BlueWolf's Howl

« The Gears Squeak | Bluewolf's Howl | Got Math? »

October 27, 2002

Another Day

Another Day, Another Test...

As most of you know, I've temporarily suspended my studies for the Windows 2000 track of the MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer). [I already have the MCSE for Windows NT, this is the "upgrade" to my certification.]

Have I given up? No. I've just had to reorganize because I'm taking so dang long to finish everything... *sigh* I just don't know why I can't finish two 500 page books per week... I must be lazy...

Anyhoooo... I had to take a break and start brushing up on the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) material. Cisco requires a recertification every three years. My three years are up on Tuesday. Since I haven't attained the next higher level of certification, I have to recertify on the CCNA exam.

The first time I took the CCNA, I only studied the CCNA Study Guides. There was a prerequisite course/book that I never got a chance to read : ICND -- Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices. Luckily, this $60 book is a part of my present company's library. I was determined to read it this time. I always feared that I had missed something by not covering that material. Since I was working on more advanced topics, I felt it was a waste of effort to go back and read it (since I had already passed the test). This time I required myself to read it before beginning my studies with the Study Guide.

There was nothing new in that book. I know that now - after having read it cover to cover. But, I wouldn't say it was a total waste of time. It will reinforce what I'm studying and make it easier to remember the concepts (there's joy in repetition...). The Study Guide reviews the same material and takes it a notch higher. If you're studying for the CCNA and you've got a few years of networking under your belt, skip right to the CCNA study guides. If you're new to networking, read the ICND book. It will help to see the same material over and over and it thoroughly covers "the basics." At least now I can study the test material without worrying that I'm missing something... That was my greatest benefit in completing the ICND book.

Well, enough of a blog break... it's time to get back to the books. I'm up to my ears in the Seven Layers of the OSI model... windowing... routing tables... One difference in this round of studying >> I took the "pretest" at the beginning of the Study Guide. It was really neat to be looking at a question and KNOW the answer - because I had actually performed that task on a router in a production environment. That was sweet...

Posted by BlueWolf on October 27, 2002 03:41 PM