|
Quick question: I've found CBT campus. They have an admittedly huge library of courses that they are claiming will prepare for a multitude of tests, with a money back guarantee if a practice test is passed first and the real test is failed afterwards. Does anyone have experience with this place? I've checked around and found an A+ rating from the BBB, and the only complaints I've seen seem to be from people who have trouble holding themselves accountable. I've been offered a full year of their course catalogue, which seems a bit too good to be true, but if it's legit I'm tempted to take it and see if I can't squeak out at least CCNA, CCNP, and maybe some powershell or vsphere.
|
#
¿
Sep 1, 2017 02:33
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 01:34 |
|
|
cage-free egghead posted:Scheduled for my Net+ exam in March so that gives me two months to prep which should be enough. I've got a bunch of random materials but many of the things I got from others pertain to the previous generation's tests (005), would those still be mostly relevant? Also any insight into sites like ITpro or Certmaster? I had a coupon code that made it a $100 difference between the standard and deluxe versions. I passed the N+ a few weeks ago, taking the 006. The 007 is coming out later this year, I think, and my study materials differentiated 006 and 007 content. I only studied the 006, just grazing the 007 before the test, and I barely passed because 007 stuff was all over the test. I'd imagine what's on the 005 is still relevant, but there are more things added to the current test. On the upside, I'm now studying for the Security+ and there is a lot of overlap.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 3, 2018 16:04
|
|
|
Alpha Mayo posted:Ugh my dumb A+ is about to expire in 4 months and I feel obligated to keep it for some stupid reason (probably because I spent $700 on it). Guessing my best bet is to just take Network+? That is just one exam, right? I passed the Security+ yesterday and was EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED in the total lack of any mention of War Driving, War Chalking, Vishing, Smishing, War Ballooning, or any other stupid terminology. The best I got was bluesnarfing. I passed the Network+ last month and that one required much more application as opposed to rote memorization - subnetting, switch configuration, all that was on it. Looking at jobs the past couple months I've seen a lot more requiring or requesting Security+ than Network+, probably because any interface with the DoD requires it.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 8, 2018 15:16
|
|
|
I've gotten three certs in the past three months - A+, Network+, and Security+. I've been waffling between Server+ next or the ICND1. First I was leaning towards the ICND1, but looking at CompTIA's security offerings and stackable tracks it really seems like it might actually be worth something. My experience thus far has been that no one cares about the A+, too many people care about the Security+, and I learned the most with the Network+. Which one seems to have more value? I'm leaning towards CCENT followed by CCNA, but if the CySA+/CASP track is worth as much as it sounds that may change.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 8, 2018 23:17
|
|
|
Adjectivist Philosophy posted:Sounds like my employer has caught the same bug everyone else's has and they are keen on me getting the Security+, which is fine by me since they are paying and my A+/Net+ are expiring soon. I feel the same senseless attachment to them as well. I can't speak for the all-in-one since I didn't even know of it's existence, but I think the Sec+ was mostly inane memorization poo poo. The Net+ had much more application on it, and I learned the most from it. Sec+ was mostly memorizing what is administrative/technical/physical, what recommended specs are, what the incident recovery process is, etc. My practice tests covered smishing/vishing/war chalking/all that, but the closest my actual test came to that was bluesnarfing, which was also covered in my Net+ material. Keep in mind that the 04 will be retired in July, and that's what I took last week, so things might be changing.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 12, 2018 03:29
|
|
|
FCKGW posted:Sec+ was probably the second hardest I’ve taken (behind Linux+) This is an extremely accurate statement. I did the Sec+ a month after the Net+ and I found the Sec+ to be by far the easiest test I've ever taken, but that likely was because of being fresh off the Net+.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 18, 2018 17:03
