Comments on: Providing career guidance http://ccnprecertification.com/2006/02/23/providing-career-guidance/ Study notes for the Cisco CCNP exam Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:06:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: LarryK http://ccnprecertification.com/2006/02/23/providing-career-guidance/#comment-1623 LarryK Wed, 21 Jun 2006 05:40:07 +0000 http://ccnprecertification.com/2006/02/23/providing-career-guidance/#comment-1623 I have to respect your point of view - there are too many paper gurus in this field. But, I have to disagree with your recommendations to your students. I have been in the networking field for about 8 years now. I began out of the blue - decided I wanted a career change. Picked up a book and started reading - and started taking cert exams. I also ambitiously found an avenue into the field and ended up getting a cisco class and MCSE track out of the deal. But my real education has been self taught by reading manuals, or cisco press books, or ... blogs even. I'm constantly searching online for answers to questions - referencing RFCs etc. etc. Regardless, if certifications are the impetus and measuring stick one needs to dig into the material and learn it - so be it. But one should not necessarily expect to get a job with large responsibiltiy and pay check based on just certifications - unless of course they hold a CCIE - that helps. And that, is what I am currently pursuing - as soon as I recert my CCNP next month. Point is - to do well in this field the important thing is to dig in and start learning - it is a constant process - the field changes to quickly. Get hands on through simulators, or, if you can afford it, buying used equipment. Start with your CCNA if you want - but that is just the tip of the ice berg. Move right into your CCNP - read read read and practice practice practice - you will learn it. I have to respect your point of view - there are too many paper gurus in this field. But, I have to disagree with your recommendations to your students. I have been in the networking field for about 8 years now. I began out of the blue - decided I wanted a career change. Picked up a book and started reading - and started taking cert exams. I also ambitiously found an avenue into the field and ended up getting a cisco class and MCSE track out of the deal. But my real education has been self taught by reading manuals, or cisco press books, or … blogs even. I’m constantly searching online for answers to questions - referencing RFCs etc. etc. Regardless, if certifications are the impetus and measuring stick one needs to dig into the material and learn it - so be it. But one should not necessarily expect to get a job with large responsibiltiy and pay check based on just certifications - unless of course they hold a CCIE - that helps. And that, is what I am currently pursuing - as soon as I recert my CCNP next month. Point is - to do well in this field the important thing is to dig in and start learning - it is a constant process - the field changes to quickly. Get hands on through simulators, or, if you can afford it, buying used equipment. Start with your CCNA if you want - but that is just the tip of the ice berg. Move right into your CCNP - read read read and practice practice practice - you will learn it.

]]> By: HOFYRLE http://ccnprecertification.com/2006/02/23/providing-career-guidance/#comment-137 HOFYRLE Wed, 19 Apr 2006 17:13:09 +0000 http://ccnprecertification.com/2006/02/23/providing-career-guidance/#comment-137 Love the comments and I want to add one thing as to the career counselling thing. I am a tech instructor and teach Cisco and MS. I get asked quite often to talk with prospective students who are looking at career changes and wondering if they should pursue generic certs like CompTia A+, Net+, etc..., MCSA/MCSE or CCNA. Every time, without fail I will tell them to get the generic certs and then move to MS. While CCNA is defined as Cisco's "entry level" certification, it is not designed to be pursued by nubies. Someone with a CCNA is supposed to be the guy who can rebuild the Unix/Linux box, understand why the MS DHCP server is not doing its job right, troubleshoot the Unix DNS and rebuild the packet filters on the Firewall. And then maybe she can get some lunch before that 1:00 Desktop migration meeting she has to go to. I very clearly lay out for my students in class the fact that they are expected to be Network gurus "From the Start". This is not a cert you should study for if you are changing careers. Please don't water down our credentials any more with testers who can pass this test and then go into the real world and say to me things like a fellow instructor said the other day. "I am amazed at how much Microsoft stole from Unix. Did you know that Unix had the NSLOOKUP command before Microsoft"? A complete lack of understanding of the OSI model is not what we need from our fellow cert holders. Sorry to get off on a rant there but the point I am trying to make is to let them know that CCNA is not a place to start into the field but rather, a long term goal. Thanks for listening. Love the comments and I want to add one thing as to the career counselling thing.
I am a tech instructor and teach Cisco and MS. I get asked quite often to talk with prospective students who are looking at career changes and wondering if they should pursue generic certs like CompTia A+, Net+, etc…, MCSA/MCSE or CCNA. Every time, without fail I will tell them to get the generic certs and then move to MS.
While CCNA is defined as Cisco’s “entry level” certification, it is not designed to be pursued by nubies.
Someone with a CCNA is supposed to be the guy who can rebuild the Unix/Linux box, understand why the MS DHCP server is not doing its job right, troubleshoot the Unix DNS and rebuild the packet filters on the Firewall. And then maybe she can get some lunch before that 1:00 Desktop migration meeting she has to go to.
I very clearly lay out for my students in class the fact that they are expected to be Network gurus “From the Start”. This is not a cert you should study for if you are changing careers.
Please don’t water down our credentials any more with testers who can pass this test and then go into the real world and say to me things like a fellow instructor said the other day. “I am amazed at how much Microsoft stole from Unix. Did you know that Unix had the NSLOOKUP command before Microsoft”?
A complete lack of understanding of the OSI model is not what we need from our fellow cert holders.

Sorry to get off on a rant there but the point I am trying to make is to let them know that CCNA is not a place to start into the field but rather, a long term goal.
Thanks for listening.

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