Given up on CCNA

Ok, I hate to be a quitter, it really bothers me, but the CCNA material is just not sticking in my head.

I think there is a couple of reasons.

1. I have little hands on Cisco experience (I understand the theory) and don't work with it in my current job.

2. I am also not likely to use it, the hands on part, in any future jobs as I am moving more into project management (Doing Prince2 certification soon)

3. I have wanted CCNA on my resume for years but kept putting it back to do other certs, MCSE upgrade, CCA, ITIL, CWNA etc.

4. I think I just want the letters and am not that interested in having the knowledge anymore (number 1 cardinal sin of certification)

So I don't know. I certainly don't have the same drive to complete certifications and learn all new skills anymore but its a bit sad to think my hands on technical days may be over as I move into project management. Maybe I just need a break from all these years of studying, learning, exploring etc. But I fear I am losing my technical knowledge and I am definitely not as sharp as I once was. I haven't done a full time support position for years, mostly project and consulting related work.

So while I am getting to a position I have been working towards for years, project management, it just seems all my hands on skills and knowledge are going to be wasted. Sure I can contribute technically in project management but not in the same capacity.

Anyone else been in this situation before, or feeling or have felt the same way?

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Comments

EdTheLad

Why dont you consider doing the CCDA, this covers the design aspect and if you are moving away from the tech area this would still be benifical in project management.I found myself in the same boat as you about a year ago.I wasnt learning anything new and i was completely bored of networking.I decided to give cisco a shot and enter the mainstream of networking as up until that point i was very specialised, now im really starting to enjoy it again.Good luck with whatever you choose...

Spoonroom

I have the same problem. Been wanting to do the CCNA for years, but just kept putting it off. I just can't get myself to start studying. Also want to do a Project Management course at out University later this year.

If I get my CCNA, how difficult is it to get the CCNP certification?

TechJunky

I had my CCNA for 2 years. By the time I was able to find a job that required it in their daily job duties, they want someone with a CCNP, CCDA etc.

The CCIE who was interviewing me told me... Everyone has a CCNA, we need someone who has had experience with it. Any cert is only as good as the experience you have with it. My CCNA expired this February and I dont have any need to renew it. Dont waste your money on a piece of paper if its not what your interested in.

I just got offered a job today installing hospitality systems... It pays like 38k a year, but the job duties are way below my experience and I would be bored to tears. I would rather accept a job that pays a little less but I am more interested in.

buulam

I wouldn't work towards it if you know you aren't going to use it.

The CCDA suggestion sounds like it could enhance your project management skills, though. I agree that may be an avenue you'll want to explore.

rossonieri#1

"I wouldn't work towards it if you know you aren't going to use it."

wise answer buulam,
agree

chinaman

Don't lose hope, in my own experience after passing ccna exam yesterday. I did finally realize that if you want really really get this certificate you need to devoted yourself give time for yourself to learn.

I am a software engineer and did try to read for 8 months, failed twice in my intro. And after all the hard days I got it and it feelssss good.
Just do your best

okie

I got my CCNA in April of this year. I have not been in a position to be able to use the routing protocols, etc. extensively, but I have setup a home network and make sure my CLI doesn't get rusty by going through sims and making routing changes with my vlan..

I would say that a CCNA is a great step in the right direction for anyone wanting to be involved in infrastructure administration long term.

I felt that the CCNA materials were built around networking theory, best practices, thorough understanding of IP subnetting, etc. This is all stuff that (regardless of whether you use cisco hardware) is invaluable. I can now calculate subnets, hosts, broadcast, network's in my head. I wouldn't have been able to do this if it weren't for my studying and prepping for this exam.

It is tough. I was told by an instructor that he felt this was more difficult than any of his CCNP or CCVP exams. He re-sits his NP exam every year to renew rather than re-sit the NA exam. The NA exam just covers such a broad area in terms of network theory and hardware. No other exam that I know of covers the variety. It is very wide, but not very deep.

Stick with it and you will be glad to have the understanding in the long run.

strauchr

Thanks for the replies and encouragement. Its still a toss up of whether I'll go for it or not. At the moment I am just enjoying the break from study as it has been a long few years (and my brain hurts

)

CCDA may be a good choice as it is more along the lines of where I am now. But then if I go for project management the cert may not mean anything, even though the knowledge would still be valuable.