|
|
|
I just got the CCENT. My original plan was to go for the CCNA immediately after, but the CCENT took a solid two months longer than I anticipated, and I'm not sure I can snag the CCNA without actually applying in the field. I have a Catalyst switch and a simple layer 2, but that probably won't cut it for what the CCNA entails. I've been tossing around the idea of pursuing the Google certs, but is the CCENT worth anything on its own? I'm going to toss it on my resume and see if I can get out of printer tech world and into a job that actually uses the stuff, but in the meantime I'm torn between Google/dabbling in coding/finishing out the CCNA. Edit: And thank all things holy for the ? command working on the test. Oyster fucked around with this message at 13:58 on Aug 2, 2018 |
|
#
¿
Aug 2, 2018 13:53
|
|
|
Charliegrs posted:Just take the CCNA. If you already got the CCENT it won't be that much more difficult. You don't need a real lab for it, although it helps. I didn't have one. Do you have access to Cisco Packet Tracer? I think you need a Cisco academy profile to download and use it and I'm not sure if that's free but if you can get it it's a drat good replacement for a real lab. FCKGW posted:I’m doing ICND2 and using mainly Packet Tracer. I started with GNS3 but PT works just as well for the material with less fuss. PT requires a free NetAcad account if you want to save any labs. Thank you for these. I dumped too much money on a catalog of courses from cbt campus, and while they served me well for the basics - A+ N+ Sec+ - they didn't really have the application for the CCENT and I found it much, much harder. I didn't know packet tracer was free nowadays, that helps substantially. My dissonance was between the CCNA, starting the Google certs, and getting functional with Python. Right now it's seeming like the CCNA is the best first step.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 6, 2018 03:00
|
|
|
alarumklok posted:Just wanted to drop in and say thanks. I just passed the N+ (got an 806) in part from slowly reading through the advice in this thread. S+ was significantly easier than N+ when I took it, there seemed to be plenty of overlap and the S+ was just memorizing a few extra terms. Granted, I took the 004, don't know if that has changed with the 005. I got a 720 on the N+, the perfect passing score.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 10, 2018 19:13
|
|
|
The company that I work for is in the midst of a rather high profile disintegration and I'm throwing job apps out everywhere. I have a CCENT and am hoping to get the CCNA by the end of September, however most jobs I'm looking at are requesting Active Directory experience, of which I have none outside of interfacing with LDAP servers. What's the best way to get around that? An MCSA?
|
|
#
¿
Aug 30, 2018 21:58
|
|
|
Darchangel posted:Over the last couple of weeks? You must be some hell of a study artist. Coursera estimates 8-12 MONTHS for the full course. I did the first "Technical Support Fundamentals" AKA "Babby's intro to PCs" in a week or two of barely paying attention, but Course 2 , the Networking course, is requiring a bit more of my attention. At least I actually understand what CIDR/"slash" notation actually means now. Yeah, he's beeny study buddy in the past. His A+ expired and we were studying for N+, there was a big of a head start there. I've been considering doing the Google certs as well and he said I could probably knock em out in a day, they're basically the a+ N+ sec+.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 1, 2018 00:55
|
|
|
3D GAY WORLD posted:Hey man, not sure if you're still checking this thread, but I can confirm that the Google cert was worth it for me, and is the reason that I was contacted by a Google recruiter for the ITRP (IT Residency Program). I did really well during the interviews because I spent all my free time studying my rear end off, and now I work in internal-facing customer support at Google (that's what people in the ITR program do). I appreciate this info quite a lot, thank you! I was intending on getting the CCNA first, but I'm really struggling with it as the CCENT was more "spot the problem" and the CCNA is more "build it from the ground up". I've really backpedaled on it and started from the ground up with Packet Tracer. Sounds like it might be worth getting the Google ones first!
