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Sixfools posted:I worked as a field technician/installer for a cable company for a number of years before making the leap Funny hearing that. I was a cable tech for about ten years before I landed a job with one of our construction contracting companies. How did you find the RF knowledge useful in your new gig? I have a strong working knowledge of DOCSIS, RFOG and a lot of other systems in place in modern cable companies but it always felt very... proprietary? Like it’d be generally useless if you aren’t working for a cable company or ISP. I dropped out of college years ago after getting an AA in general studies, but have been looking at SNHU’s Information Technology degrees lately and thought about trying my hand at it with the tuition reimbursement available to me. They also accept A+, Security+ and Network+ as replacements for a few classes so I will likely begin studying soon and knock those out to get a jump on it so even if I don’t finish the degree I’ll have something of substance for a possible career change. Has anyone here done Google’s IT cert program? It seems decent but way underrepresented compared to CompTIA and it is also accepted for transfer credits. At a glance the structure of it seems more user friendly since they handle all of it, rather than having to seek out your own study materials like you do with A+ and such, but if no companies really care about it I doubt it’s worth doing.
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Oct 12, 2019 02:33
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MF_James posted:I have neither taken nor studied for these certs, so I could be way off-base, but Google has a decent rep so I'm giving them benefit of the doubt that these certs are actually more useful in a practical sense than something like the A+ They’ve got a 7-day free trial so I’m going to at least do the first few modules and see how it looks. After that it’s $50/m through Coursera and you move as quickly as you’d like, so I’ll at least give it a whirl since it sounds pretty economical. skipdogg posted:Look at WGU. Probably less expensive than SNHU Any particular selling point to WGU over SNHU besides cost? The money isn’t really a concern as I’ll be fully reimbursed at work anyways. I’ve already confirmed I can transfer most of my gen ed credits to them towards a bachelor’s program.
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Oct 12, 2019 17:55
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Thanks for the feedback. I’ll see about speaking to one of the WGU enrollment people this week since it doesn’t hurt to get some answers and the built-in certs sound attractive. I think SNHU only accepts them as transfer credits. The work experience thing sounds like a hurdle depending on how high they set that bar, though. I manage telcom construction now, and it’d be a stretch to believe anyone would consider installing modems and basic VoIP systems as IT experience but who knows.
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Oct 16, 2019 01:59
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Figured I'd post here since I had a brief chat about ten pages back in this thread about pursuing another degree in an IT related field. I was looking at SNHU and WGU and recommendations here went heavy towards WGU, and the admissions process went well so I"m in the last stretch of my first term of a Cloud and Systems Administration degree. 'Rona kind of screwed up my schedule in a huge way(start date at WGU was April 1st) so I've moved a lot slower than expected, but since July 1st I've managed to take and pass Axelos ITIL v4, CompTIA's A+ Core 1 and 2 and CompTIA's Network+. I'm pretty happy with that because it's a grand or more in certifications included in the tuition that's being reimbursed by my employer. I was going to pull the class that includes Security+ forward but decided to wait, as I intend to finish the degree anyways and if I do it 6-12 months from now my overall renewal period for CompTIA is extended. CompTIA's tests are kind of a lovely experience. I'm a way above average test taker but on all three of the tests I've taken I was sure I failed about 20 questions in, trudged on and after doing their little feedback survey at the end found that I passed. The PBQs were not that bad in my opinion. So many of the questions are small paragraphs with multiple right answers and you have to select the best of the bunch in CompTIA's opinion, but thus far they have been passable. The core of my study was the material on uCertify that WGU provides but I'm convinced that Jason Dion's practice tests are the reason I passed. His question wording is incredibly similar to the way CompTIA formats their questions and will help you acclimate to what the actual test is like. Completely worth the $11.99 per test set on Udemy. So that's that. I'm still employed with a telecom construction company so I'm not actively looking for jobs, but A+ and Network+ in <5 months has left me feeling okay with WGU. I'll be done in three terms most likely at $3700/term, but with my company's reimbursement I'll probably pay about $1700 total out of pocket for a bachelor of science.
