by Jason Kendall
Training in Cisco is the way to go for those who need to know all about network switches and routers. Routers join up computer networks via the internet or lines dedicated for that purpose. It’s a good idea that your first course should be your CCNA. Avoid jumping straight into the CCNP for it’s full of complexities – and you should gain some working knowledge to have a go at this.
Usual roles with this qualification could be with an internet service provider or maybe a large company that is spread out over several locations but still wants secure internal data communication. Both types of jobs command good salaries.
The CCNA qualification is the right level to aim for; don’t be pushed into attempting your CCNP. After gaining experience in the working environment, you can decide if it’s relevant for you to have this next level up. If so, you will have developed the skills you require to take on your CCNP – because it’s far from a walk in the park – and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
You’ll come across courses which guarantee examination passes – this always means you have to pay for the exams when you pay for the rest of your course. Before you get carried away with the chance of a guarantee, look at the following:
Thankfully, today we have to be a little more ‘marketing-savvy’ – and most of us cotton on to the fact that we are actually being charged for it (it isn’t free or out of the goodness of their hearts!) Students who enter their exams one by one, paying as they go are much more likely to pass. They’re mindful of what they’ve paid and so are more inclined to make sure they’re ready.
Find the best exam deal or offer available at the appropriate time, and save having to find the money early. You also get more choice of where you sit the exam – meaning you can choose a local testing centre. Including money in your training package for exams (and if you’re financing your study there’ll be interest on that) is a false economy. It’s not your job to boost the training company’s account with additional funds just to give them more interest! A lot bank on the fact that you will never make it to exams – but they won’t refund the cash. Remember, with ‘Exam Guarantees’ from most places – the company decides when you are allowed to do a re-take. Subsequent exam attempts are only authorised at the company’s say so.
Prometric and VUE exams are around 112 pounds in the UK. What’s the point of paying huge ‘Exam Guarantee’ costs (most often hidden in the package) – when good quality study materials, the proper support and consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.
A lot of training companies will only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; It’s rare to find someone who offers late evening or full weekend cover. Locate training schools where you can receive help at any time you choose (no matter if it’s in the middle of the night on a weekend!) You want 24×7 direct access to mentors and instructors, and not a call-centre that will take messages so you’re consistently being held in a queue for a call-back when it’s convenient for them.
It’s possible to find professional companies that provide their students direct-access online support 24×7 – at any time of day or night. If you fail to get yourself 24×7 support, you’ll regret it very quickly. You might not want to use the service in the middle of the night, but what about weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point.
It’s quite a normal occurrence for students not to check on something that can make a profound difference to their results – how their training provider segments the courseware, and into what particular chunks. The majority of training companies will set up some sort of program spread over 1-3 years, and deliver each piece one-by-one as you complete each exam. This sounds reasonable until you consider the following: With thought, many trainees understand that their training company’s ‘standard’ path of training isn’t ideal for them. They might find varying the order of study will be far more suitable. And what if you don’t get to the end in the allotted time?
Put simply, the very best answer is to get an idea of what they recommend as an ideal study order, but make sure you have all of your learning modules right from the beginning. Everything is then in your possession in the event you don’t complete everything inside of their required time-scales.
Coming across job security nowadays is problematic. Businesses often drop us out of the workforce at a moment’s notice – whenever it suits. In actuality, security now only emerges through a swiftly increasing market, driven by work-skills shortages. It’s this shortage that creates the appropriate background for market-security – a much more desirable situation.
The 2006 national e-Skills investigation showed that more than 26 percent of IT jobs haven’t been filled as an upshot of a huge deficit of appropriately certified professionals. Therefore, for every four jobs available throughout Information Technology (IT), organisations are only able to find properly accredited workers for three of the four. This fundamental concept clearly demonstrates the requirement for more technically trained computer professionals in the UK. We can’t imagine if a better time or market circumstances is ever likely to exist for getting trained into this swiftly growing and budding market.
We’re often asked why traditional academic studies are now falling behind more commercially accredited qualifications? Corporate based study (in industry terminology) is far more effective and specialised. Industry has realised that this level of specialised understanding is essential to meet the requirements of a technologically complex workplace. CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA are the big boys in this field. Essentially, only that which is required is learned. Actually, it’s not quite as pared down as that, but the principle objective is to cover the precise skills needed (including a degree of required background) – without attempting to cover a bit about every other area (as degree courses are known to do).
It’s rather like the advert: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. The company just needs to know what they need doing, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. Then they’re assured that a potential employee can do exactly what’s required.
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