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June 22, 2005

Back to books

For those who noticed and wondered about 2005's reading stats... I'm back at it again. I finally finished the CCNP BCRAN study guide.

It's going to be a challenge to catch up and finish out the year with some decent reading stats. But, then again, I like an intellectual challenge... I *reread* the first 12 chapters of the BCRAN book again. It seemed so much easier than the first time I went through it (even though it was a loooong time ago). The last 6 chapters took a bit longer to get through, but it was still familiar material.

Perhaps I needed the break from studying? During that time, I gained experience through my job. When I got to the chapter on Frame Relay, it was much easier to digest. With as many times as I've typed "show frame-relay pvc" - it was easier to remember what the actual output shows now that I've seen it numerous times. The sections on VPNs and AAA were a breeze now that I've configured both 'in the real world.' My hands-on experience definitely makes a difference - it gives me a memory/scenario to anchor the material to so that I can remember it more easily.

The other part that I dreaded was learning the different types of routers and their positioning in SOHO | ROBO | Central Site. When it was a list of devices, it was hard to remember. But, now I remember installing many of these devices and that makes it much easier to remember what they look like and what they do (and what type of environment they're deployed). I've even had the good fortune to have installed and configured a 3000 VPN Concentrator and Wireless Access Points. [Right now I'm very thankful that I'm a "field engineer" instead of being tied to a specific network environment.]

The exam is scheduled for Monday. Since 'school' is not in session, many of the testing centers are closed - which makes testing slots even more scarce. I wanted to take it on Friday, but there were no slots available at the nearby testing centers. Oh well...perhaps I really need those extra days. Everything happens for a reason.

Posted by BlueWolf on June 22, 2005 12:59 AM