The CCNA certification is where it all starts for Cisco training. This teaches you how to operate on maintaining and installing network switches and routers. The internet is made up of many routers, and large companies that have various regional departments rely on them to keep their networks in touch.
As routers are connected to networks, it's vital to have prior knowledge of how networks function, or you'll struggle with the training and be unable to follow the work. Find training that features the basics on networks (such as CompTIA) and then move onto CCNA.
Get on a tailored route that takes you on a progressive path to make sure that you've mastered the necessary skills and knowledge before starting your training in Cisco skills.
A lot of trainers only give basic 9am till 6pm support (maybe a little earlier or later on certain days); most won't answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends.
some companies only provide email support (slow), and telephone support is usually to a call-centre which will just take down the issue and email it over to their technical team - who'll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, at a suitable time to them. This is all next to useless if you're stuck with a particular problem and only have a specific time you can study.
The best training colleges provide an internet-based 24 hours-a-day system combining multiple support operations over many time-zones. You will be provided with a simple environment that accesses the most appropriate office no matter what time of day it is: Support when you need it.
You can't afford to accept a lower level of service. Direct-access round-the-clock support is the only kind to make the grade when it comes to technical courses. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; often though, we're working when traditional support if offered.
We'd hazard a guess that you probably enjoy fairly practical work - the 'hands-on' personality type. If you're anything like us, the trial of reading reference books and manuals can be just about bared when essential, but you'd hate it. So look for on-screen interactive learning packages if you'd really rather not use books.
If we can involve all our senses in the learning process, then the results are usually dramatically better.
Courses are now available via DVD-ROM discs, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Through video streaming, you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how it's all done, and then practice yourself - in a virtual lab environment.
It's very important to see the type of training provided by any company that you may want to train through. You'll want to see that they include video demo's and interactive elements such as practice lab's.
Opt for actual CD or DVD ROM's whenever you can. You can then avoid all the difficulties of broadband outages, failure and signal quality issues etc.
You have to make sure that all your exams are current and commercially required - forget programmes which provide certificates that are worthless because they're 'in-house'.
Unless the accreditation comes from a company like Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe, then chances are it won't be commercially viable - as no-one will have heard of it.
A question; why should we consider commercial qualifications rather than traditional academic qualifications obtained from the state educational establishments?
Vendor-based training (as it's known in the industry) is far more effective and specialised. The IT sector has realised that a specialist skill-set is vital to meet the requirements of an increasingly more technical commercial environment. Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA are the big boys in this field.
They do this through concentrating on the skills that are really needed (alongside a relevant amount of background knowledge,) instead of trawling through all the background detail and 'fluff' that degree courses often do (to fill up a syllabus or course).
It's a bit like the TV advert: 'It does what it says on the tin'. All an employer has to do is know what they need doing, and then request applicants with the correct exam numbers. They'll know then that all applicants can do what they need.
As routers are connected to networks, it's vital to have prior knowledge of how networks function, or you'll struggle with the training and be unable to follow the work. Find training that features the basics on networks (such as CompTIA) and then move onto CCNA.
Get on a tailored route that takes you on a progressive path to make sure that you've mastered the necessary skills and knowledge before starting your training in Cisco skills.
A lot of trainers only give basic 9am till 6pm support (maybe a little earlier or later on certain days); most won't answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends.
some companies only provide email support (slow), and telephone support is usually to a call-centre which will just take down the issue and email it over to their technical team - who'll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, at a suitable time to them. This is all next to useless if you're stuck with a particular problem and only have a specific time you can study.
The best training colleges provide an internet-based 24 hours-a-day system combining multiple support operations over many time-zones. You will be provided with a simple environment that accesses the most appropriate office no matter what time of day it is: Support when you need it.
You can't afford to accept a lower level of service. Direct-access round-the-clock support is the only kind to make the grade when it comes to technical courses. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; often though, we're working when traditional support if offered.
We'd hazard a guess that you probably enjoy fairly practical work - the 'hands-on' personality type. If you're anything like us, the trial of reading reference books and manuals can be just about bared when essential, but you'd hate it. So look for on-screen interactive learning packages if you'd really rather not use books.
If we can involve all our senses in the learning process, then the results are usually dramatically better.
Courses are now available via DVD-ROM discs, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Through video streaming, you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how it's all done, and then practice yourself - in a virtual lab environment.
It's very important to see the type of training provided by any company that you may want to train through. You'll want to see that they include video demo's and interactive elements such as practice lab's.
Opt for actual CD or DVD ROM's whenever you can. You can then avoid all the difficulties of broadband outages, failure and signal quality issues etc.
You have to make sure that all your exams are current and commercially required - forget programmes which provide certificates that are worthless because they're 'in-house'.
Unless the accreditation comes from a company like Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe, then chances are it won't be commercially viable - as no-one will have heard of it.
A question; why should we consider commercial qualifications rather than traditional academic qualifications obtained from the state educational establishments?
Vendor-based training (as it's known in the industry) is far more effective and specialised. The IT sector has realised that a specialist skill-set is vital to meet the requirements of an increasingly more technical commercial environment. Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA are the big boys in this field.
They do this through concentrating on the skills that are really needed (alongside a relevant amount of background knowledge,) instead of trawling through all the background detail and 'fluff' that degree courses often do (to fill up a syllabus or course).
It's a bit like the TV advert: 'It does what it says on the tin'. All an employer has to do is know what they need doing, and then request applicants with the correct exam numbers. They'll know then that all applicants can do what they need.
About the Author:
(C) S. Edwards 2010. Browse around Dreamweaver Training or www.ComptiaAPlusInfo.co.uk.