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CCNA: The muse that constructed my IT profession (could be yours, too)

by HealthMatters September 13, 2024, 4:00 am 1000 Views

Hiya there, my title is Hank Preston, and I’m CCNA licensed. Nicely, really, I’m additionally CCNP, CCIE, and DevNet Skilled licensed, however it’s the CCNA that began me on my journey method again on August 8, 2004.

20 years in the past, I sat down for the primary time at a Prometric testing heart, coronary heart beating quick, palms somewhat sweaty, and tremendous nervous for my first certification examination: CCNA 640-801. I nonetheless keep in mind the sensation of hitting the “Finish Examination” button and ready for the outcomes display. I used to be certain I failed; there have been simply SO many questions I wasn’t certain about. Did I keep in mind my decimal to binary steps? Was the utmost hops for RIP 15 or 16? It solely took possibly 5 seconds for the display to pop up, but it surely felt like I used to be ready for spanning-tree to converge after a root bridge failure… and never the speedy model of spanning-tree, both. When the display modified, I closed my eyes… I didn’t need to know. However ultimately, I opened my eyes and was offered with these wonderful phrases…

“Congratulations, you handed!”

(Or one thing alongside these strains.)

It was an incredible feeling. I had finished it. I used to be Cisco CCNA Licensed! I used to be prepared for my profession as a community engineer. Nicely, to proceed and develop my profession. I used to be technically already working as a community engineer, however having the certification gave me confidence. It gave me proof that I had some data about networking. Heck, it meant that CISCO endorsed me as a community engineer. It was a reasonably large deal. When the exhausting copy of my CCNA certification arrived within the mail, I purchased a body and hung it on the wall.

Hank Preston's framed CCNA Certification — Hank’s framed CCNA certification

Now for the marginally embarrassing flip within the story… three years later, on September 29, 2007, my CCNA expired. Phew… I stated it. And it feels higher to get the reality out. It wasn’t that I didn’t nonetheless worth being CCNA licensed. Or that I wasn’t working as a community engineer anymore. Nope… what occurred was… effectively, “life.” I used to be again in graduate faculty engaged on my grasp’s diploma whereas working full-time. I needed to do some robust prioritizing, and I needed to let my CCNA expire. I used to be disenchanted, however I knew I might research and re-earn it once more.

And re-earn it, I did. 722 days after my CCNA expired (8 days lower than 2 years), I used to be again at a testing heart in entrance of a pc, tackling CCNA examination 640-802. In these two years, Cisco had up to date the CCNA certification. Actually, I might have taken two exams, INTRO and ICND, as an alternative of a single examination. However coming again to recertify, I used to be extra assured and dove proper into the one examination. I say extra assured, however not absolutely assured. The nerves have been nonetheless there, and by the point I used to be finished, my confidence had dwindled. I used to be certain I used to be going to be again the next week for an additional try. However that didn’t occur. I as soon as once more was confronted with the fantastic phrases:

“Congratulations, you handed!”

As I walked out with my outcomes, feeling that very same satisfaction at being CCNA licensed, I promised myself I might NEVER let it expire once more. And I haven’t. Actually, I used to be again at a testing heart lower than a month later, taking the CCNA Safety examination (I handed). And a month after that, I used to be again as soon as extra to take and move the CCNA Wi-fi examination.

Why the push, you may ask? Nice query. Whereas I had been working as a “community engineer” for a number of years, by then, I needed to develop my profession. I needed to work on greater networks for greater firms. Whereas I had my grasp’s diploma in data programs by then, one thing I used to be additionally very pleased with, job postings, recruiters, and managers have been searching for folks with the sensible abilities to work on advanced networks. Senior community engineer positions all listed Cisco certifications as “desired” if not “required.” And I needed a kind of positions.

Which brings me again to that day in 2004 once I first earned my CCNA certification, after which returned in 2009 to re-earn it. The talents I realized when finding out for my CCNA have been instrumental in serving to me find out about wi-fi so I might add “wi-fi community engineer” to my talent set. With out the fundamentals of the OSI mannequin, IP addressing, and routing, I wouldn’t have been capable of deal with safety subjects like firewalls, VPNs, and intrusion prevention to turn into a CCSP (Cisco Licensed Safety Skilled – the previous title for CCNP Safety) in September 2010.

