Overwhelmed

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Hi guys,

Hopefully started this thread in the right place, but if not admin please move it!

I am currently studying for the MCITP:EA and have so far done 2 exams. One thing I have noticed while studying for my next exam (70-640) is how much information there is to take in. I have been working in IT since I left school and now have 6 years experience in various areas of IT, mainly Microsoft network admin.

Reading through the books I am understanding the material, and a lot of it I have had first hand experience with in production environments. But the more I read, the more little things come up, and I think to myself, "wow thats handy I didn't know that!". Everytime this happens I can't help thinking, how much can I learn and remember before my head explodes!?!

I understand the information, but I worry that after sitting the exam there are certain settings I may forget from time to time as I don't always use them. Then you look at the guys that write the books and they seem to know everything about everything and it just worries me a little as I think to myself, will I ever achieve that level of knowledge?

I guess the thing I would like peoples opinion on is, how do you guys find it when studying? Personally I like to find out extra things and realise there is so much more to learn, its why I started my career in IT. Other times however it worries me, as I think to myself just how long do I have to have done this to become the top of the game?

Does anybody else get this, or is it just me?

(Sorry for long, and possibly pointless thread, its just something which has really been on my mind the last 24 hours and is making mildly depressed!)

 

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Not just you mate.

There are times when I've read and re-read a chapter or article - and each time it seems to make less sense until you begin to doubt that it's actually English at all.

There is a lot to take in, and there is a limit to how much new information you can absorb in one sitting.
Break it down.
If it gets too much, walk away and come back later.

You'll get there.

 

Firstly ,many candidates like you have the same worries .Gradual loss of short-term memory will happen in most of people .
ANd if you do much reading on the books and understand the theory well and do much pratice,I think you will pass the exam successfully.
Secondly ,you know ,you have 6 years experience in various areas of IT, mainly Microsoft network admin,which is your advantage ,and will help you understand your paper or even pass the exam with high scores .While ,many new hand on IT have many worries about their experience .

So,guy ,don't worry .
Believe in yourself ,you will pass.

 

Whoops... replied to wrong post... please ignore.

 

I feel the same way. IT is an ongoing process, we will never stop reading and learning. I'm still "starting off" as well with only 2 years as an Systems Admin under my belt, so it would be interesting to see what the vets have to say about how to retain all that study knowledge over time.
I think Cisco addresses this with requiring a renewal every 3 years. It forces us to stay sharp, knowledgeable, and to revisit everything from the basic, to more complex concepts throughout our IT career.

I would always keep your books and a personal lab handy to stay ontop of things.