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Aug 16, 2020 02:44
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Zotix posted:I don't think CompTIA's grading is a straight right or wrong answer for each question tbh. I agree completely. On almost every question I was immediately able to knock two multiple-choice answers off as wrong but was basically guessing between the other two in many cases because they both could've been right. That also would explain the funky 900-point scale they use for grading. My scores on all three tests were 750ish but frankly a pass is a pass. I browse r/wgu and r/comptia pretty often and the number of "I've failed for the third time" posts are really kind of shocking. WGU grants two free attempts and I was worried about passing the first time-- I can't imagine sinking $1000+ in test fees and study materials and still not having a certification. Angle one on it is that the CompTIA tests kind of condition you to troubleshoot and think critically in addition to knowing the subject matter. Angle two is that their tests are intentionally dishonest to maintain failure rates that help to sustain their position as a major IT certificate issuer. Either way that's why I would recommend the Dion practice tests to anyone looking to take the tests. He does a really good job replicating their style of question. Congrats on your Network+. I thought subnetting would be my downfall but I guess I figured it out enough to join the club.
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Aug 16, 2020 03:20
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Zotix posted:50's on Dion's tests Yeah Dion isn't exactly dishonest and recommends consistent 85%+ scores to be considered ready. He even has an Easter egg or two built into his practice tests to call out memorizing his tests instead of actually learning the poo poo. Can you send me an invite to the Discord? I won't be doing Sec+ for awhile but I'm not too far off from it. Edit: Found an official CompTIA Discord that seems quiet but if this was it I'm good. ClumsyThief fucked around with this message at 04:11 on Aug 16, 2020 |
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Aug 16, 2020 03:53
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Sneaky Wombat posted:Dumb question but how are people doing cert exams? is it remote and they require you to be on webcam? Yes. I've recently done A+ and Net+ through PearsonVue's online proctoring. Edit: Depending on your area's COVID situation I've heard a lot of testing centers are open so I'd look into it if you might want to do that instead.
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Aug 20, 2020 15:35
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Is LPI - Linux Essentials worth anything? It's part of my ongoing WGU enrollment so I'm going to pass it either way but I was curious if anyone had an opinion on it's value. George H.W. oval office posted:Man I'm not pleased with passing the ITIL. I took and passed ITIL Foundations v4 and had the same experience. It's a dishonest piece of poo poo exam that I'm glad I (likely) don't ever have to take again. I passed by I think 2 points and it felt like a roll of the dice even after a few weeks of legitimate study and 5-10 practice exams from their official app. ClumsyThief fucked around with this message at 05:16 on Sep 10, 2020 |
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Sep 10, 2020 05:06
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Passed my Sec+ today as part of the Cloud Computing major at WGU. That completes the CompTIA trifecta and I think all I have left with them is Project+ a little bit down the road, as WGU is dropping Cloud+ in February and replacing it with an entry level AWS cert. I'm glad I have the certs now but CompTIA can gently caress off. 809 on the Security+. I felt like I was failing the entire time but same as A+ and Net+ I passed the first attempt. The school's uCertify content was so-so. Jason Dion's six packs of practice exams are the best. I'd think he wrote the questions for CompTIA they're so similar.
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Nov 21, 2020 23:10
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Sneaky Wombat posted:Amen, I had some CISSP buddies looking at what I was studying and saying the questions were bullshit. I thought about the trifecta but I am done with CompTIA. You mean CompTIA has mislead me about the immediate threat posed by warchalking, and how to properly install laptops in an internet cafe?
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Nov 25, 2020 14:37
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Down to four classes on my WGU degree. Besides the final written project for the school I'm going to have AWS Cloud Practitioner, AWS Associate SysOp and the CCNA that I have to do. Not super worried about the AWS content right now, but is there a recommended course or set of materials for CCNA? My knowledge is mostly theoretical, going about as far as the Net+ I got last summer. Should I expect weeks, or months of time to prep for this?
