by Jason Kendall
The CCNA certification is the way to go for training in Cisco. This will enable you to work on the maintenance and installation of network switches and routers. Basically, the internet comprises of vast numbers of routers, and many large organisations that have a number of branches use them to keep their networks in touch.
Routers connect to networks, so seek out training which teaches the basics (maybe the CompTIA Network+, possibly with A+ as well) before you start a CCNA. You must have a basic grasp of networks before getting going with Cisco or you may be out of your depth. When you’ve qualified and are on the job market, companies will expect good networking skills alongside your CCNA.
You’ll need a tailored course that will take you through a specific training path to ensure you have the correct skill set and abilities prior to commencing your Cisco training.
Understanding the most appropriate job choice is fraught with stress – so which sectors are important to investigate and which questions should we pose?
You should remember: a actual training or a certification isn’t the end-goal; the job or career that you’re getting the training for is. Many trainers unfortunately put too much weight in the piece of paper. Imagine training for just one year and then end up doing the job for 20 years. Don’t make the mistake of taking what may be an ‘interesting’ training program and then spend decades in a job you don’t like!
Take time to understand your feelings on career progression and earning potential, and whether you intend to be quite ambitious. You need to know what the role will demand of you, what qualifications are needed and how to develop your experience. Seek help from a skilled advisor that has commercial knowledge of your chosen market-place, and who can give you ‘A typical day in the life of’ outline of what kinds of tasks you’ll be undertaking during your working week. It makes good sense to understand whether or not this is right for you long before you commence your studies. There’s little point in starting to train only to find you’ve gone the wrong way entirely.
It’s so important to understand this key point: You absolutely must have proper 24×7 instructor and mentor support. You will have so many problems later if you don’t heed this. Never accept training that only supports trainees through a call-centre messaging system after office-staff have gone home. Colleges will try to talk you round from this line of reasoning. The simple fact of the matter is – you need support when you need support – not as-and-when it’s suitable for their staff.
We recommend looking for colleges that incorporate three or four individual support centres around the globe in several time-zones. These should be integrated to offer a simple interface as well as round-the-clock access, when you need it, with no fuss. You can’t afford to accept less than you need and deserve. Support round-the-clock is the only kind that ever makes the grade with IT learning. It’s possible you don’t intend to study late evenings; but for the majority of us however, we’re working at the time when most support is available.
If you’re like many of the students we talk to then you’ve always enjoyed practical work – the ‘hands-on’ person. Usually, the trial of reading reference books and manuals would be considered as a last resort, but it’s not ideal. Consider interactive, multimedia study if learning from books is not your thing. Memory is vastly improved when all our senses are brought into the mix – educational experts have expounded on this for as long as we can remember.
Learning is now available via DVD-ROM discs, where everything is taught on your PC. Using video-streaming, you will be able to see the instructor presenting exactly how something is done, and then practice yourself – with interactive lab sessions. Be sure to get a look at some courseware examples from your training provider. You should ask for slide-shows, instructor-led videos and virtual practice lab’s for your new skills.
Often, companies will only use just online versions of their training packages; and although this is okay the majority of the time, imagine the problems when you don’t have access to the internet or you get a slow connection speed. It’s much safer to rely on actual CD or DVD ROMs that will solve that problem.
Some training schools are still using the slightly musty old method of classroom days. Often sold as a benefit, following a chat with most students who’ve had to attend a couple, you’ll find them listing some or most of these problems:
* Constant driving back and forth from the centre – sometimes hundreds of miles.
* If, like many of us, you work, then Mon-Fri events are hard to attend. Typically you are contending with several days in a row too.
* Usually, we discover 20 days holiday per year is barely enough. Knock off over half of it for training events and you’ll experience even more problems.
* Because of the cost involved, many schools have to put on larger classes – which isn’t ideal (giving less time per student).
* The pace of the class – centre-days can contain trainees of different aptitude, so tension develops between those that want to go quickly as opposed to those with less experience.
* Tot up the cost of all the travel, fares, parking, accommodation and food and you could be in for a major shock. Trainees have reported extra costs of between several hundred and a couple of thousand pounds. Break it down – then you’ll know.
* Don’t risk the chance of getting ignored for advancement or salary hikes because you’re getting trained in a different area.
* It’s quite usual for attendees not to pose the question that’s bugging them – purely due to the reason that they’re amongst other classmates.
* If you occasionally live or work away from home, consider the added problems of getting to the requisite days in-centre, as time becomes even more scarce.
The perfect situation is watching a pre-filmed workshop – with instructor-led learning available any time of the day that suits. Do them at home on your PC or why not in the garden on a laptop. Any questions; then use the provided 24×7 live support (that you should have insisted on for any technical study.) Repeat lessons and modules whenever you like – repetition aids memory. And you don’t have to worry about any note-taking – everything is already done for you already. The final result: Less hassle and stress, more money in the bank, and you’ve got no travelling to do.
It would be wonderful to believe that our careers will always be safe and the future is protected, however, the truth for most jobs throughout the UK today appears to be that security just isn’t there anymore. When we come across increasing skills shortfalls mixed with rising demand of course, we generally locate a newly emerging type of market-security; driven forward by the constant growth conditions, businesses struggle to find enough staff.
Using the computer business for instance, the last e-Skills study showed a skills deficit throughout the United Kingdom in excess of 26 percent. Alternatively, you could say, this reveals that Great Britain can only find 3 trained people for each four job positions existing now. Gaining in-depth commercial IT certification is correspondingly a ‘Fast Track’ to a life-long and satisfying career. Because the IT sector is developing at such a rate, it’s unlikely there’s any better market worth investigating for a new future.
About the Author:
The author: Jason Kendall life has been in IT for 2 Decades. He now consults around training and accreditation. If you’re interested in
Cisco CCNA, visit LearningLolly
Cisco Training.