Keeping up motivation for study?

I am trying to keep myself motivated in my CCENT studies but having a bit of a time. I started studying back in first of June and now I keep finding myself wandering off track, letting myself get distracted, still stuck in subnetting chapter 4 of Lammle's book feeling like I will never get out of it. I changed over to his book after getting through chapter 5 of Odom's book but how do you guys keep yourself totally focused so you can keep on moving? I am studying for this full time all day long and I am wondering if I am becoming burnt out on studying or what? I find that I have too many distractions around the house. Again for you guys that have taken CCNA or are studying now, how do you stay on task so you feel you are progressing toward your goal? Thanks in advance for any motivation or ideas...

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SpetsRepair

You just have to do it, i have the worst certification story and trust me you don't want to take years to get certified. If you start loosing motivation relax a little but you will come back to it, we all do. What study materials are you using?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs39FWDhzDs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a84XIopJFXs

Nans

Jamesweb wrote: »

I am trying to keep myself motivated in my CCENT studies but having a bit of a time. I started studying back in first of June and now I keep finding myself wandering off track, letting myself get distracted, still stuck in subnetting chapter 4 of Lammle's book feeling like I will never get out of it.

I started in july 1st week and completed my book same book lammle's. The motivation is You should get that small Tag that earns you some respect from your employer. I wandered off track in between for 1 week but still the motivation that i should land in networking job which will lead my way into my dream field network security is what i think of daily. I some time listen to "Remember the Name :fort Minor" song which motivates me some time. SO the motivation has to come from you my friend what do you want this certificate gives you enough motivation to get over this hurdle. I am planning to take my exam soon because i need my certificate before my career fair starts thats another motivation. See i got enough myself and over motivations makes me worry some time.

"Dreams are not what you get when you sleep, Dreams are those that keep you awake"---- Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam.

I see that when i feel sleepy when I study. Hope this helps you frnd. I am always welcome for open discussion about subjects when you feel off track and discusion will give you that lost motive again to learn.

Regards

koz24

To keep from burning out, I take a 5minute break every hour that I study to stretch, make coffee, etc. If it's the weekend and I'm doing an 8+hour session, after about 4 hours, I take a 1 hour break and play video games. I've found that this helps me avoid a bit of "reader's fatigue". Even then, if I feel like I can't take any more reading I just simply switch to something else, like watching video lectures or labbing. I usually have a structured plan and I try to stick to it as much as possible. If you have many distractions at home then you can consider going somewhere else like a library or coffee shop.

Jamesweb

Thanks a lot guys for all the great words! I will remember some of these to try. I am spending up to 10 hours a day every day and weekends studying around doing a little shopping etc... studying for this but it seems like I am in a hamster wheel with the subnetting and really want to move on but feel I can't yet for some reason. As far as study material, I have the Lammle book which I am working in now, in chapter 4, can't seem to get out of it. I have gone through chapter 5 in Odom's book and switched to Lammle. I also switch around some to chris Bryant's videos and to INE's CCNA videos to get a little break in reading. I have been watching numerous videos on subnetting on Youtube but it just seems like everyone does it differently but I do like Lammle's way of subnetting. I will try taking some breaks too and come back to it more and see where that leads me. I know I want this cert badly I just think sometimes I am putting in almost too much time but with some life distractions. Thanks for all the input! This is such a great community to be able to keep each other motivated when feeling a little lost or down.

koz24

If you like Lammle's way, stick with it and ignore all the other ways for now. They're only going to confuse you. It will click after a while!

Jon_Cisco

Don't stop at chapter 4. Read a full book front to back.

I know one person that has tried on and off for 3 years to get certified. But he gets overwhelmed and stops. There is a lot of information but it all builds on itself so you will be reviewing as you are learning new topics.

Also the only thing I can imagine spending 10 hours on is labbing. How are you spending this study time? It sounds like you just need an organized plan.

Good Luck!

DeyCole

Have you analyzed your study habits, regarding what works best for you? Maybe 10 hours is too much and not realistic...in terms of how you operate, if that makes sense. As Jon_Cisco said, "it sounds like you just need an organized plan."