One thing else occurred to my profession in September 2010. I used to be employed as a Programs Engineer at Cisco. Working for Cisco had been like a “secret dream” of mine for a few years. I imply, I used to be a community engineer — and Cisco IS networking. At that time in my profession, I hadn’t had the chance to satisfy many Cisco staff, however the ones I had met had left me in awe of their abilities and data. They gave me an instance to work in direction of. Simply interviewing at Cisco was an incredible expertise.

I keep in mind conversations with my hiring supervisor, Eric Knipp. We talked about what it meant to be a Cisco SE, how essential technical data and abilities have been for a Cisco engineer, and the way he was impressed by my devotion and give attention to incomes certifications. At that time, I used to be working in direction of my CCNP Route/Change (the certification now often known as CCNP Enterprise) when he requested whether or not I noticed myself changing into a CCIE. He was a CCIE Voice cert holder who valued data, expertise, AND certifications to validate that data and expertise. I informed him I’d like to turn into a CCIE sooner or later. In later interviews with different management and engineers at Cisco, the data I gained from finding out and passing my certification exams was crucial to standing as much as the technical interview questions I used to be posed. One engineer requested me to do subnetting workout routines on a whiteboard, describe how spanning-tree labored, and the way light-weight entry factors communicated with controllers.

By the best way… Eric Knipp is at the moment a Vice President of Gross sales Engineering at Cisco and STILL maintains his lively CCIE certification and pushes his engineers to keep up and earn certifications. He champions a “Beat the Boss” problem the place he rewards engineers who can earn a brand new certification earlier than he does.

Being licensed didn’t get me the job, however changing into licensed did. With out the Cisco Community Academy instructors and courses that launched me to networking and put me on the trail in direction of the CCNA, with out the nights spent with Cisco Press books from authors like Wendell Odom, Kevin Wallace, and Tim Szigeti, and with out hours spent training sensible abilities on lab gear scrounged from wherever I might discover it, my profession wouldn’t be what it’s at the moment.

“However Hank… that was nice 20 years in the past, however what about at the moment? Certifications aren’t essential anymore.”

I’ve heard this query and remark lots. Whereas I agree that certifications and their place as a part of studying and constructing expertise have modified, they’re completely nonetheless a helpful a part of any engineer’s toolkit and worth. I simply did some job searches for various community engineering roles. Each single one in every of them lists certifications as required or most well-liked. And which certification confirmed up greater than another? The CCNA. Yep, 26 years after being launched, CCNA remains to be acknowledged as a requirement for community engineers.

It’s secure to say that I completely LOVE the CCNA certification. It continues to alter the lives of engineers worldwide, and I’m excited to be serving to new engineers earn their CCNA certifications.

My first community engineering course was a Cisco Community Academy class at my local people faculty. Beneath the supervision of an exquisite teacher, I linked to my first router with a blue ribbon cable. Final yr, I returned to a Community Academy classroom as a CCNA teacher. Serving to the subsequent technology of engineers make their first ping work was so rewarding. Whereas a few of the abilities I needed to be taught once I earned my CCNA are now not a part of the fabric – RIP and HDLC connections, foundational subjects like subnetting, spanning-tree, and VLANs are simply as essential at the moment.

I’m excited to be “getting again to fundamentals” this summer time with the CCNA Prep program, refreshed for model 1.1 of the CCNA. Joined by Patrick Gargano, my colleague right here at Cisco and fellow Community Academy teacher, we have now launched “Season 1” of our CCNA Prep – Again to Fundamentals sequence to assist community engineers put together for the CCNA examination. This primary season will cowl a few of my favourite foundational networking subjects, corresponding to VLANs, Spanning-Tree, EtherChannel, and the fundamentals of routing. The CCNA Prep program is totally free, so register to affix us for demonstration-based webinars the place we have a look at the technical subjects on the CCNA examination, present entry to apply questions, and downloadable CML and PacketTracer recordsdata to work by the workout routines your self! You may join CCNA Prep right here at no cost.