CCNA cert

[Marinski]

I'm signed up for the intro CCNA class at a community college this semester. It hasn't started yet and i'm contemplating dropping it and just doing the self study thing. Its 4 classes, 1 each semester and each class costs about $350+books and whatever. I just got an A+ cert a few months back that i self studied for and i did alright with that. I feel like i'm able to learn and concentrate better just reading on my own, opposed to listening to a teacher lecture. So i'm wondering if it is really worth it for me to take all the classes or if i should just buy some books and equipment and self study? Do the classes help that much or will i just be wasting time and money?

 

[jlazzaro]

its a question you have to ask yourself...

are you a motivated, self-started who would rather push himself to work harder than pay $1000+ for someone to spoon feed him the information? are you a self-teacher who enjoys the intracicies of networking and plan on going further in your Cisco studies?

Yes: Buy a CCNA book + supporting material and build yourself a mini-lab or get an emulator to pratice IOS on.

No: Take the CC class.

also, going by your school schedule it would take at least 2 years to complete the cirriculum. everyone studies different, but FWIW it took me a couple months with 40 hour work weeks to finish my studies and pass the exam.

 

[spyordie007]

Do you have any experience working on Cisco routers and switches? Do you have access to routers/switches you could play with?

If no on both counts it might be nice to take at least one of the classes to just to have gear to mess with. Or you could always find something cheap on ebay to play with...

I just did the self-study stuff, contemplating whether I want to do the same for CCNP

 

[jlazzaro]

Originally posted by: spyordie007
contemplating whether I want to do the same for CCNP

in the same boat...can't justify the $6000 for a bootcamp. i always saw them as a week long cram session before the test, not a training outlet.

currently going through the CBT Nuggets video series. very well presented and informative, about half way through them now.

thinking about skipping the 4 CCNP exams and going for the big dog, but i dunno yet ;x

 

[skadoo323]

I took ccna classes about 5-6 yrs ago when my high school offered the classes and honestly the class training wasn't the best. I mean I can even read a book on my own. The only part that I liked was the lab part of the class where we actually worked with various Cisco equipment. I do not have many certifications, but so far for me I have not been able to justify taking a class again, especially if you already have access to any hands on equipment that can help you better understand the concepts.

 

[Marinski]

I think i'll take the intro class and see how it goes. I have zero experience with cisco equipment so it would probably be better if i worked on it before buying my own equipment. When you guys took the class was it more hands on and working with the computers? I don't wanna be sitting there for hours listening to the teacher drone on about RJ-45.

 

[jlazzaro]

dont expect to touch / configure any equipment in the first class. maybe youll learn to setup a serial port and console in, but thats about it.

gotta learn the basics first; osi model, addressing schemes, theory and concepts, etc. unfortunately theres A LOT of it.

id expect it to closely follow the CCNA networking academy curriculum: http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/netacad/course_catalog/CCNA.html

Please Do Not Throw Sausage Pizza Away

 

[Superartus]

Sometimes they offer CCNA classes at local colleges with actual equipment and hands on testing. The teaching might not be the great but for 20 dollars a unit....it isn't bad. Buy the book, get the class and you should be in pretty decent shape. One thing i would recommend is to get the Video Training guides for CCNA, they're actually pretty good for learning as it's visual, clear, taught by a pro, and easy to understand as well as pretty cheap.

 

[James Bond]

I would recommend taking a class, or at least trying it out for one semester.
The A+ does not come close to comparing to the CCNA in terms of difficulty.

 

[xyyz]

Originally posted by: jlazzaro
its a question you have to ask yourself...

are you a motivated, self-started who would rather push himself to work harder than pay $1000+ for someone to spoon feed him the information? are you a self-teacher who enjoys the intracicies of networking and plan on going further in your Cisco studies?

"spoon fed"? that's so wrong. i hardly consider a lecture spoon feeding. you still need to do a lot of reading on your own. it's a perfectly acceptable way to prep for your CCNA. who says attending class indicates one isn't particularly interested in "going further" in their Cisco studies.

some people get more out of attending class. some get more out of working alone. different learning methods for different people. one isn't better than the other, and no method should be looked down upon.

i'll admit it does take a bit longer than usual, but often working in groups helps you brainstorm, and explaining things to someone else is a sure way to develop a firm understanding of concepts. having others you work closely with is another way to keep the motivation alive.

also, if this is a cisco network academy, it's going to be much cheaper to use their equipment than shell out the large sum on some 2621's 2950's/4000/4500's.

typically the instructors don't mind if you come in and work ahead on your own. you simply need to reserve some lab time.

 

[spyordie007]

also, if this is a cisco network academy, it's going to be much cheaper to use their equipment than shell out the large sum on some 2621's 2950's/4000/4500's.

Not only that but thought I would point out that a lot of employers will pay for something like network academy, but they are less likely to buy you hardware...

 

[heedoyiu]

A+ is cakewalk could do it in my sleep, ccna is hell
If you are already paid for the course and you have never touched
anything with cisco i would suggust taking the courses, plus
you might meet people that have already been through cisco
how can give you some help

 

[heedoyiu]

 

[m1ldslide1]

I self-studied for my CCNA, and it took me about 6-8 months IIRC. Granted I knew nothing about networking prior to that.

I took a week-long class for one of my CCNP exams, but I thought it wasn't very helpful and ended up self-studying over several months and passing the exam that way.

I've had way more luck self-studying, personally. I've never taken a semester-long networking class certainly, but I'm the type that really needs to study at my own pace.

