I’ve taken a good number of training classes on design and programming. Most of the classes were for Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, PHP, and CSS. I also didn’t shy away from development courses on management, leadership, project management, communications and customer service. However, I have recently taken an interest to expand my knowledge towards IT Networking. It took a total of 3 months to receive my first Cisco certification. I buried myself in self-studying a Cisco Press book – ICND1 (Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1). I also attended a week long class at the Global Knowledge training center. The ICND1 course covers basic concepts of networking including routing, switching and IP addressing for a small network. It also covers data network operations and network security. The book and the materials from the class were all very helpful, but I must say that the most valuable help I received was from my extremely knowledgeable and helpful co-workers, all who are very experienced network engineers.
It took me the full 90 minutes allotted to complete the 50 question test. Of course, the exam threw some questions that were more difficult than others. I had to make a concerted effort to manage my time to complete all questions. I enjoyed the lab simulations more than the multiple choice type questions. I found myself more interested in diving into command prompt of a router or switch to troubleshoot a network scenario rather than choosing which answer best fits the multiple choice question. Nevertheless, I survived the brutal 90 minutes and passed the test. The certification arrived in the mail this afternoon and it marks the first milestone of my technical education in the IT Networking field. Thanks to everyone, my co-workers, and my wife for helping me start this journey.
What’s next? I am on the next Cisco Press book – ICND2 and I will be working towards the exam for a CCNA certification – Cisco Certified Network Associate.
CCENT – Cisco Certifed Entry Network Technician!
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