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Cisco Cert Guide by Wendell Odom
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| Just curious about responses on Odom's book.
I've read the NetAcad books (first and second year) and Lammle's book by Sybex and found them to be easy to understand.
What has been the general opinion on Odom's book for CCNA? I've gone through about 1/4 of it so far and find it not only very dry, but unless you have a very good understanding of the topic, you are lost quite early.
Lammle takes the concepts and breaks them down to the very basics and explains it in simple terms. I haven't found that so far in Odom's book.
Any comments?
JerryL | |
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| I am in the same situation here JerryL, I have been throught most of the NetAcad text and find it pretty easy although it goes kind of slow. some of the stuff in Odems book is simple when youve been thourgh the NetAcad but he kind of loses me occasionally. I often find myself looking things up on the net to try and catch up with him. You say Sybexs book is pretty good huh?! I will have to pick that up to fill in any gaps. | |
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| Not only is the Sybex book much better and easier to understand, but if you read that one first, you'll be able to understand Odom's book much better. If you are going to read Odom's book, I'd strongly recommend that you read the Sybex book first.
JerryL | |
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| I have already went through much of Odems book, but I didnt get as much as I wanted out of it. I just need some more resources. And if you say that Sybex is that good(which I figure it is cause they have good texts) then I will pick it up. I would like to test for the CCNA within 2 months so I need to get through as many texts as I can to get everything in my head.
Thanks Jerry | |
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| My 2 cents:
- Odom's book is better than Todd's book.
- Odom's book is not an introductory book.
I'll agree with JerryL. For newcomers, go Todd, then Odom.
Cheers!
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| Hi dmaftei;
Which areas in particular did you think are better than Lammle's. I'm expecting to finish Odom's book pretty soon and then just go over questions until the end of next month. Will be hopefully writing by then.
JerryL | |
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| All. I didn't like Todd's book (for one thing, it's full of mistakes  ). But I knew most of that stuff already. Sorry I cannot be more helpful...
Cheers!
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| Yeah dmaftei..
I purchased Todd's book after reading several posts from this forum, but was SHOCKED when I checked the Errata at the Sybex website. In addition I find the pace to be slow with Todds book, but he does manage to keep my attention for the most part. Read the ExamCram book first and decided I needed some in depth info...looks like thats what I'm getting.. 
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JD
A+,N+, MCP | |
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| Here is my 2 cents
I used the Sybex book primarily with two Cisco press books (Odom & ICND) for references. The Odom's book is very thorough, but not very reader friendly. I will use it as a reference. What helped me the most on passing the CCNA was the Sybex book (I read it 4x). The mistakes were a pain, but I learned a little from correcting them It seems that for me, most of the study materials written by the specific vendor themselves are difficult reads for some reason. I found the Odom & BCMSN Cisco press books more difficult to read when compared to others. Sometimes non-related publishers are able to present the material in a format that is easier to digest. Unfortunately, they may not be as accurate or error free, but I enjoy getting the big picture and then moving closer to the details. The was a similar case with MS Training Kit for W2K Server. That book was so confusing for me and after switching books I was able to actually understand the material. Cisco Press books are good, but sometimes having another guide for technical training wheels helps
Cheers | |
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| I tried very hard to read Mr. Odom's CCNA book. I just could not finish it. I found it very hard to read. IMHO he writes this book with a CCIE slant. It is very techie. I think it is overwritten for the person studying for CCNA. However, I do believe it will be a very good book for troubleshooting as well as a great source of reference in the future. I believe there are several other books on the market that better apply themselves to the CCNA course. Sybex, CISCO's ICND book just to name a few. OK, my 2 cents and I'm off the soap box. Good luck. | |
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| in my humble opinion someone who is trying to get to the ccie level should not be offended by the amount of info odom's book gives.
nor should someone be offended by his "techie" writing style.
one observation: after reading the brief intro in odoms book about spanning tree it was a breeze to get what karen webb was saying in her "dry" bcmsn book.
the same applies to many such topics in his ccna book.
his book cant be graded as the best because no book can, and there are errors too.
Still its one of the good books in the market for the serious person.
i agree with dmaftei's comments.
regards
mongol
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| A lot of good points have been made. There is a ton of excellent and bad material out there. The key is finding the one that makes the information "click" for you. I am glad some agreed to how "dry" Webb's book was I've never started the process of learning new material without a few books to reference. The more correct angles you read, the better you can understand the nuances of the topics.
Cheers | |
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| To some extent the degree of "dryness" a book has is directly related to the degree of knowledge you have about the topic. The same book (Odom's CCNA, let's say) might feel like Sahara to a newcomer, but quite "wet" to a CCNP (or plain "soaked" to a CCIE ).
Objectively, though, it appears that the more technical a book, the dryer. Try to read standards...
Cheers!
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| Dmaftei;
What your saying, might be true, but it would be nice to have an occasional oasis every now and then.
Definitely not trying to flog a dead horse, or camel in this case. As I said earlier, I'm going through Odom's book and then spending the next month on Techmindworks and questions.
JerryL
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| i had started out with Cisco Press: ICND. getting to the middle of the book i was finding my A.D.D. kicking in and losing interest (usually watching the dogs play in the snow outside)... so, based on some other posts i ordered the Lammle/Sybex and ExamCram last night. I hope this will make it easier to follow and let it all click. I think i am getting a decent understanding of most of the theories but it's the hands-on that's messing me up... i keep forgetting the commands... and the ICND looks a little more like reference. i don't know if i am getting dumber or if my brain is still fried after the Win2k ADS test (i know it still hurts!  ).
maybe i will add Odom's book as well. i was hoping to have this (CCNA) done by end of Feb but it's not moving as quickly as i had hoped.
anyhow, for some reason i felt compelled to share that with you all.
t-ra.
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chunder -- Network+, MCSE, CNE |
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