|
|
#
¿
Oct 23, 2018 18:59
|
|
|
Krispy Wafer posted:Yes, it ends up I needed to login with an account I don't recall ever creating (I have so many Cisco accounts from random jobs at this point). YUP. I'm mostly through the second module of the Google certs which is focused on networking, and good golly this goes into more detail on basically everything. I'm a tidbit frustrated that I have the N+, Sec+, and CCENT, yet I'm still learning new things about NAT and encapsulation from a "basic" cert. Basically what I'm saying is everyone should start with the Google certs, if you need CompTIA or a base vendor cert after it will more than prepare you.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 15, 2018 00:54
|
|
|
Doc Fission posted:I'm hoping to initiate a career change over the course of this year with little practical IT experience. Is there any value in checking out the Google IT courses on Coursera? Does it prepare one adequately for any actual certifications? Just wondering what resources I can exhaust online, am maybe asking dumb questions. I just finished the Google courses yesterday, and yes, they do adequately prepare you for the A+, Net+, and Sec+, and more. I was extremely impressed by them. The Sec+ has more buzzwords, but the Google courses were much more practical. The CCENT isn't much more than what's on the Google courses, it just adds some Cisco specific functions.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 17, 2019 15:46
|
|
|
CampingCarl posted:What is happening in feb? My guess is the test gets updated but I imagine the bulk of the content would be the same. The CCENT will no longer exist in February, only the CCNA, which is being changed also include topics from CCNA Security and CCNA Wireless, tests that are also being removed. It's going to be a hell of a lot harder from what I understand.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 4, 2019 13:42
|
|
|
Was gearing up to get the CCNA before the test changed. Got my tax return, went to buy the voucher. They stopped selling vouchers for the test January 24th. They're only selling vouchers for the new test. gently caress.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 7, 2020 00:09
|
|
|
guppy posted:Can you just register for the exam on the Pearson website? I had never done that for any of my exams, always gotten the voucher through CompTIA or Cisco. I'm on for the 20th. Thank you so much for mentioning that, I was really down yesterday when I thought I had a much longer way to go.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 7, 2020 14:49
|
|
|
Took the CCNA, was greeted by the proctors with "hello Cisco last-dayer!" First question had 5 parts. Answered the first part, hit next, it asked if I wanted to submit my answers, I said yes. Gasped in horror as I realized I just skipped 4 parts of the question and they don't allow going back. Passed with an 835. Now to get a better job.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 20, 2020 21:28
|
|
|
BadMedic posted:Is there any good CCNP study material right now, or is it just the official exam guide? The Amazon reviews mention several spelling mistakes and factual errors. I used Lammle for the CCNA and his site seems to be updated for the new stuff, but I'm not about to drop the $100 to confirm with a 4 day old CCNA.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 24, 2020 22:26
|
|
|
I get a free associates thanks to working in a hospital and my governor. Was looking at the local college's networking program and it ends with getting the CCNA, with the Net+ and A+ along the way. I have all three of those but no experience and having a really hard time getting out of the printer world. Would it be worth doing the work and getting the associates and maybe continuing through WGU, or would that be a waste of time and effort?
