CCNA – One Year Later
In May of this year, I marked the one year anniversary of obtaining my CCNA certification by passing the composite exam. The following are my thoughts, opinions, and observations one year out.
Use it or loose it!
As far as knowledge is concerned, I am a firm believer that what you do not user you loose. This was evident when I began planning for an IP address scheme change and I struggled with the first few subnets. Don’t expect to know every little detail or command off the top of your head, but do make sure you have a firm grasp on the core knowledge.
Continued Education
Certifications can be the equivalent of a final exam in school. For most of us once the exam has been passed the books and other study materials are placed on a shelf to be all but forgotten. Resist this urge!
Regardless of your choice to continue onto another technical certification, the learning should not stop. Topics that I use fairly regularly in my daily life are easily recalled, however the vast majority of the subject matter may not be topics that are covered on a regular basis. Once again, pick up your books and study materials to refresh what you learned. Chances are that when it comes time to recall that information (In real life or on another certification) you wont have to bang your head to remember something.
Real World Certification
Some debate the purpose of a technical certifications, particularly one sponsored by a technology company that benefits from people being familiar with their products. My take on this is that a certification is anything that you make of it. My opinion is that the CCNA is a good entry-level certification. The majority of the material covered is generic enough that it can be easily applied to equipment from just about any other vendor. The have been a few times when I have referenced my Cisco study material when configuring equipment from other vendors.
My personal goal with any certification is not to come out with just a certificate or specific knowledge of vendor “X”‘s equipment. I want to become a more well-rounded person who can adapt and apply my knowledge to any situation. I have witnessed a few cases where people with high level Cisco certifications proclaim “If it’s not Cisco, I don’t know it”. I question where they went wrong in their studies to not only adopt that mentality but also lack the confidence in their own knowledge and skills to be able to work with equipment from any vendor.
Recommended reading
There is no shortage of great reading material on networking, some of which I have had the pleasure of reading. Personally, I would suggest picking up a book on anything that interests you. Are you curious about BGP? Pick up a book! Sure there will be topics in the book that may be beyond you current knowledge, but for me that’s the best way to learn.
One book I would highly recommend for anyone that has obtained their CCNA certification is “Network Warrior“. The book holds true to its claim covering anything that wasn’t on the CCNA exam. It will give you a good intro to some more advanced topics and even covers some things such as how to avoid becoming an I.T. jerk!
Here’s to continued study and knowledge!