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CCNA course

  • 04-05-2006 8:55pm
    #1
    KTRIC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,463 ✭✭✭


    I'm on a small break from IT at the moment and I want to go back to it next year with a qualification. I've been thinking about the CCNA exams.

    I was just wondering if anyone has any expierience with them and where is the best place to start.

    Thanks
    K


Comments

  • #2
    Static M.e.
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,093 ✭✭✭Static M.e.


    First decide what you would like to get back into exactly.

    The CCNA is a good exam to have but its a networking exam

    if this is your first IT cert then I wouldn't go for it.

    Im not sure if you want information about the best place to start in IT Certs or the best place to start in regards to the Cisco Cert so Ill try and mention both to some degree.

    First off The CCNA.
    Great exam covers alot in regards to networking theory. Tough enough exam though as regards others. If I was to sit it again, I would go for the two part exam ICND and INTRO take it each one by itself.
    For study guides / books etc I recommend the CISCO press books, get yourself some sim software boson's on the one on the cisco press books is meant to be quite good. Another good site is the celticrover. Make sure you have your sim's perfect.

    As I mentioned before though if this your first IT cert then I wouldnt go for it. Start getting your MCP's first -> MCSA -> MCSE. If you have your MCSE its very easy for a recruitment agency to "sell" you to clients alot more than If you have the CCNA alone.

    Dont get me wrong though as I mentioned the CCNA is a great exam, it will teach you alot. Perhaps if you mentioned if you have done other exams or what qualifications you do have I can give you a better answer. Or what you would like to get into when you get back into IT.

    Also I hearing this but if you search this forum, I know a bunch of people were looking to do the ccna here recently you might be able to PM them and see what they are using, how they are getting on, what they recomment etc some should be taking the exam about now.

    GL


  • #3
    KTRIC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,463 ✭✭✭KTRIC


    Thanks for that,

    have you done any MCSA exams yourself. Where is the best place to study for them ?


  • #4
    Static M.e.
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,093 ✭✭✭Static M.e.


    Yeah I have an MCSE in 2000 going for the 2003 with Security at the moment.

    What I did was a windows 2000 bootcamp I was unemployed at the time so I had to pay for it myself cost me 7000 (pounds) plus you had of course 150 for every exam you took.... Im still paying the loan off.

    You can go that route of course but I wouldn't bother if you dont have the experiance you will be screwed anyway.

    If I were you I would have a hard look at the different exam paths you can take with the MCSE security / messaging etc.

    If you plan ahead now you can minimise the amount of exams you have to do the get an mcse with the +Security / Messaging which will help you later on.

    You should really just do the XP and 2003 server MCP's then find a company to hire you full time. The company will then send you to get your MCSE / CCNA etc and pay for it for you.

    The best place to study for them.. not sure really. Depends where you are living etc. I studied in Galway in a place called Passex which was excellent. But you will find alot of places around the country do it. What you have to watch out for is cost. Its costs alot to do any of the course's. Of course you can self study which once you get into the swing of it, isnt that hard. You just have to motivate yourself.

    Personnally I just study at home these days, you get a much better understanding of the material coupled with the amount of free test software available you can cover pretty much every aspect. If you run into trouble you can ask questions here or pm me if you like


  • #5
    CrazySka
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 618 ✭✭✭CrazySka


    Am doing ccna at the moment coupled with two years of fetac awards. the fetacs arent worth much but im hoping that with the ccna they'll be a gateway into a job where i can at least continue some microsoft certs at night.

    I find the ccna really good, can be a bit vague in some of its explanations (prob due to the fact that theres a few higher level, ccnp etc) but very interesting although a little dry at times. Dundrum fetac do all four semester and it essentials as a 1 year fulltime course and i think that crumlin do a nighttime course in ccna (might just be a prep course though).
    i know some people with degrees who did it and it seemed to hike their salaries up quite a bit.


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