BlueWolf's Howl

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December 03, 2003

Back to the Books

Well, it's back to the books again... And they're rolling in at a fast pace. I already have the 70-214 Study Guide and I'm working my way through it. I'm hoping to take this test around the 15th of Dec...

While I was starting into that book, the Cisco Press book arrived on my doorstep. The Cisco book is for Remote Access - one of the two tests left for the CCNP. I'm really looking forward to conquering that hurdle. It's been a goal of mine for a long time.

Another goal of mine is getting my degree. I'm chopping away at it, but it seems to be creeping along at a snail's pace. The Security+ was a boost in that direction, but I'll need to get that Ethics exam out of the way or it'll bite me in the butt... One of the other exams that I had planned to take (which counts toward college credit) is the i-Net+ exam. It's not an exam that I would have bothered to take otherwise, but Exclesior seems to value it highly. I went to Ocean State Job Lots today to pick up some Christmas lights and wandered into the surplus book section. I was able to scoop up the books for dirt cheap! I picked up the Exam Prep book (normally $49.99) and the Personal Trainer/Exam Cram software and study notes (normally $99.99) for $6.99 each! Okay...so I knew this was too good to be true. I saw that the other books for the Cisco exams were two iterations behind the current exam level. And, yes, it is too good to be true. The i-Net+ guides are for the IKO-001 exam and the current exam is IKO-002. Well, for a mere $14 it may be helpful. Once I get a chance, I'll match exam objectives and see what was left out or updated. From a quick glance at the topics, it looks like material I already know... so perhaps I might be able to improvise. It also appears that this could be a "hat trick" exam. It could count for i-Net+ certification, college credit, and for only $95 processing fee - it would give me CIW Associate certification.

Makes mental note: If I see anyone with i-Net+ and CIW Associate credentials in their sig block, I now know it's the SAME cert...

So I've put the charcoals and other art supplies away until next break. I'm going to use art as a reward for getting my studying done. I've found that bribes often work to help me plow through all of this stuff...

Oh...speaking of mental bribes...I also have another book (another $6.99 special) waiting for me at the end of my studies -- "Hacker's Challenge - Test Your Incident Response Skills Using 20 Scenarios." It's the geek version of a mystery novel. It sounds interesting and seems like a way to put all this studying to practical use (without wishing for or dealing with a real incident).

Well...it's time to quit yapping about it and get studying....

Posted by BlueWolf on December 3, 2003 07:16 PM