Well I might just enjoy my break for now, riding on the back of my MS knowledge and certs and pick myself up at a later date to get into it. I have done a fair bit of prep for this exam so I'll just need a refresher and I should be fine.

Danman32

CCNA has been upgraded and the passing bar raised. The instructor for the class I took told us of a student that was sitting in to renew his CCNA, and was pretty much acting cocky and blowing off paying attention in the class, despite warnings by my instructor that the test had changed.
The guy failed and was in shock that he failed.

Most people fail CCNA first time now, but usually get it on second try.
After sitting in a 4 day class, the class was encouraged to take the test that friday, especially when the teaching facility provided 3 included attempts at the test. I got an 800 when passing was 849 and I had panicked on the sims and blew them off. Second attempt I got an 850 and did much better on the sims after practicing on any free or low cost sim I could get my hands on.

That CCIE should consider that recent CCNA's are much more valuable than previous CCNAs, though I agree one could get rusty on the material, especially the CLI, real quick if they don't use it in their day to day operations. Still, even if one didn't have work experience on Cisco, if he was able to get a recent CCNA in a short period of time, that shows he can learn what the job requires rather quickly.

okie

I too have heard that it is more difficult to pass than it used to be. I was in a class with 14 guys, at least three of which were there to renew what had expired. I was the only one to pass the test at the first go immediately following the course. We did have to change instructors mid stream, but I don't think it made that much of a difference. The guys who used to be CCNA's all came out of the testing center talking about how tought it was. None of them passed.

CCNA is not easy, more difficult now than ever before (so I understand) but it is still invaluable information and understanding to have as long as you are in IT for the long term.

Trailerisf

I'm sorry but if you pass the CCNA the first time, why would you need to take a course to prep for it??

Sounds fishy, I guess they lost their brain **** URL?

mikej412

Trailerisf wrote:

I'm sorry but if you pass the CCNA the first time, why would you need to take a course to prep for it??

NAT used to be a CCNP topic only... that has migrated down to the CCNA.

Back in the "old days" there was token ring and Novell, and lots of other obsolete stuff..... that has since been removed.

People with CCNAs from 5 years ago who let their CCNAs lapse are surprised by the new exam.... and should pay attention if they are lucky enough to have an employer pay for a class (or bootcamp). You ain't in Kansas anymore Toto!

strauchr wrote:

Ok, I hate to be a quitter

Okay... back on topic.... I looked, and I can't find it.... What is that "fiction" project management book titled? I've been looking for it in my book shelves, and haven't found it.... yet. When I find it -- I will post the title. It was a great book -- greenish paper jacket (smallish hardercover book). At the time I read it -- I had an "okay" project manager flying cover for me -- and it still brought tears to my eyes.... plus the Project Manager (yep, he deserves CAPs for the P & M) came into town and bought us a good dinner.

I've had good Project Managers. I've had bad Project Managers.

I've seen projects with 2 Project Managers per Techie, and a project manager per 2 project managers and a project manager per project manger......

And I was drafted into the 2nd phase of a project (global implementation and rollout of an 8 country successful pilot) where 1 Project manager kept the vast herd of idiot project managers (1 or 2 per country) from messing with the development team. I would buy that PROJECT MANAGER (worthy of superhero ALL CAPS) and all his friends and family memebers as many beers as he wants if I ran into him at a bar!!!! 2pm/3pm all I had to do as he did his rounds of 100s of contractors/employees what give a thumbs up (hey, had to edit -- was always thumbs up)... and get back to work.

Oh -- and the manager of this who got nuked.... I love her!

I've told 2 techie partners (who were good techies) that they should try project management (when they asked) -- and I now know 2 Kick-A** project managers.

Bad project suck big time..... just like the bad managers they report to. But great project managers, like (yeah, I'm saying it) great sales people (not the screw the customer kind give me big commissions kind, but the win-win kind) -- are worth their weight in GOLD. Just like GREAT Programmers and GREAT Networkers.

Project Managers from a technical background usually are a LOT better than project managers from a business/consulting background. I think of them as the techies with people skills!

If you have the Project Manager Gene, you owe it to techies everywhere to follow this path. If you have too many of the bu**sh*t type project managers locally to succeed, then we'll save your techie spot for you. The other option would be to arrange accidents for those idiots... but you're not local, so I can't help with that....

