First off I have read this forum for several weeks and find that the people here are very helpful and have a wealth of knowledge. My IT experience is limited and relegated to Web design. I have a doctoral degree in an unreleated field (healthcare) but I am self taught in web programming (I work mostly in PHP/MySQL). I have designed several websites and my largest to date project was creating an intranet system at work (approximately 400 employees). My experience with networking is brief as we have an IT dept that is located in another physical location. Ok enough blathering just wanted to give you some background.

Im not really interested in what Sim is best or what book to read or what study guide to get. I have already read the A+ and I-NET+ books. I have not sat for those exams yet and don't know if I will. I am interested in the next step: CCNA.

My question (at last!) is this: What do you (meaning in general) do during your normal day to day routine. There have been a half a thousand questions related to everything else but no one has asked this forum their day-to-day experience. How does it relate to all the information you have studied for. Is it everything you thought it was cracked up to be. I'd like to hear some personal information about CCNA(s).

Thanks.

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SilvrWolf
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huh,

Kind of a vague question there.
personally the knowledge I got from the ccna is usefull in troubleshooting if something does go wrong where I work. I think if your job was major router configurating all day you would need more then knowledge then just CCNA level.I think the ccna would be a good starting point.

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My moved into infrastructure started slowly and the accelerated at lightning speed.

Years ago I was the "NT" guru. Installing and supporting anything that came down the pike. One of the full-time WAN engineers left and my boss asked me to lend a hand for a while until they could fill the position. After the initial shock. I found my self reading nightly about switches, routers, security, access lists, trunking, protocols, etc... and enjoying it.

For the next several months I would work a few hours in the morning doing my "real" job (NT) and the remainder of the day installing and reconfiguring routers and switches.

After several months my boss found it easier to hire a new server guy then a router/switch guy, which he did. That was 4 years ago.

Generally, Weekly.
I would spend
1-2 hours doing monthly reviews of devices and traffic.
4-5 hours investigating new technology.
7-8 hours writing: new proposals, management reports, etc.
7-8 hours working in my lab on new installations.
1-3 hours at night doing implementations.
1-3 hours on education; mine and other staff's.
and the remainder doing all of the other misc. nonsense that goes on.

My situation probably wasn't typical. It'll be interesting to see other responses.

- Bob

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Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
—Calvin Coolidge

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