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UK Cisco CCNA Training Programs Clarified
By Jason Kendall | March 2, 2010
If Cisco training is your aspiration, and you’ve no practical experience with network switches or routers, you most probably should start with a CCNA course. This teaches you the necessary skills to set up and maintain routers. The world wide web is built up of many routers, and big organisations with several locations also rely on them to keep their networks in touch.
You may find yourself employed by an internet service provider or a big organisation which is spread out over several locations but needs computer networks that talk to each other. This specialised skill set is highly paid.
If routers are a new thing for you, then working up to and including the CCNA is definitely sufficient – avoid being talked into doing a CCNP. After gaining experience in the working environment, you will know if it’s appropriate for you to go to the level of CCNP.
It’s essential to have the current Microsoft (or Cisco, CompTIA etc.) accredited exam simulation and preparation packages.
Due to the fact that a lot of examining boards for IT are from the USA, it’s essential to understand how exam questions will be phrased and formatted. It’s not sufficient simply answering any old technical questions – they must be in an exam format that exactly replicates the real thing.
It’s a good idea to have some simulated exam questions so you can check your knowledge at all times. Practice or ‘mock’ exams prepare you properly – then the actual exam is much easier.
Traditional teaching in classrooms, using textbooks and whiteboards, can be pretty hard going sometimes. If you’re nodding as you read this, find training programs which have a majority of interactive, multimedia parts.
Where possible, if we can get all of our senses involved in our learning, then we normally see dramatically better results.
Learning is now available in disc format, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Video streaming means you can watch instructors demonstrating how it’s all done, and then practice yourself – via the interactive virtual lab’s.
It would be silly not to view a small selection of training examples before you hand over your cheque. The minimum you should expect would be instructor demonstrations, video tutorials and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.
It doesn’t make sense to choose training that is only available online. Due to the variable nature of connection quality from most broadband providers, make sure you get disc based courseware (On CD or DVD).
Ignore any salesman that offers any particular course without an in-depth conversation so as to understand your abilities and also your level of experience. Always check they have access to a wide-enough choice of training products so they can give you an appropriate solution.
Remember, if you’ve had any relevant work-experience or certification, then you will often be able to start at a different point than someone new to the industry.
Always consider starting with some basic PC skills training first. This can set the scene for your on-going studies and make the slope up to the higher-levels a a little easier.
It’s so important to understand this key point: You absolutely must have proper 24×7 professional support from mentors and instructors. You will have so many problems later if you don’t follow this rule rigidly.
Be wary of any training providers who use ‘out-of-hours’ call-centres – with your call-back scheduled for normal office hours. This is no use if you’re stuck and need help now.
The very best training providers use multiple support centres active in different time-zones. An online system provides an interactive interface to seamlessly link them all, irrespective of the time you login, help is just a click away, without any contact issues or hassle.
Never settle for less than this. Direct-access 24×7 support is the only way to go with technical learning. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; often though, we’re working while the support is live.
Copyright 2009 S. Edwards. Go to www.learninglolly.com/Cisco_CCNA_Certification.html or Cisco CCNA.
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