CCNA DIY?

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Hello everyone,

I am seriously thinking to try and get the CCNA certificate. After a small internet search I found many IT academies that offer CCNA courses. Some claim that they can teach you in 1 week, other in 1 year
I am really confused . What's is going on with these academies?

On the other hand the course fee is quite high, so I was thinking to learn CCNA by myself.

Does anyone know, where can I find or buy the course material? Did any of you studied by himself? If yes, what books did you buy? How many hours did you study per day? How long did it take you to pass the exam?

I am sorry I am bombing you with so many questions but I am really confused.
I have very basic networking knowledge. I am currently working as a systems engineer but I only started 3 months ago, so I am not experienced.


Any kind of advice regarding CCNA, is highly appreciatted!!!

Thank you in advance!!!!

 

The Cisco CCNA by Cisco press is your best bet in terms of the material covered etc. It is also certified by Cisco as well so I'd recommend you go with the Cisco press books and maybe use the Sybex one to water it down. On the other hand some people on this forum have successfully self studied for the CCNA cert which is not an easy cert to obtain in any form or way.

However, with hard work and dedication it is achievable through self study, just get the Boson sims or better still the real switch and routers. Best wishes and lets know what you decide on.

 

goude,

Use the following link to find the nearest Cisco Networking Academy Program. The class you're looking for is the following:

1. Curricula: CCNA
2. Course: CCNA1: Networking Basics (Student)
3. For Students: CCNA1: Networking Basics

I hope this helps.

Source:

1. Academy Connection - Academy and Class Locator Basic Search - http://locators.netacad.net/cnams/locators/AcademyClassLocator.jsp

 

Hi,

The amount of options are bewlidering i'm afriad.

The cheapest option to choose is home study if you are disciplined enough to put in about 2 hours per day. Otherwise you are looking at an intensive boot camp or a longer academy course. All depends on your budget.

For home study you would need:

The books/manuals
Practise exams
Access to live kit
Cram sheets
Forum advice/support (like this one)

I don't recommend router sims or braindump sites because they will leave you short when it comes to job interviews and they plonk the kit in front of you and ask you to configure and possibly cable some of it up.

Hope it helps

Paul

 

Doing a course for a week is aimed more at those who have already experience.
Taking CCNA over a Year will enable you learn more & pass 1st time.

I would however advise you NOT to buy anything that promises things like the secret to subnetting etc!
The promises of your money back etc are all false, you ask and you get nowhere!!!.

 

Thank you all very much for your replies.

I searched and found many academies but unfortunately at the moment, I can't afford the course fees. Therefore I decided to study myself. I am sure I can dedicate 1 or 2 hours per day to study.

Regarding the course material, I searched on amazon, like wagnerk suggested and I'm thinking to buy the following book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/CCNA-Compan...5698269?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190551377&sr=8-2

I read the reviews about it but can you please let me know your opinion as well?

In the description of the book says that it includes: over 300 CCNA practice questions to begin preparation for the CCNA exam, e-Lab Activities, PhotoZooms of equipment, and instructional videos.

Is everything I need to pass the exam in this book? Would you recommend anything else, like extra practise questions? Is there anything else I could consider?

A question for ciscopaul. What do you mean exaclty by access to live kit?
I mean, how can I get access to live kit?

Once again, thank you all for your help!!!!

P.S: When somebody says, I've got the CCNA certificate, does that mean he has CCNA 1,2,3 and 4?

 

An even better reason not to use Braindump sites is that it's cheating and you could be stripped of your certification if you have been found to have used one. It's also been shown in the past that information from braindump sources can be unreliable in nature.

 

Thank you wagnerk,

The practice questions for CCNA exam, e-Lab Activities, PhotoZooms of equipment, and instructional videos are all inside that book. I will follow your advice and get a second book as a reference (sybex, as someone suggested earlier). So what's left now is lab practising. Correct?

Regarding the home-test lab, is the following equipment ok?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cisco-2-Route...ryZ51268QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The above equipmetn includes 2 routers and 1 switch. Are these enough? Do I need more routers?


What's CBT's?
Where can I find test sims?

Thanks

P.S: Thank you for the extra info modey

 

Hi Wagnerk,

Can you please tell me how could I contact the guy who has self-studied & passed the CCNA?

Thank you!!!!!!