[rhymin]

I just got my degree in advanced networking in information technology. I will probably try to get a couple Cisco certifications as well in the future, especially if the job hunt is as tough as I think it will be. My question is this:

What books, magazines, online articles, websites, or video tutorials are informative and helpful in learning more about networking, hardware, or software? I have a $100 gift card to Amazon, so I can buy some books or magazines through there. But on top of that, I'm wondering if there are some good free websites I could sign up for that would be helpful as well?

Thanks in advance!

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On-the-job experience is the best thing hands down. See if you can get out there and spend a day with someone experienced. I've seen a few guys come through the ranks and all because they started "volunteering" as there weren't any paid positions going around. They came to work, got on the good books with the boss, and when something came up they were given the position.

[Troy]

On-the-job experience is the best thing hands down. See if you can get out there and spend a day with someone experienced. I've seen a few guys come through the ranks and all because they started "volunteering" as there weren't any paid positions going around. They came to work, got on the good books with the boss, and when something came up they were given the position.

[rhymin]

Thanks Troy. I live in the St. Louis, Missouri area. I'm wondering how one would go about the "volunteering" process? I've put my resume on 4 different online sites, but I haven't really come across a volunteering type job.

[Troy]

In our case, guys just walked in with their resume and said if there were no paid positions available, could they just come along and watch/learn?

[rhymin]

Interesting. I wouldn't know what company to try this with, but it's a good idea. It seems like they would be using company resources to train somebody that doesn't or might not work there.

Edited by rhymin, 29 January 2014 - 08:32 PM.

[Troy]

Exactly, it's like "free" training. The guys did some odd jobs on the side to keep the boss happy, like tidy up the workbench area and stuff like that.

Of course, try and get any sort of paid work over that! It's more a last resort, but that said, hands-on experience is the winner. (Read up too).

[rhymin]

Thanks. I just bought the Official Cisco ICND1 100-101 Guide so I can pass the CCENT exam. The material does look a little tough however. I didn't cover a lot of it in college, so I'm kind of worried it will take longer than I expected. Any experience with this cert or others?

[Troy]

I haven't done that one myself. The certifications I have done, I did a complete training course with them so I could be sure to be studying the right materials. It cost a bit, but I think it was worth it for my personal learning style.

[Artellos]

Hello rhymin,

I have personally completed the CCENT exam and must say that it might be tough for someone that is getting into it, but if you are interested in networking it is definitely worth it. In my personal experience I have noticed that when I enjoy what I do everything goes a lot smoother.

There are not a lot of tips I can give you specifically aside from this: practice, practice and more practice. There is a wonderful program called Packet Tracer that is more than capable of giving you a playground for all your CCENT needs. There is one downside of this though, you need to have a Cisco NetSpace account.

Another option is using GNS3, which is used by a lot of networking experts in the real world to simulate large networks. Particularly used for training for the CCNP/CCIE certifications.

Aside from all the above, if you have any questions regarding CCENT, feel free to open a topic in the networking forum and send me a personal message to notify me of that topic. I will be more than happy to assist you with your questions.

Regards,
Olrik

[rhymin]

Thank you very much. I am now studying for the CCENT. I'm only on chapter 6, but I am completely dedicated now. I am one of those people that gets distracted easily while reading, so I basically have to take my time to understand everything completely. I was wondering if it's worth buying the practice exam for the CCENT? If you buy the official cert guide, which I have, they offer a 70% off coupon or something like that. So I don't think it will be too pricey. Just wondering if the material in that practice exam is like the real thing?

Thanks.

[Artellos]

I can't really say for sure if the practice exams are like the real deal. All the practice stuff that I have done is not like the real deal. However, Keep in mind that you just need to know how everything works. As long as the practice material confronts you with your weaknesses I'd say it's a win

What really helped me was trying a lot of things that weren't really in the book and then asking network experts how to fix it. Gave me a real in-depth view of some things. But that doesn't work for everyone.

Regards,
Olrik