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Feb 6, 2021 14:24
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Thanks gentlemen. I've downloaded Packet Tracer in anticipation of this and have started looking into some cheap hardware I can buy to build a lab at home for some hands-on. Budget will probably be a few hundred dollars but I'd like to keep it as low as possible. I'll also look into Lammle's books. I would prefer to read 100% of the time as I hate online video courses. I expect subnetting is going to be the hardest part of this for me, because while I can solve those problems making it something I can do in my head sounds like an uphill battle. ClumsyThief fucked around with this message at 23:27 on Feb 13, 2021 |
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Feb 12, 2021 15:07
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QuarkJets posted:Was surprised at how ill-prepared I felt for some of the questions, but I guess it worked out in the end I've said before in this thread but I went through A+, Net+, Sec+ and Project+ in about eight months and CompTIA has a way of making you feel like you're failing through the entire exam. Congrats either way.
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Feb 19, 2021 17:24
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Not sure how many people here have or are pursuing AWS certs but I just pass the SysOps Admin Associate and that test is not a joke. Failed my first attempt and passed my second about an hour ago. Admittedly I came at it from almost zero, having only done the entry level CCP cert and with no professional AWS experience but it's an exam that you can't really fake via brain dumps and such. You either understand the main services and how they all interact or you don't. Taking a week off now but that leaves me with just the CCNA left for certs at WGU and per this thread and other places I think I'll be working through Lammle's books for it.
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May 6, 2021 15:40
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Sacrist65 posted:Plugging Neil Anderson's Udemy class ($12)and the BOSON practice tests ($90?) for CCNA. I passed it in about 2.5 months with little background knowledge. FCKGW posted:Boson tests for CCNA are clutch. If it's the same as when I was in WGU then they are included with the course. Cheers. I'll register a Cisco account later to open up the course and see if WGU supplies Boson, or I'll end up buying them. I just ordered Lammle's 2-volume book set. I might do the Neil Anderson course, but supposedly students are getting free Udemy access soon so no reason to rush that. I struggle a little with the video courses anyways so if the book does the job I'll probably try to stick with it.
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May 6, 2021 22:05
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Just passed my CCNA the other week. That leaves me with just my Capstone(a final project/paper) remaining before I'm issued a Bachelor of Science in Network Operations & Security at WGU.  For anyone who's considering taking the CCNA I spent about six weeks dedicated and scored an 872 and pass on my first attempt. The following were pretty useful: -Neil Anderson's Udemy Course: I found this guy pretty engaging relative to most video lectures. Entire course is about 40 hours and I cherry picked maybe 8-10 labs that I completed. He really does a good job at covering the entire exam. -Boson Practice Exams: 3 tests, 104 questions each. These lined up really well with the actual exam and were probably a bit harder. Do them in study mode and read the full explanations after each question. Can't really stress that enough, these exams are most of the reason I passed. -31 Days Before Your CCNA Exam by Allan Johnson: This book isn't vital but I was able to knock it out easily the week leading up to my exam, and is a really nice recap of everything. I was reasonably sure I failed before hitting submit at the end, and definitely could have studied more, but overall I didn't think it was too harsh of an exam. Boson should do a good job at conditioning you for what shows up on tests day as they're extremely similar in most ways.
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Jul 19, 2021 18:30
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skipdogg posted:Congrats! I'm sure you're advisor has told you, but don't overthink the capstone, just do exactly what they ask for on the rubric and you'll pass no problem. I don't think the people grading these things are technical in the slightest. You could write gibberish, but as long as it hit all the rubric requirements you'll pass. I graduated Oct 2014 from WGU. Thanks! I have no worries about the Capstone at all and I've gotten similar feedback about it. The example paper they send out is honestly pretty badly written and I think it's just a question of finding a free weekend to write my own. Famethrowa posted:How'd you study using "31 Days"? I'm taking notes and outlining but it's exhausting and I've done 3 days in two weeks as a result. That book is specifically written as a final recap and I think the author says as much in the introduction. I blitzed through it in four or five days, but by that point I had already completed Anderson's Udemy course and was scoring 80%+ on the Boson tests. I would not trust it as your only source of information-- it's far from complete in that sense. I didn't take any notes. Labs are pretty important because they'll get you actually typing the commands that litter the exam. Anderson includes premade environments for the Cisco Packet Tracer software so for the sake of the exam you're getting actual trigger time on an IOS command line. I have pretty good retention but I still did a few of them to make sure I knew the really common stuff.
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Jul 22, 2021 20:54
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