For instance, I've learned to take baby steps each day...it's slow, but it works for me. As time goes on, those baby steps build into a larger sum.

I can only read, comprehend, and study (notes) 10 pages a day...even if I can go further, I still stop. I'm most alert and focus better in the am, so my reading must be complete by late-afternoon. Usually takes 2-3 hrs, so I find the time at work. Anything after that, my mind wanders.

Then, sometime in the evening, I'll lab for an hour.

It's a slow method but It's enabled me to keep a steady pace, learn the material, and gradually move forward. I also have motivation notes posted to help stay on track when my mind wanders.

Jamesweb

Jon and Dey, I have been spending up to 10 hrs a day reading one of the two books I have and switching over some during this time to watching videos, Chris Bryant and INE videos to break things up a bit but as I said I keep finding myself sort of stuck in chapter 4 of Lammle's book on subnetting and think the reason is I just want to completely get that down pat before moving on in the book but maybe I just need to get it clicking good which it is starting to really click, mostly stuck on class A's. I am thinking at this point going ahead and doing the exercises at the end of that chapter then just moving on and then trying to practice subnetting some daily to keep it all fresh. Thanks again for your input and help!

Jon_Cisco

I always highly recommend subnetting.net - Subnet Questions and Answers

At first you might not understand the answers. However with repetition you will start to understand what they are asking for. Everyone does subnetting a bit different so I don't have a suggested technique.

Good Luck.

B80

I found this gem allowed me to subnet without having to use pen and paper...

http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/38772-subnetting-made-easy.html

E Double U

Achieving the CCNA was a very slow process for me. I was less concerned with how much time I spent on it because I just really wanted to learn the material. I passed the exam just in time to land a new role and the CCNA helped me land two more roles after that.

My previous employer was determined to shut down shop in the US and offshored the majority of the work which resulted in mass layoffs. Almost all of my former colleagues went back to training to get certs because they were having a hard time finding jobs. They expressed regret for not getting at least a CCNA when they were all doing CCNP level work. That motivates me to continue working on my skills.

10 hours a day of studying? I don't even study that long the day before an exam. I can see someone doing CCIE labs for that long, but if you're just doing dry reading then I doubt any of that information is soaking in considering that you get easily distracted.

volfkhat

James,
My 2 cents:

1) A Simple Solution:
It's time to move on to the next Chapter in your Book :]

For whatever reason, this subnetting has sucked the Wind out your Sails.
MOVE ON.

Period.

2) Some people can 'read' about subnetting; and that's all they need.
Others need to 'practice' subnetting everyday (like myself).
Here's what did it for me: subnetting.net - Subnet Questions and Answers

Now, I eat SubNets for breakfast. Seriously. I Absolutely OWN them.
SubNets FEAR me. They go running for their mama when they see me coming.

3) 10 hours a Day??
lol
That sounds like the problem to me. i would have burned-out after the first week.

I do 1 hour of labbing a day; and thats just in order to follow along with whatever im watching on video.
Chris Bryant is 30 hours. So... (counting on my Fingers)... that means 30 days (give or take LIFE getting in the way

If i were Reading... i'd only do 1 hour a Day. Your Brain is like a small, fragile plant.
If you water it 'a little' Everyday... then it will eventually grow into a Beautiful Blossom.

But if you try Watering it ALL AT ONCE.....

thomas_

I agree with the advice about moving forward in hour studies and continue reading further. This will help you feel like you are making forward progress and you can still practice subnetting each day. When I was learning subnetting writing it out helped me out a lot. I was going through Odom's book and practiced each question he had in his book regardong subnetting by hand. That made it stick a lot more for me.

As far as sticking with your studies, one of the big reasons I'm CCNA certified right now is because I bought a voucher from Pearson at some point. I didn't want to lose the money, so I knew I had to take the test at some point. I rescheduled it quite a bit, but ended up taking and passing the exam, albeit over a year later from when I initially purchased it. If I hadn't purchased the voucher, I don't think the motivation to study would've been as strong.

Deathmage

my motivation is I just want to get it over with. I've spent over a year on/off doing the study. The VCP came up and it stole me away from my 2nd attempt and now I'm in my 3rd attempt of study the past 4 months. My motivation is I really really want a CCNA and a VCP on my resume so I can focus on little certifications like Project/Storage +, and VCAP.

