Should you be aspiring to become Cisco accredited, and you’ve not yet worked with network switches or routers, the chances are your first course should be the Cisco CCNA qualification. This will provide you with the knowledge you need to understand routers. Vast numbers of routers make up the internet, and large companies with several different sites also rely on them to allow their networks to keep in touch.
It’s important to have an understanding of the operation and function of computer networks, because computer networks are joined to routers. If not, it’s likely you’ll run into difficulties. We’d recommend you first take a course in the basics - perhaps Network+ and A+, before you start a CCNA course. You may find training companies will put such a package together for you.
Get on a tailored course that will systematically go through everything to ensure you’ve got the appropriate skills and abilities before starting your training in Cisco skills.
Have a conversation with any specialised consultant and they can normally tell you many awful tales of students who’ve been conned by dodgy salespeople. Ensure you only ever work with an industry professional who asks lots of questions to discover the most appropriate thing for you - not for their wallet! You need to find a starting-point that will suit you.
If you have a strong background, or maybe some commercial experience (maybe some existing accreditation?) then it’s more than likely your starting level will be different from someone who is just starting out.
Commencing with a basic PC skills course first may be the ideal way to get into your computer training, depending on your skill level at the moment.
Now, why might we choose commercially accredited qualifications instead of familiar academic qualifications obtained from tech’ colleges and universities?
With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs becoming a tall order for many, together with the IT sector’s increasing awareness that vendor-based training is closer to the mark commercially, we’ve seen a big surge in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA based training paths that supply key solutions to a student at a fraction of the cost and time involved.
Obviously, an appropriate portion of background information must be covered, but precise specialisation in the required areas gives a vendor educated person a distinct advantage.
What if you were an employer - and you required somebody who had very specific skills. Which is the most straightforward: Trawl through reams of different degrees and college qualifications from several applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which vocational skills have been attained, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that perfectly fit your needs, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. The interview is then more about the person and how they’ll fit in - rather than establishing whether they can do a specific task.
A valuable training package will incorporate accredited exam preparation packages.
Sometimes people can find themselves confused by going through practice questions that aren’t recognised by official sources. Sometimes, the way questions are phrased is unfamiliar and you should be prepared for this.
You should make sure you check your knowledge through quizzes and practice in simulated exam environments prior to taking the proper exam.
Students often end up having issues because of one area of their training which is often not even considered: The breakdown of the course materials before being packaged off through the post.
Students often think it makes sense (with training often lasting 2 or 3 years to achieve full certification,) that a training provider will issue the courseware in stages, as you achieve each exam pass. But:
What if you find the order prescribed by the provider doesn’t suit you. What if you find it hard to complete all the modules inside of their particular timetable?
In an ideal situation, you want everything at the start - enabling you to have them all to come back to in the future - as and when you want. This also allows you to vary the order in which you complete your exams if you find another route more intuitive.
(C) Jason Kendall. Visit LearningLolly.com for in-depth advice on Cisco CCNA and Cisco Training.
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