CISCO Certified Network Associate Course @ CIT

Rollo Tamasi

I have recently completed a degre in IT and i'm considering doing this too
More info can be found here
Is it worth my while doing the above course to move into a network based job or would my degree be good enough on it's own? It would handy if i could get a job and seek some financial support to pay for the course of course, it's 2000 grand! I presume you can pay per semister too?
What's the money like for a CCNP?

Thoughts?
I know there are a few threads on this already over the past few months, just want to feedback on my situation.

ack

I'm doing the CCNA myself over two years. It's the core of a FETAC level 6 course comprised of other subjects including, but not exclusive to, Routing Technology and Programming.

I will be going on for a degree in computer science after I complete this course in 2007. I'd be doing what you're suggesting in the opposite order. For me the big thing is the degree but I'm sure I will benefit from my CCNA. Regarding how much of a benefit the certificate will be when applying for employment or negotiating my salary you would have to ask someone working in the industry.

In regards to supporting yourself while you're studying I receive a not-so-humble payment from the goverment and my rent is paid for being in fulltime education. I know people who work fulltime in IT and are only earning a fraction more than what I 'earn'. The really great thing is that they're going to continue paying me over the next 3 months while i'm off for the summer holidays

Inquire about grants, ask about VTOS, what harm can it do.

^whitey^

I'm in the third year of my Degree on work experience and am hoping to take the exam in the next few weeks its definatly worth doing if you want to move into networking. You can now also take the exam in CIT itself. http://cisco.cit.ie

cubix

Ack is this the course you are doing
http://www.colaistedhulaigh.ie/full_tech_comp_net_sys.htm if so any idea what these letters at the top of the page mean "CCNMX". I see it says on the page it is a "fetac award" but will you be Cisco certified at the end of it?. Would like to get trained so I could change jobs but need to keep working(nights) as I am the sole bread winner in the house. So just wondering if anyone knows how these or any other ones work ie: is it possible to do these part time but say during the day

Thanks

Rollo Tamasi

the CCNA is not running untill September is there anywhere where i can get all nerded up on Cisco in Cork before then?

Thumper Long

if you already have a degree in IT you shouldn't really need to do the full CCNA course as its fairly basic once you have the books and there are loads of unofficial online resources available too. I would recommend doing the CCNA yourself in far less than the 2 years (4 semesters it would take in an IT). then go for the CCNP. when i did the CCNA 3 years ago while studying for my degree it was all the biz to have if looking for a job, but after doing a masters and going out into the work place the CCNP is the new must have as the CCNA is 10 a penny, also maybe have a look at some juniper certs and some firewall / security certs as they are not as hard to get as CCNP. but from my own experience it is all about experience, the CCNA CCNP etc are only worth something once you have the industrial experience to back them up. Maybe depending on what field you want to go into have a look at some of the MCSE / MCSA because once you pass one exam you are MCP certified, it all helps on the CV.

ack

cubix wrote:

Ack is this the course you are doing
http://www.colaistedhulaigh.ie/full_tech_comp_net_sys.htm if so any idea what these letters at the top of the page mean "CCNMX".

No that's not the course I'm doing and I'm afraid the page describing my course seems to have been taken down. The college's entire website has run into disrepair. Fortunately I happened to have a copy of it saved on my box and I have uploaded it for your viewing pleasure here. Note: The course is now a FETAC level 6 not 3 since FETAC did a shake up of their awards for whatever reason. I did apply to Coláiste Dhúlaigh for a very similar course to the one you have mentioned last year as a precaution in case I didn't get into my college. CCNMX is just the colleges/FETAC's code for the course.

I see it says on the page it is a "fetac award" but will you be Cisco certified at the end of it?

I don't see anything on the page of the Coláiste Dhúlaigh course that indicates it is even remotely connected with Cisco. The CCNA doesn't seem to be part of the curriculum, what made you think it was?

ack

Rollo Tamasi wrote:

the CCNA is not running until September is there anywhere where i can get all nerded up on Cisco in Cork before then?

Although there is a book for CCNA I never used it and the majority of our class studied the on-line curriculum which is in flash. We also had a chance to download it so that we could study from it without having to be on-line. I could certainly let you have the curriculum for semester 1 and 2 which should give you a noteworthy advantage come September.

cubix

ack wrote:

I'm doing the CCNA myself over two years. It's the core of a FETAC level 6 course comprised of other subjects including, but not exclusive to, Routing Technology and Programming.

ITs when you mentioned Fetac.

ack

FETAC

dingding

The fetac course covers the cisci curriculum. I imagine you would have to take the cisco ccna exam seperatly to get the cisco quallification.