The CCNA is where it all starts for Cisco training. This teaches you how to operate on the maintenance and installation of network switches and routers. The internet is made up of many routers, and many large organisations that have a number of branches use them to allow their networks of computers to communicate.
Jobs that use this qualification mean it’s likely you’ll end up working for large commercial ventures that have several different sites but need their computer networks to talk to each other. On the other hand, you might end up joining an internet service provider. These jobs are well paid and in demand.
We’d recommend a specially designed course that covers everything you need to know in advance of getting going on the Cisco CCNA.
A question; why should we consider qualifications from the commercial sector and not more traditional academic qualifications taught at schools and Further Education colleges?
With university education costs spiralling out of control, together with the industry’s general opinion that key company training is often far more commercially relevant, we have seen a great increase in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA accredited training programmes that create knowledgeable employees at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time.
University courses, for example, become confusing because of too much loosely associated study – and much too wide a syllabus. Students are then prevented from getting enough core and in-depth understanding on a specific area.
Assuming a company is aware what work they need doing, then all it takes is an advert for the particular skill-set required. Syllabuses are all based on the same criteria and can’t change from one establishment to the next (in the way that degree courses can).
We can’t make a big enough deal out of this point: It’s essential to obtain proper 24×7 round-the-clock professional support from mentors and instructors. You’ll definitely experience problems if you don’t.
Beware of institutions that use messaging services ‘out-of-hours’ – where you’ll get called back during normal office hours. It’s not a lot of help when you’ve got study issues and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.
We recommend looking for training programs that utilise many support facilities active in different time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to offer a simple interface and also 24 hours-a-day access, when it suits you, with no hassle.
Never make the mistake of compromise when you’re looking for the right support service. The vast majority of would-be IT professionals that drop-out or fail, would have had a different experience if they’d got the right support package in the first place.
Considering how a program is ‘delivered’ to you is often missed by many students. How many parts is the training broken down into? What is the specific order and what control do you have at what pace it arrives?
Most companies will sell you a program typically taking 1-3 years, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you get to the end of each exam. If you think this sound logical, then consider this:
How would they react if you didn’t complete each and every exam at the required speed? Often the prescribed exam order won’t fit you as well as some other structure would for you.
The ideal circumstances are to get all your study materials posted to you right at the start; every single thing! Then, nothing can hinder your capability of finishing.
Searching for your first position in IT can be a little easier with the help of a Job Placement Assistance service. With the huge need for more IT skills in Britain right now, there’s no need to get too caught up in this feature though. It’s not as difficult as you may be led to believe to land employment as long as you’re correctly trained and certified.
Ideally you should have advice and support about your CV and interviews though; and we’d recommend everybody to work on polishing up their CV as soon as training commences – don’t wait for when you’re ready to start work.
It can happen that you haven’t even passed your first exam when you will be offered your first junior support position; however this isn’t going to happen unless you’ve posted your CV on job sites.
You can usually expect quicker service from a specialist locally based employment agency than you will through a training course provider’s recruitment division, as they’ll know the area better.
Please be sure that you don’t put hundreds of hours of effort into your studies, only to stop and leave it in the hands of the gods to find you a job. Take responsibility for yourself and get out there. Channel as much energy and enthusiasm into landing your first job as you did to get trained.
Copyright Scott Edwards 2009. Try CLICK HERE or CCNA Training Courses.