Good Project Managers are just another part of good teams.

Oh -- and if you let your team know that would like to get the CCNA before you woose out an become a Full Time Project Manager... they would probably help you. Woose? Whoose? who knows what I'm taling about and knows the proper spelling?

strauchr

mikej412 wrote:

Trailerisf wrote:

I'm sorry but if you pass the CCNA the first time, why would you need to take a course to prep for it??

NAT used to be a CCNP topic only... that has migrated down to the CCNA.

Back in the "old days" there was token ring and Novell, and lots of other obsolete stuff..... that has since been removed.

People with CCNAs from 5 years ago who let their CCNAs lapse are surprised by the new exam.... and should pay attention if they are lucky enough to have an employer pay for a class (or bootcamp). You ain't in Kansas anymore Toto!

strauchr wrote:

Ok, I hate to be a quitter

Okay... back on topic.... I looked, and I can't find it.... What is that "fiction" project management book titled? I've been looking for it in my book shelves, and haven't found it.... yet. When I find it -- I will post the title. It was a great book -- greenish paper jacket (smallish hardercover book). At the time I read it -- I had an "okay" project manager flying cover for me -- and it still brought tears to my eyes.... plus the Project Manager (yep, he deserves CAPs for the P & M) came into town and bought us a good dinner.

I've had good Project Managers. I've had bad Project Managers.

I've seen projects with 2 Project Managers per Techie, and a project manager per 2 project managers and a project manager per project manger......

And I was drafted into the 2nd phase of a project (global implementation and rollout of an 8 country successful pilot) where 1 Project manager kept the vast herd of idiot project managers (1 or 2 per country) from messing with the development team. I would buy that PROJECT MANAGER (worthy of superhero ALL CAPS) and all his friends and family memebers as many beers as he wants if I ran into him at a bar!!!! 2pm/3pm all I had to do as he did his rounds of 100s of contractors/employees what give a thumbs up (hey, had to edit -- was always thumbs up)... and get back to work.

Oh -- and the manager of this who got nuked.... I love her!

I've told 2 techie partners (who were good techies) that they should try project management (when they asked) -- and I now know 2 Kick-A** project managers.

Bad project suck big time..... just like the bad managers they report to. But great project managers, like (yeah, I'm saying it) great sales people (not the screw the customer kind give me big commissions kind, but the win-win kind) -- are worth their weight in GOLD. Just like GREAT Programmers and GREAT Networkers.

Project Managers from a technical background usually are a LOT better than project managers from a business/consulting background. I think of them as the techies with people skills!

If you have the Project Manager Gene, you owe it to techies everywhere to follow this path. If you have too many of the bu**sh*t type project managers locally to succeed, then we'll save your techie spot for you. The other option would be to arrange accidents for those idiots... but you're not local, so I can't help with that....

Good Project Managers are just another part of good teams.

Oh -- and if you let your team know that would like to get the CCNA before you woose out an become a Full Time Project Manager... they would probably help you. Woose? Whoose? who knows what I'm taling about and knows the proper spelling?

I get what your saying (I think

). I have been half project manager, half techie now for quite some time and I am enjoying the project management side of it more now. I have only managed smallish projects (been involved in big projects) so would need a bit more experience to go full time project manager. I also have trouble of leetting go of hands on technical stuff (similar I guess to a professional sportsman who is not ready to retire to become a coach or commentator just yet). To me its like sitting on the sidelines while everyone else is in the action.

But then without the same passion to learn new stuff and keep up with it all and losing patients with hands on technical it just may be that time to retire and hang up my hands-on-technical boots.

Or maybe I just need a big lon break from it all!!

EdTheLad

Strauchr, u sound like a guy in his mid 40's who's been working in IT for the last 20 plus years, but i know your mid 20's as you wrote somewhere.
Maybe its the bad weather of London getting you down, or the zapping metro journey.Take a holiday home to OZ and re-energize

strauchr

ed_the_lad wrote:

Strauchr, u sound like a guy in his mid 40's who's been working in IT for the last 20 plus years, but i know your mid 20's as you wrote somewhere.
Maybe its the bad weather of London getting you down, or the zapping metro journey.Take a holiday home to OZ and re-energize .

Your more right than you probably think.

I am actually taking a 3month holiday back home in November. Going to get myself plenty Vitamin D!

So yeah, I'll blame English weather.