Never was I suggesting brain dumps as an answer, but some of this stuff is a bit nutty you are doing.
The idea is you get your CCNA and then learn it. CCNA is just the pathway to CCNP...you can lab and lab and lab all you want, but nothing teaches you really what's up like the real world.
You are approaching her getting her CCNA as if she was doing the CCIE.
A lot of subnetting and the like is easier with just learning the patterns rather than studying all the binary math involved (which I had college level course work in and can do)...
You are going to burn her out, its got to be her passion; not your's and if it is she should be able to do all this legwork on her own.
Very true.
I think I may not be explaining the facts correctly.
It is her in the other room studying and taking notes, hour after hour. I am mostly completely removed doing my work until she has a question.
Every once in a while we stop to handle the affairs of life and take care of our business outside of the home.
She's a grandmother and has a very active life taking care of the grandkids and her younger brother (12) who spends a considerable amount of time with us.
It's not all work.
This is her goal. I am observing and offering assistance where needed or requested.
I am supplying the materials - I own a very significant investment in learning materials, equipment, and facilities.
I think she noticed this and has decided to take advantage of it completely.
As far as training a CCNA candidate like a CCIE... that's more true than false.
We have a CCIE Bootcamp date approaching.
Before that we have been offered some 3 months of free state of the art data center training as well. So hopefully she's up to being able to follow along with me when that opportunity approaches. It's all self-paced.
I am guilty of trying to forge a mini-me.
No doubt about that one.
However, it is what she wants and it is what she is doing - can't do it for her.
She just stepped in and I let her read your comments and my reply.
Her answer: "That's true"
I know this is not the way most people will learn this stuff.
You mention no experience like the real world.
I'm as real-world as you can get.
In another forum with a somewhat large audience, we are laying out the framework to help an undetermined number of people the opportunity to do just that - work a real world network, get real world experience remotely, and apply the principles of what they have learned on a "functional enterprise network".
Guess who has to perform the work? She does.
She's the "smart hands". It's her capstone project for what she is learning.
She's going to have to have an impressive display of real-world skills to perform the tasks. No doubt about it.
Think of this:
1. How many people have configured a Frame Switch, ATM Switch, or PSTN network to work as an ISDN switch?
- She will be asked to do this.
2. How many people will have taken the above framework and then upgraded it to an MPLS network and perhaps configure a Metro network to make things more real world?
3. AT&T offers a framework for a customer's MPLS network. I have upgraded or either migrated to this framework in the real world several times - including QoS and Multicast capabilities. So guess what she will have the opportunity to attempt? Yep. Nothing like real world.
4. She needs to know and feel what it is like to troubleshoot VPNs and work remotely to do so for other network components too. Got it covered I actually worked on and helped design in upgrades to a nice VPN system that we used to support thousands of consultants. It is nice to be an architect.
I'll expect her to not only build out the framework for this VPN network but to also use the documentation tools that are required to maintain and manage such a project without pulling her hair out.
Can't get much more real world than this.
5. I once managed and upgraded a largish 2000+ device network - a huge switching infrastructure. So I expect her to help design that architecture, complete with a data center, dmz, and business partner zone, not to mention a Frame Relay WAN. She can do it.
6. Same story for an ATM WAN that serviced over 50 sites. I'd expect her to do the same thing for this one.
7. A data center with dmz can be complex and even more so when several dozen 10-30,000 user networks are also included in the mix. I expect her to be able to perform the task at some point.
8. The list goes on and on...
The idea is that she is going to be able to step on my shoulders and perform the work I've done over a decade in under 3 years or so - possibly less.
I'm sure the plan will change along the way but I'm not going to give up on her.
After all, why should an engineer to be like her be denied the opportunities for work doing some or all of the above if she can actually perform the work spoken of?
None.
Some may argue the point, but are those same people doing this kind of work on a daily basis? Some may be and some may not be.
I know CCIE certified professionals who are not.
She's not a CCIE or even a CCENT yet, but I'm not going to let her education level or credentials interfere with her learning how to plan, design, implement, and maintain a modern enterprise network.
She'll make some mistakes - hopefully more than less - but who has not?
I know I expect a lot but I see potential and I am investing my own time and energy into it and can afford to do so. If I can't, won't, or change my mind that's another matter. If she decides at some point this is too much, the same is true. She'll stop.
I can say this, no one can tell this lady what to do. She's grown, she's mature, and she makes up her own mind.
Truly, can anyone possibly imagine "making" a person persevere this kind of training who does not want to perform the work she's doing?
It's boring, tedious, time-consuming, and just generally not what the average person might do for entertainment. Agreed?
Nope, this is her dog and pony show. I'm just a casual observer.
I am sponsoring the event.
Comblues