I will agree with others saying that you need to get your IOS practice somewhere. I'm fortunate enough to have that at work, but if you don't have a networking job then you should try to purchase an old router from somebody (I bought a 2501 for practice and spent $75) or look into online labs. I think that some of them are supposed to be pretty decent.

 

[xyyz]

i suggest you also pick up cisco's CCNA flashcards. when i took my CCNA, about 4 questions were the same as what i encountered on the flashcards.

 

[cmetz]

Whether to take the class depends on your objective.

I know a lot of people who got the sample tests (with answers) that are sold to the public, and memorized them. Something like 90% of the test is going to be questions exactly as in the past sample tests, same answer letters and everything. So these people didn't learn a single thing, and they got their CCNA and CCNP. In general, the folks who just memorized did much better than those who tried to learn the material and take the test "for real."

So if your goal is just to get the cert, memorize.

If your goal is to actually learn something, you should take some sort of course that involves a lot of lab time. Unfortunately, most "CCNA prep" courses really just teach you how to take the test, or what's on the test, and don't get into a good understanding. So looking for a course with real lab time that is not specifically geared towards a cert would be a good idea. If you're wired this way, you could instead buy some used Cisco routers to build a small home lab and some how-to books, and experiment and do exercises yourself. Some people require structure, others learn better by exploring. Do what's best for you.

If you want to actually do networking, there will probably come a point where you will have to understand things. You only learn this hands-on.

This is why I have such a dim view of certs. Having the cert doesn't mean that you understand anything, and from what I've seen the approach of trying to learn and understand actually leads to lower test scores than just gaming the system (the way it appears to be intentionally designed to be gamed).

 

[Marinski]

My goal is to learn the material and get the cert, whether its in a classroom or at home. If there is no lab time in the classroom then its not worth it to me. I would think thats what the classroom is for, to actually work on the equipment. I can sit at home, read and take notes. I don't need to goto a class room for that. I usually find it easier to learn things by reading on my own opposed to having somebody else explain it to me. Heres the book we are using.

 

[jlazzaro]

you could always contact your instructor for a little info about how the class will be ran.

like i said dont expect much lab time with the first class. i forsee lots of lectures about the OSI model, addressing, cabling, etc. From the sounds of it something your not looking for...

you could always study on your own and go take the 3rd or 4th semester of the academy, should be a lot more hardware related.

if you do choose to self study, for the love of god DONT USE THAT BOOK. I'd recommend the Sybex CCNA book by Todd Lammle.

 

[m1ldslide1]

I also used a Lammle book for my CCNA and thought it was really good. I've used all Cisco Press for the 3 CCNP exams that I've passed so far, and they're very impersonal and filled with all kinds of typos and even misinformation (like botched command syntax). It's more of a challenge to find the correct information than it is to learn it sometimes with Cisco Press.

 

[jlazzaro]

I've noticed that too...I would think especially with a technical book it would be proof read multiple times, guess not ;x

 

[xyyz]

the netacad stuff has improved quite a bit. it's unfortunate they hired a proof-reader so late in the game. their earlier stuff was rife with mistakes.

personally, i don't think they cisco books are written well. they can say things in a much more simple, and effective manner vs. throwing excess technical verbiage at you.

 

[MrEgo]

I really enjoy my Cisco class. Our local community college where I live divides the cirrculum into 4 sections (I'm pretty sure most places will), and I'm on section 3 right now. Section 1 mostly preaches the physics and principles about how networking works. Section 2, you get to play with the routers a little bit, but not all the time. Section 3 and 4, you're basically on the routers every single day.

This is my 2nd time through sections 3 and 4. I got involved with a really addicting MMORPG the first time through, and didn't put in the effort necessary to really get a good concept of working with Cisco routers.

My advice is to do the labs. Don't ever slack off in the classes. You get out what you put in, that's for sure. This time around, I'm doing all my labs, keeping up with the reading, and it's amazing how much more I understand the material. I'm feeling very confident that I'll be able to pass my exam shortly after the class ends. I'll probably get ahold of testking or something like that just to make totally sure I pass.

 

[Marinski]

I think its the same thing here. The program is 4 classes. You take one each semester. I don't think they let you take 2 at a time because you have to get better than 70% in the class to move on to the next one.

 

[EtherealDragon]

I took the CCNA Netacademy classes at my local community college, and passed the exam's last December. Prior to the classes, I got the cisco press books, and 'tried' to self-study, took the test and didn't do to well. So, since I had only a few classes left to get my associates degree, and the Cisco would complete most of them, and the fact that work would pay for them, I took the classes, and then passed the tests. IMO, it is much easier to learn how something is supposed to be set up if I can hold it in my hand, and work with the hardware directly, rather than using the simulators.

Also, you will want to watch out on the exams. if you are in the cisco netacadmy, then your class exams on the chaptors will be VERY similar to the cert exam. Personally, I am not a good test taker. I rush through the questions, and read the answers until I find the 'correct' answer, the I go to the next question. this is NOT the way that you want to take the CCNA cert exams. You will want to carefully read through the questions, and read EVERY ANSWER, even if you have found the correct answer. They will MANY times try to fool you by putting a seemingly possible answer towards the top of the answer bank so that you read it, think its correct, and go onto the next question.

Good luck with your class & Cert!!!

 

[Marinski]

Alright i just got back from my first day of class and we covered alot of material. OSI model, WANS, LANS, topographies, etc. All types of stuff. I guess the book is optional. All the material that we are using is on the cisco website. The teacher seems pretty good. He's an old school guy and sounds like he knows his stuff. I know he frequents the site, I saw the Anandtech bookmark on his laptop. The lecture was long and it did get boring at times but it wasn't that bad, i've experienced worse. Overall, I think i'll enjoy the class.