If you're interested in Cisco training and you're new to routers, what you need is the CCNA. This training program has been put together to teach individuals with a working knowledge of routers. Commercial ventures that have a number of branches need routers to join up their various different networks of computers to allow their networks to keep in touch. The Internet also is based on huge numbers of routers.
You may find yourself employed by an internet service provider or possibly a large or international company that's geographically spaced out but still wants internal communication. These jobs are well paid and in demand.
The CCNA qualification is what you should be aiming for - don't be pushed into attempting your CCNP yet. Get a couple of years experience behind you first, then you will know if it's relevant for you to have this next level up. If so, you'll have a much better chance of succeeding - because you'll know so much more by then.
It's important to understand: the actual training program or the accreditation isn't what this is about; the career that you want to end up in is. Many trainers unfortunately over-emphasise the certificate itself. It's not unheard of, in some situations, to thoroughly enjoy one year of training and then spend 20 miserable years in a tiresome job role, simply because you did it without some quality research when it was needed - at the start.
It's essential to keep your focus on where you want to go, and create a learning-plan from that - don't do it back-to-front. Keep your eyes on your goals and ensure that you're training for something you'll still be enjoying many years from now. Look for advice and guidance from a skilled advisor, even if you have to pay a small fee - it's usually much cheaper and safer to investigate at the start if you've chosen correctly, instead of finding out after several years of study that you've picked the wrong track and have to return to the start of another program.
Talk to any knowledgeable consultant and we'd be amazed if they couldn't provide you with many horror stories of how students have been duped by salespeople. Only deal with someone that asks some in-depth questions to find out what's appropriate to you - not for their paycheque! It's very important to locate a starting-point that will suit you. If you've got a strong background, or perhaps a bit of commercial experience (some industry qualifications maybe?) then it's more than likely the level you'll need to start at will vary from a trainee who has no experience. For students embarking on IT studies anew, it can be useful to start out slowly, kicking off with user-skills and software training first. This can easily be incorporated into most training packages.
If you forget everything else - then just remember this: You absolutely must have proper 24x7 professional support from mentors and instructors. You will have so many problems later if you don't heed this. Locate training schools with proper support available at any time of the day or night (even 1am on Sunday morning!) You want direct-access to qualified mentors and tutors, and not access to a call-in service which takes messages - so you're consistently being held in a queue for a call-back during office hours.
Keep your eyes open for training programs that have multiple support offices from around the world. All of them should be combined to enable simple one-stop access together with 24x7 access, when it suits you, with no hassle. Don't accept second best when you're looking for the right support service. Most would-be IT professionals that throw in the towel, are in that situation because they didn't get the support necessary for them.
Always expect the most up to date Microsoft (or any other key organisation's) authorised exam preparation packages. Students regularly can be thrown off course by trying to prepare themselves with questions that aren't from official boards. Sometimes, the terminology in the real exams is startlingly different and it's important to prepare yourself for this. Why don't you check your knowledge by doing tests and simulated exams before you take the real thing.
Author Resource:-
(C) Jason Kendall. Pop over to LearningLolly.com for clear information on CCNA Training and Cisco CCNA Training.
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