If it’s Cisco training you’re after, but you’ve not yet worked with routers or switches, you should first attempt 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 large companies with several different sites also need routers to allow their networks to keep in touch.

Routers are linked to networks, so seek out training that includes basic networking skills (maybe the CompTIA Network+, possibly with A+ as well) before you start a CCNA. You must have a basic grasp of networks before getting going with Cisco or you may encounter problems. In the commercial environment, you’ll benefit from having a good knowledge of networks to complement your CCNA.

If you haven’t yet had any experience of routers, then working up to and including the CCNA is definitely sufficient – don’t be pushed into attempting your CCNP. When you’ve become more familiar with the work, you’ll know if it’s appropriate for you to go to the level of CCNP.

A service offered by some training providers is job placement assistance. This is designed to assist your search for your first position. With the great need for more IT skills in this country today, it’s not necessary to place too much emphasis on this feature however. It isn’t so complicated as you might think to land a job once you’re properly qualified.

Update your CV at the beginning of your training though – you should get plenty of help from your training provider on this. Don’t procrastinate and leave it until you’ve graduated or passed any exams.

It’s possible that you won’t have even passed your first exam when you will be offered your first junior support role; however this won’t be the case unless your CV is with employers.

Actually, a specialist locally based recruitment consultant or service (who will, of course, be keen to place you to receive their commission) is going to give you a better service than a recruitment division from a training organisation. In addition, they will no doubt be familiar with the local area and commercial needs.

A good number of people, apparently, spend evenings and weekends on their training and studies (sometimes for years), only to do nothing special when attempting to secure a good job. Market yourself… Work hard to put yourself out there. Don’t think a job’s just going to jump out in front of you.

What is the reason why traditional academic studies are now falling behind more commercially accredited qualifications?

With fees and living expenses for university students spiralling out of control, along with the IT sector’s increasing awareness that accreditation-based training often has more relevance in the commercial field, we have seen a big surge in Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA based training programmes that create knowledgeable employees for considerably less.

Of course, an appropriate portion of relevant additional detail must be learned, but focused specialisation in the required areas gives a commercially trained student a distinct advantage.

Put yourself in the employer’s position – and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. What should you do: Wade your way through a mass of different academic qualifications from hopeful applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which commercial skills they have, or choose a specific set of accreditations that specifically match what you’re looking for, and make your short-list from that. Your interviews are then about personal suitability – rather than establishing whether they can do a specific task.

Authorised exam simulation and preparation packages are crucial – and must be obtained from your training company.

Ensure that the practice exams aren’t just asking you the right questions on the right subjects, but ask them in the same way that the proper exam will ask them. It can really throw some people if the questions are phrased in unfamiliar formats.

As you can imagine, it is really important to know that you are completely prepared for the real exam prior to doing it. Going over simulated tests logs the information in your brain and saves you time and money on failed exams.

Often, students don’t think to check on a painfully important area – the way their training provider divides up the training materials, and into how many bits.

Usually, you will join a program staged over 2 or 3 years and get posted one section at a time – from one exam to the next. This sounds logical on one level, until you consider this:

What if for some reason you don’t get to the end of every single section? What if you don’t find their order of learning is ideal for you? Because of nothing that’s your fault, you may go a little slower and consequently not get all your materials.

Put simply, the best solution is to get an idea of what they recommend as an ideal study order, but to receive all the materials up-front. Meaning you’ve got it all if you don’t manage to finish inside of their required time-scales.

(C) 2009 – S. Edwards. Visit Click HERE or CCNA Training.

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