|
|
#
¿
Sep 25, 2020 15:36
|
|
|
LochNessMonster posted:Having CCNA alone should be enough to land a position in a NOC I think. Start looking for jr positions already if you can. I have been. Plenty of interviews but get hung up on having certs but not experience. Cyks posted:I was in the printer world at a hospital for over two years before landing an opening on our network team so I feel your pain. I'm on year 6, yeah. I did college for 7-ish years focusing on Japanese and Korean with no degree to show for it. The hope would be to get some experience, maybe learn some things (I passed the old CCNA), then I could finish at WGU or something. Mostly, it's free, I can't afford normal college at the moment, and I've struck out at enough interviews I'm feeling a booster would help. My understanding is that WGU only takes transfers, and hopefully what's covered for free could save a $6,000 6 months.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 27, 2020 03:49
|
|
|
Cyks posted:I misread and thought you meant you were currently enrolled at WGU. You don't have to be a transfer by the way, just need one valid certification from an approved list (which all three of those are). I'm still not sure how much value an associates would bring for an entry position when you already have that much experience and certifications. Yeah. I still can't answer hard experience questions though, all my AD and networking experience has been home labs. Mostly considering it because again, free, might get some transfer credits, and getting past HR.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 30, 2020 15:13
|
|
|
Sneaky Wombat posted:It took me 2 months longer than it should have, but I got my network+ cert. Security+ is already in the bag. Passed by the skin of my teeth so my test prep needs work. I got the Net+ exactly 3 years ago and my score was the passing score, it was surreal. Sec+ was so easy after that. CCNA was way harder but I passed by a much larger margin, so meh.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 19, 2020 20:21
|
|
|
BaseballPCHiker posted:To people thinking they want to get the job first then the cert I would encourage you to get the cert first. Thats essentially how I got my foot in the door in networking in a jr position. Once you can pair a few years of experience with the cert then its off to the races. I've had a CCNA for 10 months and am still stuck in printer support hell. Maybe I suck at interviewing, maybe it's my location, but getting that cert was not the ticket I was hoping it was. Now I'm spending $10k to finish a degree in hopes that more letters after my name is the ticket out.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 30, 2020 17:34
|
|
|
Famethrowa posted:thanks, I'll operate as if it will be on the test for sure. I read this as "unshielded twisted pair with spanning tree protocol" because that's more in line with CCNA. That said, I got mine just before the test changed, the new one might have more emphasis on that kind of cabling.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 17, 2021 03:33
|
|
|
Thanks to my governor and working in a hospital through the pandemic, I get a free associate's degree. To do so, I need to take 12 credits a year. I took 6 in winter and took summer off to adapt to a new job at an MSP. I've picked up my remaining 6 credits this semester to keep the scholarship, focusing more on the security end with a touch of networking as, while I have the CCNA, I never used it before landing the MSP job. I had a sit-down with management today where they informed me that I've been kicking rear end and I will be getting the full quarterly bonus and the yearly raise a month early (in March), but they also said the raise could be more than what's in the contract if I get more Watchguard certifications. I'm already struggling to balance work, school, and studying for the first Watchguard cert, when even that is mostly CCNA review. What does the internet without further contextual information think?
|
|
#
¿
Sep 24, 2021 22:54
|
|
|
LochNessMonster posted:Don’t burn out. If you’re struggling now don’t take on more responsibilities. First real IT job, yeah. Was retail IT at Staples for 2 years ("Easytech Expert", I did most of the consumer fixing), then a tier-2 printer contractor at a hospital for 7, mostly dealing with hardware, got to do some network/AD stuff (ldap configurations mostly). Got the A+, Net+, Sec+, and CCNA, got the job at the MSP. I was thinking maybe finishing the degree wouldn't be worth it since I already have the certs they end with and the Watchguard certs would directly impact my next raise. Still, I'd like to get back into the hospital I left as a full employee as opposed to a contractor, and the degree would help with that. I'm hearing that the degree would be worth more than the raise the extra certs would likely give me. Much to ponder.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 25, 2021 18:50
|
|
|
^^^^^^^^ Those two were what I needed to hear. I did 7 years of college with no degree to show for it and that has kinda tarnished my perspective, but I'm in a *much* better position to succeed now - funny how an autism and ADD diagnosis can change that. My initial plan was to get some gen eds out of the way at my local CC (the pandemic scholarship only covers an associate's) and then transfer to WGU, but getting the job at the MSP changed a lot of plans simply due to how demanding the job is. Management encouraged me to use days off to help balance school if needed - I really do feel that I work with humans below the boomer C-levels - so I think after the first Watchguard cert school's gonna be my focus. Still deciding on whether transferring to WGU before or after the associate's is worth it, but I can decide that after I take a math class for the first time in....poo poo, 17 years.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 25, 2021 20:12
|
|
|
Famethrowa posted:That said, it has been a long path. My career change took 4 years, a lot of work, and determination. It seems to be paying off with an upcoming Internship, but it took a lot of grinding. Wouldn't change it for the world, it's my biggest accomplishment in life, but if you are working full-time it can be brutal. Brutal is the correct word. I'm just finishing an associates and honestly regret it; my certs got me credit for 8 classes and I mostly had to do math to finish the degree. Math that I had taken in high school and since forgotten because I hadn't used it in 18 years. I then had a raise cut because I didn't get Watchguard certed in time; I couldn't handle work, school, certs, and concussion recovery all at once. Granted, I have 3 days left at this job, but if I could redo this last semester I would've dropped out and focused on certs. Only reason I kept going is because tuition was free on the Futures for Frontliners scholarship.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 27, 2022 15:59
|
|
|
New job is heavy on Fortinet. I've never touched em, most of my experience has been Watchguard and Meraki. Is NSE's training offerings worth anything? $200 is a bit to drop on an on-demand lab, and I'm familiar with firewall general principals. Charliegrs posted:I went to community college to get my CCNA. Not even a degree program just a cert program. It literally changed my life. I got the CCNA and then went to community college, which is the opposite order I should've. I would recommend it if you don't have the certs.