I'm honestly now in my 3rd attempt and these chapters are just a haze to me cause I'm honestly not learning anything new, just going with the whole sooner or later Cisco will throw me a bone....

but as Jon recommended above, been using subnetting.net this past week every day and subnetting has finally clicked and it's super fun now. I can safely with complete confidence say I can subnet in my head even for Class A's. It took me months for it to finally 'click'. But I do think the one thing that helped with subnetting was to not solely focus on subnetting and let my brain reset and absorb something else....

like me I'm so determined to pass the next exam next weekend I'm still awake studying NAT @ chapter 13 in Todd's book @ 2:34 am. But I'm getting sleepy so I'll probably pass out now and finish it tomorrow and IPv6 and then do Chris Bryant's Video's tomorrow and Boson practice exams tomorrow and Sunday.

Jamesweb

Guys, Thanks so much for all of your advice and direction here. Yeah I say I study for up to 10 hrs a day due to I am not working right now but instead of working this is what I am doing for the time being is studying to get my CCNA and get a better position. I do take breaks but I am just so dedicated to getting this is why I am spending the time I am. However I do have days where I feel I am burning out a little so I will cut this time down considerably. I did spend time this week with subnetting.net and I am actually not doing bad with the questions. Also when I am doing subnetting in Lammlee's book I am writing page after page of practice subnetting. I just want to make sure I get it all down. I finally moved on through the labs in chapter 4 yesterday and now into chapter 5 VLSM yay!

Deathmage

It really helps to write out the full subnetting chart from 255.255.0.0 to 255.255.255.255 with the CIDR's then do the block sizes for each octet from 128 to 1.

It really helps to have this chart to use subnetting.net

alxx

Get your certs (or at least your first few) while you are single and kid free!
Its a lot easier and you have a lot less distractions.

Read, read again take notes, do (lab it), lab it again and repeat!

routingsparks

alxx wrote: »

Get your certs (or at least your first few) while you are single and kid free!
Its a lot easier and you have a lot less distractions.

Read, read again take notes, do (lab it), lab it again and repeat!

I couldn't agree more! The most rewarding but most time consuming thing I've ever experienced was being a dad.

White Wizard

I am going to be brutally honest with you.

You already have several certs so clearly you have some sort of goal, vision, or destination you are trying to reach.

In regards to motivation, screw motivation. I hear countless people say they need motivation to work out, lose weight, stop smoking, stop this and do that. When someone says they need motivation, this is admitting they are lazy in my opinion. If you want something, go after it and make it happen. That means even on the days you do not want to study, study. You have to rely on yourself because no one else is going to push you or challenge you to achieve what you want to achieve. You say there are distractions in your house, buy a set of earplugs, close your door, set a dedicated window of time to study everyday no matter what. Making these decisions every day will lead you to where you want to go.

Jamesweb

Thanks for the support and great words guys! I really appreciate it. I have been trying to stay away from the distractions so far since end of last week and am making good forward progress now into chapter 6 in Lammle's book just getting out of VLSM/Summarization... Whew!! I am keeping motivated and dedicated to what I want for sure as I always do when I go after a cert, just have to keep to a good study plan and minimize the random distractions.

Fulcrum45

Yeah, you need to schedule the exam. That has always been the best motivator for me as well. Need a day off? Take a day off. Books getting dry? Change instructors (videos, abbreviated study guides etc.). You don't have to read the whole book cover to cover, you just have to understand the subject at hand. There is a such thing as too much studying- especially when you are not absorbing the material anymore.

ImYourOnlyDJ

Fulcrum45 wrote: »

Yeah, you need to schedule the exam. That has always been the best motivator for me as well. Need a day off? Take a day off. Books getting dry? Change instructors (videos, abbreviated study guides etc.). You don't have to read the whole book cover to cover, you just have to understand the subject at hand. There is a such thing as too much studying- especially when you are not absorbing the material anymore.

Solid advice here! I am never motivated unless I have the exam scheduled. I also like taking exam day off of work to brush up on whatever exam objectives need some fine tuning.