CCNA: getting the certification and life after it? 7

[hansje80]

Hi,

First of all let me introduce myself as this is my first post, and after having a nice read throughout this forum i thought this would be THE forum to join regarding this matter as it might play a big role later on...

My name is Hans, 21 years young and live in the UK.
No formal certification of any kind in IT.

My background regarding IT:
I helped around with my brother's hostingcompany from age 12. I did not do any heavy stuff regarding networking etc. i was more involved with the admin-interface part and client handling.

I know my way around computers and can take them apart and build them again. I run a small internetcafe which i've done the networking myself, but now i'm looking to sell it and do something else.

I've bought the official cisco 1&2 - 3&4 books. I read the first book, I understood about 80% of it.

now that was the intro, sorry if i left bits out but i don't want to bore you all.
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My questions are straighforward and even probably one of the oldest on the forum;

1: what is the best way to obtain the ccna qualificationnot the easiest way, but the best way to actually have some knowledge when you get the cert).
-- the reason i ask this is because in the uk, there are allot of tese fastrack courses of 5 days, and i do not think you can scram 2000 of info in your head within 5 days. but on the otherhand, I've also colleges offering weekend courses, but spread over 36weeks.

2: what are the possible carreer possibilities after the ccna? especially for someone as young as me and without any formal qualification (apart from the ccna then). I do not want to get a certification that can't get me a job.

3: what are the prospects of becoming actually selfemployed rather than working for a company.

If someone can help me a little bit it would be great, most of the sites/colleges don't have a unbiased opinion regarding my questions, they're just hungry for my money.

 

[MossEng]

I found the Open University course to be very good, I have taken other course's with them and now have a BSc(Hons).
All the course's I have prievously taken with the OU ( All Maths/Technology ) have been very good. Which is why when it came to studying for CCNA, I chose the OU. The CCNA course was very good, as I mentioned earlier it uses the Cisco Academy, and is nearly all Web based. The Day schools give Hands on practical, and access to the remote LAB equipment is excellent. As you've discovered yourself, you can count the course, towards a Degree. I supplemented the course with my own Cisco LAB, aquired cheaply off e-bay, and reading cisco CCNA books, again from e-bay. The OU is now offering CCNP course's, which can count towards a MSc,
so thats my next step.

 

[hansje80]

thanks for the reply mosseng,

I've already signed up for the ccna beginning february 2009, and also signed up for visual basics beginning september this year.

One other thing mosseng, what is the credibility of a degree of OU in the employers eyes? would they look at it as the same way they would look at a degree comming from other conventional universities?

 

[MossEng]

It depends on the employer, I've never had an employer comment on the credibility of my OU degree, but I'm sure some would, just in the same way they might credit a Oxford or Cambridge degree higher than others. Its down to the employers perception, some view holding down a day job, while also completing a degree in a better light than a conventional degree. Of the distant learning university's in the UK, I believe the OU is considered the best.

 

[CiscoGuy33]

hansje80,

In most cases a degree is a degree and most employers look at it as you have the ability to be trained as well as stick with a long term project.

This does not apply to the "degree mills" that are as worthless as "paper" certs!

Of course some large companies will look at a degree from Oxford, Cambridge, MIT, Harvard or Yale etc. with a little more importance but if I had the option of any degree (not counting degree mills) vs. no degree - I will take the degree everytime!!!

Hope this helps!


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[hansje80]

cheers ciscoguy33 & MossEng, aprreciate your input in this.

Well i've already started a bit, although the course is yet to start and the book is still on its way.

I got myself:

2x db60 to db60 cables
1x console cable
1x 2610xm with: wic t1 card, wic 1b s/t card, ios 12.3(4) (90 pounds)
1x 2501 ios 11.3 (10 pounds)
2x 2502 ios 11.1 (10 pounds each)

still yet to get some switches. (i think i got a good deal, got offered 3x 2900xl for 30 pounds with power cables), looking to get a 2950 aswell.

i've been poking the 2500 series a bit, it's addictive i have to admit . i was busy just setting simple passwords and bit messing with the configuration, before i knew it... i was at it for 5 hours...

 

[burtsbees]

All you need are the 2900XL's---they do vlans just the same as 2950's. Well, almost, but they work the same. You learn the exact same concpets. The 2610XM will help you with SDM as well. I would look into a 2503 for configuring as a frame switch, for practice with frame relay, and routing protocols over frame relay.

Burt