort of jobs / salary would you expect with this?? cheers

I3astards

Right, i see. Roughly, how long does Net+ take to do?? by the wau,cheers.

ibcritn

I3astards wrote: »

Thanks mate, that is really helpful! How long did it take for you to do CCENT?? What sort of jobs / salary would you expect with this?? cheers

Jobs you can expect a lot of Network Operations Tech. (Entry-Level) roles. The salary depends on the area, but you could expect to get around 35-40k in my area (35-40k is base entry level for most all jobs here).

For me CCENT took 5-6weeks(w/full time work/college), but I had A+, Network+, Security+, and a Microsoft cert w/many years help desk/sys admin roles (server stuff not directly networking experience).

It's hard cert for someone who doesn't have much background knowledge that's for sure.

Keep in mind people pay for experience not really just certs....so you need to have both to demand higher then entry-level salary.

I3astards

OK, I hear what you're saying about experience. Do you see just initally a Network+ qual getting me anywhere??? Is it reconised much by employers? i would obviously look to improve with better certs.

Hypntick

Well if you're wanting to get into networking a Net+ and Sec+ can't hurt you at all. Security is one of the bigger fields out there and having a bit of security knowledge with your networking is always good. While I agree going for CCENT can help you out considerably, if you don't have a solid background in networking you may find it a little rough.

I do not have it myself (have the books though

) but a couple of friends of mine do. One of them also has the Comptia trifecta as as well the 70-680 Win 7 exam. He said that ccent was way way harder than any of the other tests so take that as you will. Both of us worked in a network help desk bouncing WAPs and ports, ensuring VLANs were set up correctly, MAC filters etc. so we had a bit of experience with it ahead of time.

For CCENT the Cisco press book for it by Wendell Odom is pretty solid. I've read through a few chapters and his writing style isn't snooze worthy. Good luck with it!

Hypntick

See my response in your other thread

. But Net+ depending on your background can take as little as 2 weeks to work through. But as I said I have prior network help desk experience.

edit: apparently this was merged, I am not a psycho I swear.

ajs1976

Took me a couple of days of serious study, but that is with a couple of years of experience and some other certs.