|
|
#
¿
May 3, 2022 17:58
|
|
|
Thanks Ants posted:If the job is Fortinet heavy then presumably you have some sort of partner status, so can you get an NFR unit to play with? I picked up the basics fairly quickly by just prodding one. Likely won't be getting any physical access to anything, the office is 1,227 miles away. I'll push for whatever partner status we have; I'm just starting my 3rd day and have access to the on-call system but that's about it. No ticketing system, no documentation. It's been a fun time of a lot of SA reading and googling documentation of systems I see mentioned on Teams. Edit: just needed to find the right people to talk to. There is an NFR I can get access to. Thanks for the recommendation! Double Edit: lol I was just told I'd be working on Palo Alto's more than anything and to pursue the PCNSE. 90% of my experience has been Watchguard and Meraki with a smattering of Untangle, SonicWall, and ASA, so pivoting from Fortinet studying to Palo Alto shouldn't be a big deal. Oyster fucked around with this message at 19:49 on May 4, 2022 |
|
#
¿
May 4, 2022 13:47
|
|
|
Jedi425 posted:Work is offering to pay for a Palo Alto cert, and I'm wondering what the test is like compared to say, the CCNA/CCNP? Are there sims/simlets, or is it all multiple choice type stuff? Wondering how much lab time I should give myself before I try for the exam. Hey, my new job is pushing me to get the PCNSE as well! I also have the CCNA, and from what I hear from others at my place of employment it is a bit more config and security oriented than what I experienced with the CCNA. Granted, I got the old Routing and Switching CCNA the day before the test changed. rafikki posted:I’ve only done the PCNSE but there were no sims. There are some problems where they’ll show you a config and some other info and you need to provide an answer to questions based on it. Thank you for this.
