Just wanted to share my experience going from "zero to CCNA"
So, I'm actually a college dropout. That by itself doesn't mean anything. More worrying is that I didn't really know what I wanted to do. So I thought about it. Since I've been around computers practically my whole life, I asked some of my classmates for advice and the letters "CCNA" came into the equation. At first I just wanted to continue something long enough, be responsible enough, to learn something and be able to work in that industry; be economically independent. But after studying for a while and passing ICND1, I figured this is what I want to do as a career.
So.. I have no prior experience with networking, didn't know the difference between a hub and a switch, but here's what I used:
ICND1:
- CBT Nuggets by Jeremy Ciora
- Train Signal by Chris Bryant
- CCENT for Dummies
- CCENT ExamCram
Lab1: 2611, 2514, 2950
ICND2:
- CBT Nuggets by Jeremy Ciora
- Train Signal by Chris Bryant
- INE by Brian McGahan (free online streaming)
- Cisco Press ICND2 by Wendell Odom
- Cisco Press CCNA Portable Command Guide by Scott Empson
- CCNA by Todd Lammle
- CCNA for Dummies
Lab2: 1721, 2611, 2514, three 2950
since i had never taken an exam before, and life was in the way, it took me 4 months before attempting icnd1. i spent another 1.5 month and a week off work right before the icnd2 exam.
Lammle vs Odom vs others
This is just my own opinion. But I don't like Lammle's writing style. He writes in a conversational style. Some people may find that to be more interesting, more appealing, or just less boring. Not for me. I prefer books to be written textbook manner. HOWEVER, i also think that, as you get deeper and deeper into any given topic/domain, it's more and more important/helpful to cross reference. There were many topics that I couldn't completely grasp from reading one book, but that another book just so happen to explain it in a way that I understood. That helped a lot as well.
Videos
I like books written textbook style, right? But, I REALLY REALLY enjoy Jeremy Ciora's conversational presentation of the various topics covered in the CCENT/CCNA curriculum. He's basically your hyperactive friend introducing you to all the different technologies in networking and trying to get you excited about it too! I really enjoyed Chris Bryant's videos as well. Good information and probably more in-depth too. HOWEVER, please please increase playback speed for Bryant's videos. About 1.5x is good enough to keep me focused. Otherwise, I sleep... McGahan's video is actually not a tutorial/cbt video. It's a recording of live class that was held in front of present students. That's why it definitely feels different. However, good stuff too.
So, conclusion.
It's definitely possible to go from Zero to CCNA. You just have to study and lab and LIKE networking. It took me 6 months to get here, but you can probably go way faster than me. I'm just saying, it's ok to go as slow or as fast as life allows. However, generally, when you set the date for your EXAM, your studying skills will suddenly become much more efficient
Good luck to anyone who is in a similar position as I was. More importantly, Have Fun~!!
Cheers,
Mike
