Certifications

[mcdougrs]

Hey everyone,

In my quest for computer employment, I am going to start studying for the CCNA exam. And I was just wondering if anyone else here has taken that exam?

Also, I was wondering if any one else has any other certifications. If so did it help you to get your job? Or increase your pay? What was your motivation for getting certified.

I was thinking of doing i-Net+ or Network+ but when I did searches for those on the job sites that I belong too, there were no matches for i-Net+ and very few for Network+. However CCNA seemed like it had quite a few results, so what do you guys think about it?

[Kernel_Killer]

Network+ would be great to get before your CCNA. It covers the same basic theory that will be covered in the CCNA. Although I haven't seen many companies ask for these certs (CompTIA that is) they do bring a bit of respect to your knowledge. The CCNA I haven't taken yet (hopefully this month, or the next), but without some Cisco routers and switches, you will probably make the test harder on yourself. From what others have told me, you will get questions asking "What command did this output come from" which are usually "sh ver", "sh flash", and "sh int <device>" outputs. Another thing was the virtual lab portion of the test. Self-explainitory. You setup a group of routers/switches through a virtual lab. Another big one would be routing troubleshooting, where they show you the output of routes, and having to tell where the problem is. Sounds easy, but if you don't know your ADs, you might screw yourself.

[mcdougrs]

Well thanx for the input... Kind of discouraged now, but maybe this college I work at has a Cisco Lab :-\ yeah right. My old school that I went to did but I doubt this one does.

Thanx again.

[Kernel_Killer]

If you are willing to go the path of taking the Net+ then the CCNA, I should have 2 2500 series routers up for sale after a month or so.

[horus]

[quote author=Izan Seth link=board=4;threadid=8718;start=0#msg78800 date=1077208029]
Well thanx for the input... Kind of discouraged now, but maybe this college I work at has a Cisco Lab :-\ yeah right. My old school that I went to did but I doubt this one does.

Thanx again.
[/quote]

Don't get too discouraged... I got my A+ this past September, and it helped me land a temporary job doing PC deployment under contract to a large telecom company. I'm currently studying for my Network+ and hope to sit for it at the end of March. If you are really interested, Smart Certify Direct has an excellent learning tool they call an "eRouter" that simulates a Cisco network and allows you to access virtual routers at different points in the network to train for the CCNA. I'm a SCD student, by the way, and have the eRouter software on my laptop. Sorry, no, can't give you a copy - I'd get sued for sure, but I showed it to a buddy who's a sysadmin and he was moderately impressed.

I decided to get my A+ and Network+ based on recommendations from friends working in the industry... they say that both of these are well respected "basics" certifications and show a well-established foundation for further development. A couple of the guys I talked to about it said that they'd hire an A+/N+ before they'd hire an MCSE/MCP. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Myself, I'm eventually hoping to get the Network+, Linux+, and LPI certs. Don't really care about MCSE - I've had too many friends tell me it's a dud. CCNA is an intense cert - don't you have to go to California somewhere to sit for that one? Wish you all the best with it.

Later On,
Dave

[coltrane]

Testing centers are all over the place for the CCNA, Im taking mine later this year. Just reading above, I might revert back and work on my Network+

[mcdougrs]

Alright well, I've definately got some thinking to do. I do have a community college right where I live that offers classes for the CCNA, so that might be a good route for me! I had some one suggest Oracle DBA certification also, so I just don't know, way too many choices!!!

I have heard from people that the MCs are pretty much crap, but there are still companies out there that want those certifications, unfortunately.