CCNA on my own

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To do the actual exam you need to be very fast at fault finding and subnetting, I practised with Cisco packet tracer and my home lab, I built networks to include access lists, vlans etc, I would then keep breaking them and fixing them. However I work with Cisco kit all the time so fault finding vlan's, access lists etc is something I do quite a bit. If you are ok at the theory then that’s one less worry as you should be able to whip through those questions pretty quickly which will give you more time on the labs. The clock seems to tick down very fast in the exam.

Not many pass the ccna first time, so you will not be on your own if you don’t, but doing the exam anyway will help you on your second visit as you will understand what to expect in regards to timing's and the practical’s.

 

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Well i did the CCNA on my own and as many ppl said - it is doable
But i didnot not pass it the first time ....

Nevertheless ......

 

I have been following the ICND1 course by CBTNuggets, and he is very good at explaining the concepts and giving you confidence, but I think you also need to study the official study guide as well, this has a lot more of the detail that I think is missing from the videos, and these are the things I think will come up on the exam.

I would follow the videos, read the book alongside, use something like packet tracer to get the feel of creating a network and passing some data, and locking it down, and with the official study guide you get a CD that has a code for the boson exam engine, I am doing at least 1 test exam a day at the mo, it helps to see where you need to improve.

Mac

 

One quick disclaimer: the questions in the Cisco Press book are not Boson's questions; they are questions written by Cisco Press authors that just use the Boson engine. If you want Boson's ExSim Max questions, you have to purchase them directly from Boson.

 

Using all of the above and most people will pass this exam no problem.

Good Luck.

 

edit.

 

You not suppose to mention that on this site

BM will and leave you all

 

Ok, since it's a matter of licensing I'll edit my post.

If I need an assistance with it I can always go the Cisco learning Network and ask there.... ironic. Oh and We must also remember that buying second hand routers/switches has a similar implication due to a non-transferable license...

 

Funny, that's what I said in the original discussion on it

 

You can do the ccna in two parts, CCENT first which is the first two semesters of CCNA then the CCNA after sems 3 & 4. Thats how i got mine.

 

Becoming a manager only just after 9 months? are you kidding me?

 

I think it has been covered by a lot of the others but you need to be working in an environment which is either a stepping stone to your ideal workplace or is in the same field.

There tends to be a split between helpdesk / remote support jobs and field support jobs.

Most people start on a help desk making the tea and checking the backups. If you can find a company that is willing to give you a go then expect a very low wage and expect to have to push for training and exams.

If you self study, pay for and pass the exams yourself then you are likely to be as good as a driver who learned how to drive from a book but never touched a car.

I got A+ Net+ and Sec+ and then went to work for a large IT support company, they paid for my MCSE exams and I spent 3 hours a night for 9 months to get it. I mean genuinely had no life for 9 months. Don't underestimate how difficult the MCSE is, especially the 70-291...

I am doing the CCNA now and I have done CompTia exams, Microsoft exams, SonicWALL exams and I have 8 years real world experience and the CCNA is by far the hardest I have been learning. I am now 3 months in and have spent a huge amount of time learning it, including a 2 day course in London and buying my own lab kit.

Anyway, to sum up;
1. Don't go too far in to the cert ladder before you get an industry relevant job
2. Once you are in that job, work your butt off to learn as much as you can and get as many qualifications as you can.

Time in relevant job + relevant certs = valuable engineer.

hope that helps.

Jamie

 

good luck everyone!
i'm currently studying for ccna and i use:

-cisco press books by Odom (really good!)
-"bosscbt tv" video tutorials (really good & actually affordable)

has anyone use the todd lammle books? any good?

-md

 

I studied for the CCNA at my local college using Cisco NetAcad as I had no previous networking knowledge.
They had a lab set-up with loads of routers and switches etc and tutors there to answer questions.
I also bought the Todd Lammle CCNA Study Guide which helped cement some of the topics in my head.
Hope that helps...