|
|
#
¿
May 20, 2022 13:56
|
|
|
Alright goons. My CCNA expires next February, but I'd like to renew it sooner rather than later as I'm currently feeling that I'm not up to snuff enough for my current job, and I'd like to really dive back into studying. I passed the CCNA the day before the test changed and used Mike Meyer's book to study, which I really, really enjoyed. Is there anything comparable to that for the new test? I'd prefer a book to video courses - I have access to plenty of hardware to experiment with and learn on. I'm also expected to get the PCNSE for my job, but I feel like the CCNA is a better place to start, and keeping it active is also required.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 16, 2022 16:53
|
|
|
Lucinice posted:Actually I've changed my mind. I'm going to focus on trying to get the net+ or CCNA because getting a sys admin job sounds like a good plan. That said I should not that not only do I not have any certifications like I mentioned but I also didn't graduate in any sort of computer science program. So I'm wondering if I'm going to need more than one cert to get a sys admin job. CCNA was enough to get me my first network technician job at an MSP and I used that to springboard into a network engineer position that I need to refresh for. It's definitely enough. Cyks posted:I can't really vouch for any books for current CCNA content but I do want to mention CE. Thank you for this. I checked out my recertification path and apparently there was an extension in March 2020 that now has my CCNA expiring in August next year instead of February, which is neat, but I could still use the refresher. When I mentioned that to my direct boss his immediate reaction was "That is certainly useful information. Any interest in pursuing the CCIE?" and uh....interest, sure, but I got a long way before I can even think about taking the CCIE exam. Let's start with renewing the CCNA, then the CCNP, then we can talk about what the CCIE entails.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 17, 2022 13:39
|
|
|
Lucinice posted:Well it sounds challenging, but if the CCNA will help me more in this situation than the Network + then I'll do it. I started with net+ and sec+ so I already had knowledge of subnetting, and I took it the day before the test changed and became an amalgamation of three tests. The CCNA is worth more than the net+, but the net+ rewarded learning subnetting. The CCNA is also what got me out of printer hell. I found Packet Tracer to be an invaluable t it's free when you make a Cisco account. They even have courses centered on using it with networking concepts. I really liked Mike Meyer's book, but I don't know if he has one for the updated test. Oyster fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Jun 18, 2022 |
|
#
¿
Jun 18, 2022 04:16
|
|
|
tokin opposition posted:wait CCNA doesn't cover subnetting? sounds like i've made my decision between it and net+ I meant that as "being rewarded for knowing subnetting before starting to study for the CCNA helped", subnetting was def on the CCNA when I took it, even if for questions like "which two of these computers can't communicate" and it's the ones on different subnets. wargames posted:not on the current round of tests. This is news and also wild. I know nothing about the current round, which is kinda why I want to renew mine by retaking.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 18, 2022 18:17
|
|
|
BIG FLUFFY DOG posted:I think I’m going to study for the net+ but not take it unless any job I get needs me to. I want to improve my understanding of networks but it’s an expensive test like all of compTIA compared to others and I’ve heard it’s one that nobody really cares about. I think the Net+ is the most valuable of the core trio. A CCNA is better, but if you're not going into networking specifically, a net+ is a solid foundation. Sec+ gets the DoD clearance but I found net+ to actually be the most applicable to day to day operations. I may be biased as I am a network engineer, but I got those several years prior and benefited from it back when I was a printer tech.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 20, 2022 04:24
|
|
|
tehinternet posted:I’m so sorry I honestly didn't mind my time with the printers. I worked directly for Xerox contracted to a really large hospital system, and I enjoyed going everywhere and knowing everyone and getting 15,000 steps a day. Also helped when they let me take a kid with brain cancer to all her appointments and chemo since they were in the same hospital. Wasn't sustainable from a paycheck perspective though, and two years after leaving that job I'm making literally double. Still could use a little more, that's how little they paid.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 21, 2022 19:05
|
|
|
I have 2 months to renew my CCNA. What's the best way to do that? I had signed up for the Cisco DevNet Associate course, but I was also dumb enough to do that while recovering from a TBI and finishing my degree. Still have the TBI but the degree is finished, but now the DevNet Associate course is no longer available. I'd like to spend less than $800 on a Continuing Education course if possible, but I'll do what I gotta do.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 8, 2023 19:49
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 01:34 |
|
|
Contingency posted:Sign up for the CE program. Sign up for Cisco U, get 16 credits for passing the free DEVNAE course. Submit a claim for the 16 CEUs. Keep an eye on the impending Rev Up release: Awesome, thank you. I have experience scripting with Ansible and SolarWinds, and just recently turned a colleague's 5-hours-per-implementation of traffic exceptions into a script, so hopefully this won't be all entirely new to me. Unfortunately most of my experience these days are with Palo and Forti devices, less Cisco. I like the announcement yesterday that this Rev Up challenge is bigger than most so the start will be delayed. At least it will likely be 14 credits. Oyster fucked around with this message at 15:37 on Jul 9, 2023 |
|
#
¿
Jul 9, 2023 15:35
|
|