My 2cents

Hey All,

I have benefited from this forum so much that I would like to contribute my 2 cents to those who wish to to successfully achieve Network+. Nothing awesome or super organized just a bunch of things I want to say organized the way my limited experience allows me to.

Mind you, I write this for that newbie working hard to better his/ her life with this cert.

First things first: Should I do this cert? is it worth it? should I just skip this thing and go for better and "popular" certs?

My 2cents: Yes, Network+ is a good place to start and you would be well advised in achieving this cert. Don't do this if you want a well paying job - no, employers aren't going to be impressed with just this cert. Do it for the knowledge, do it for the foundation which Network+ gives you. Look, I know, its a bit higher on the price side but ask yourself, what is the price you are willing to pay for good networking knowledge? trust me, the answer will cover the expenses you will incur studying this cert.

What books or materials should I use?

My 2cents: Whatever you choose, let it be the only one. Wow! now that totally contradicts the acid-tested method of consulting various materials and sources to be thoroughly ready for the exam, right? yeah, maybe. However, it is my opinion that every teacher (tech book authors are one) leaves a ...how do I explain this...er...a certain DNA strain of sorts on the reader's (read: student) way of perceiving and grasping concepts. For example, I follow and enjoy only Todd Lammle's way of subnetting and none else, god forgive the soul who may try convincing me otherwise.

There are and will be differences for the better or worse among authors and books but it cannot and is not too alarmingly deviating.

Find the book that suits to your taste, ensure it is the latest and covers all the CompTIA objectives with enough practise questions and stick to it. At the least for Network+.

Any strategies:

Yep, I followed this - I read the book three times, three different ways each time respectively.

First time - Just skim, if I didn't understand anything, I would highlight it and move on.

Second time - For this time, I am familiar with the setup of the book, so I deep dive and do the detail study (taking notes, jotting down important abbreviation although the glossary section has it) and diligently completing the Q&A section.

Third time: It is video time! for this time I just watch one of the many youtube channels which offer free video training one one or all N+ topics (just search, you will get it!) and in my case Prof. Meser was the one and read the corresponding chapter as soon as I was done with the respective topic video. By the time I reached this level, I was already good at all the concepts.

Additional stuff: I dedicated five days for subnetting only.

I think thats it.