by Jason Kendall

The CCNA certification is the way to go for training in Cisco. With it, you’ll learn how to handle maintaining and installing routers and switches. The internet is made up of many routers, and large companies who have different locations utilise them to allow their networks to keep in touch.

Jobs that need this knowledge mean the chances are you’ll work for national or international companies that have several locations but need to keep in touch. Or, you may move on to being employed by an internet service provider. These jobs are well paid and in demand.

Achieving CCNA is where you should be aiming; don’t let some salesperson talk you into starting with the CCNP. Once you’ve worked for a few years, you can decide whether you need to train up to this level. Should that be the case, your experience will serve as the background you need for the CCNP - which is quite a hard qualification to acquire - and shouldn’t be looked upon as otherwise.

A knowledgeable and specialised consultant (in direct contrast to a salesman) will cover in some detail your current level of ability and experience. This is useful for working out your starting level of study. If you’ve got a strong background, or sometimes a little commercial experience (maybe some existing accreditation?) then it could be that your starting level will be very different from someone who is just starting out. For those students starting IT studies and exams for the first time, you might like to avoid jumping in at the deep-end, starting with some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first. Usually this is packaged with most types of training.

Please understand this most important point: You absolutely must have proper 24×7 instructor and mentor support. Later, you’ll kick yourself if you don’t follow this rule rigidly. Beware of institutions that use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems - where you’ll get called back during office hours. It’s not a lot of help when you’ve got study issues and want support there and then.

The most successful trainers utilise several support facilities around the globe in several time-zones. By utilising an interactive interface to seamlessly link them all, no matter what time you login, there is always help at hand, with no hassle or contact issues. Seek out a training provider that is worth purchasing from. Only proper round-the-clock 24×7 support truly delivers for technical programs.

Being a part of the cutting-edge of new technology is as thrilling as it comes. You become one of a team of people creating a future for us all. We’re barely beginning to get a handle on how all this change will affect us. How we correlate with the world as a whole will be significantly affected by technology and the internet.

Always remember that on average, the income of a person in the IT industry throughout this country is considerably higher than in other market sectors, so in general you will probably gain significantly more with professional IT knowledge, than you could reasonably hope to achieve elsewhere. The requirement for certified IT specialists is certain for a good while yet, thanks to the continuous increase in the marketplace and the huge deficiency still present.

Most people don’t even think to ask about something of absolutely vital importance - how their training provider breaks up the courseware elements, and into how many bits. Many companies enrol you into a program typically taking 1-3 years, and send out each piece as you pass each exam. If you think this sound logical, then consider this: What would their reaction be if you find it difficult to do all the exams at the speed they required? And maybe you’ll find their order of completion won’t fit you as well as some other structure would for you.

For maximum flexibility and safety, it’s normal for most trainees to insist that all study materials are posted to them in one go, with nothing held back. It’s then up to you at what speed and in which order you want to finish things.

Be alert that all certifications you’re working towards will be commercially viable and are the most recent versions. Training companies own certificates are often meaningless. From the viewpoint of an employer, only the big-boys such as Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA (to give some examples) will get you into the interview seat. Nothing else will cut the mustard.

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