CCNA, Comptia A+, Network + ... in fás eCollege

Heathen

Hello all,

i want to do the CCNA, Comptia A+, Network +
online courses through fás's eCollege..

has anyone done these courses??

few questions for ya..

1. it says course duration 26 weeks? do you have to do it over 26 weeks or can you do it at your own pace and get it done in 3 weeks and then sit the exam? cos 26 weeks per course is way too long if you consider doing 3 or 4 courses....

2. are the exams online? or do you have to go to the center to sit them?

3. which course (CCNA, Comptia A+, Network +) would be best for starting with?? is there one course that will depend on knowledge from another course? or is it ok just to do them in any order..

4. lastly... any other personal expeirence you picked up along the way that might help me on my way :D should i do a unix course too?


Thanks all

CyberGhost

1. at your own pace, the course will just be available for access for 26 weeks
2. centre
3. A+ (covers basics of everything)
4. Yes, the more you do the better.
5. and lastly, here's a free advice: Search function

DonkeyStyle \o/

3. Yeah I'd do A+ first, then Net+ ... then make sure you're very comfortable with what you learned in Net+ before going near the CCNA.

7aken

1. it says course duration 26 weeks? do you have to do it over 26 weeks or can you do it at your own pace and get it done in 3 weeks and then sit the exam? cos 26 weeks per course is way too long if you consider doing 3 or 4 courses....

you would have to study 24hours a day to get it done in 3 weeks. 26weeks duration means you have that amount of time to access the material, you could do it in less if you wanted to, not 3weeks though

2. are the exams online? or do you have to go to the center to sit them?
you have to do them in an authorised test centre. handled through a group called prometric. when you apply for the course, just ask which centre is closest to do the exam in

3. which course (CCNA, Comptia A+, Network +) would be best for starting with?? is there one course that will depend on knowledge from another course? or is it ok just to do them in any order..
above posts hit this on the head. a+ is the best to start, then net+, then ccna

4. lastly... any other personal expeirence you picked up along the way that might help me on my way :D should i do a unix course too?
you should look through this forum for other posts about this subject

the_syco

Do you know much about PC's? If you know loads, about the hardware, software, all the Windows OS's, then you can fly through the course. Otherwise, lots of study will be needed for the A+.

As for the CCNA, you'd need to know friggin loads for it, esp the commands. Also, access to a Cisco router or switch would help, as practise is not only helpful, but it'll help you undrstand the theory side better.

I've done and passed th A+. Now studying for the Network+ (test in a week or two), and then in about 6 months, os so, I'll probrly do the CCNA.

Heathen

Thanks everyone for the replys.. sorry about the searching, i only had 2 minutes last night to get online and type it out really quick, also i was only sayin 3 weeks as an example hehe im no stephen hawkin, but i do know my way round a computer, and servers etc..

Thanks again for all the info

Much appreciated

kaisersose77

Is it essential to have access to a cisco router in order to do the CCNA? Im thinking about doing it through the FAS e-college as i checked out about doing in the local I.T. but its a 2yr course and 875 euros per annum! I've just finished an I.T. degree a few months ago and might do a masters in a year/two but want to do some course/courses over the next year. If anyone can tell me how they got on doing it through the fas e-college it would be great!

christophicus

Is doing these things through the e collages the cheapest and best way to do it?

kaisersose77

dont know if that question was for me, its probably not the best place to do it and dont know if its the cheapest, but if you want to do it in your own time and are committed and you can get by without access to cisco routers etc(?) hopefully its possible to get by. Hopefully someone can imform me

kaisersose77

"Is it essential to have access to a cisco router in order to do the CCNA?"

Anybody know?

ps: i can get this off a friend
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1587130424/104-1045233-9099900?v=glance

Dont know if its any use at all though

7aken

i tried to take the a+ through the fas e-college before i got onto the course im doing now (computer and communications technician traineeship). honestly its a hell of a lot harder taking any course in that manner. there are to many distractions and you are essentially your own tutor. when you register you can request to have a private tutor with whom you can discuss course topics with. (not sure if you have to pay more)

also, the online engine is run by a company called thomson prometric. i found it to be a bit out of touch and found myself researching different topics because of discrepancies in the course material. this could be a good thing for helping you learn better, but if your on a tight timeline, the potential to overlook important information is high.

i didnt sit the exams at the end of the six months with fas e-college, as i got a place on the above course. to be honest, after doing the a+ through the above course, i realised that had i attempted to sit the exam at the end of the six months with fas e-college, i would have failed miserably. i had studied the wrong topics to much and had chosen to ignore core topics like processor speeds etc. this is my experience anyway, as i say, there were a lot of distractions, i probably could have studied harder but the lack of guidance is a bit of a drag.....

aaf

I'm strongly considering doing the A+ aswell. Tried to do it at home myself but 2 chapters a year is a little bit of a slow pace. I need to do this in a classroom environment. I already know about 75-80% of course material but want to get on the certification path. Was looking at doing it in the following institutes but I'm looking for opinions from anybody who has completed the course in these institutions. Sorry if I'm hijacking this thread but I think it's relevant. Institutes:
BCT
ITB
Dorset College

Rollo Tamasi

Sorry for butting in on this topic but could someone please differinceate between the 3 courses mentioned?

7aken

Rollo Tamasi wrote:

Sorry for butting in on this topic but could someone please differinceate between the 3 courses mentioned?

a+ = hardware and basic os

net+ = networking

ccna = cisco networking (cisco makes up most of the internet)

97i9y3941

was thinking of doing one myself,are the e courses taken seriously?,i mean would an employer take it serious that you did the course online?

Lazarus2.0

3 years later ....

The certificate is what's taken seriously , not where or how you studied for it . There's no obligation to even take a course . Sit the exam(s) and if you pass you pass . You'll get better and more up to date info by selecting more recent threads from search results though the advice in this thread is still sound .

97i9y3941

is it hard?,i mean im not a complete novice with comps,i know how to fix most of them,and know what ram and cpu and all that stuff is

Lazarus2.0

If you're talking about A+ then no , it's not hard if you have a fair amount of hands-on experience , which you say you have . A working knowledge of how to open a tower and replace components wont be enough on it's own though it's a very good start .

Rather than give you half the picture here I'll refer you to the IT Certification forum where you'll get a better idea of the courses available and the best path for you to follow . Good luck !

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=882

daftdave

there is a lot in the course , there is a good bit of study and revision involved , if you decide to take it on, pm me , i have a lot of digital study data that might assist you , so pm me if you need it.

97i9y3941

unfortantly im one of them people that had to sign on the dole,just have wait to be approved now so i can pay for the course,although i read some unemployed ppl can be excempt from the fee?

dingding

Hi Fred,

AFAIK ECollege courses are free if you are unemployed. If you contact the office at 01 2043732 or 01 2043752 and they should be able to advise. Further contact details below.

http://www.ecollege.ie/site/html/aboutus.htm

If you are unemployed, you are Group C and it is Free. See link below.

http://www.ecollege.ie/site/html/client_groups.htm

Enjoy the course and I hope it helps you get a job.

aidan_walsh

Not a lot of point in moving a thread this old, so I'll just point you guys to the IT Certification forum.