| Author |
If I really want to be good at this how do I study?
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| grex182 2004-05-30, 12:54 pm |
| Would it be worth it to get at some cisco hardware or do the software and sample questions suffice? I am a quick study but I fear switching from construction to computers for a job with only having memorized the right answers... is hands on experience really that important? | |
| Sexy Lexy 2004-05-30, 2:40 pm |
| Absolutely, hands-on is paramount in my opinion.
It depends on how far you intend to pursue a career in networking. If you are just after a certification then the router simulations are fine and they cost a lot less.
On the other hand, having routers and switches in front of you give you hands-on experience of configuration, memory upgrades, using TFTP to update the IOS or to save configurations, learning how everything goes together etc. and you will get full access to the IOS commands, router simulations are generally aimed at the examples in the labs and have restricted commands.
So it is a choice of cost over experience.
I ran a poll not to long ago in this forum, have a look at the results to see what everyone else thinks.
Welcome to the forum!
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| If I had my time again I'd buy kit from the start, I got my CCNP without access to lab kit, just using experience at work and memorising the book. It soon became apparent when I moved on to higher certs that I hadn't learnt that much and effectively had to start again. If yuor buying kit progressively as you need it the costs may not be that prohibitive.
For CCNA you don't really need that much, 3 2500 routers (ethernet ideally but token ring drops the price) and a switch would be great, you can get them pretty cheap on Ebay right now - though I don't know what switch you need at the moment. | |
| Yankee 2004-05-31, 7:09 am |
| Mat,
Don't be so hard on yourself. What you mean is the more you advanced the more you learned you had barely scratched the surface of the Cisco world. The fact you realized that means you have learned a lot and will continue to do so. I dare say Darth would post a similar message to yours as would I.
Those that simply push IOSs around and can break into routers won't get past the Help Desk job, no matter how astute they think they are.
Yankee | |
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| A study buddy of mine once said the more he studys, the more he realises he doesn't know!!! There's always more to learn, and once you've done R&S theres voice, then wireless, then security, then........
I remember meeting somebody at my last place who says the network academy teaches him everything there is to know about Cisco....He'll find out eventually!
Were getting off thread here - in answer to grex182's original post - yes do it, prices are cheap right now. | |
| darthfeces 2004-06-02, 1:10 am |
| i've heard many a ccie describe their number as the beginning of the road !!! | |
| Yankee 2004-06-02, 5:09 am |
| ain't that depressing in its own way...
Yankee | |
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| You mean I've been studying for this damn thing for 2 years and I haven't even reached the beginning......... | |
| popdevil 2004-06-02, 10:08 am |
| quote:
the more he studys, the more he realises he doesn't know!!!
I agree with this 100% | |
| ZacDogg 2004-06-02, 11:58 am |
| quote:
You mean I've been studying for this damn thing for 2 years and I haven't even reached the beginning.........
Unfortunately, yes! Well maybe not the beginning, but things change so quickly. One day some new feature is the latest and the greatest. A year later Cisco will come out with a new feature that makes the last look like it was invented a decade ago.
Zac |
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