My CCNA Journey (so far)
May 2023 (341 Words, 2 Minutes)
Recently, I started studying for the CCNA certification, hoping to get a foothold in networking. In this article, I will point out the reasons I started, the hopes I have, and what I’ve been doing to study. I will include my resources (so far) at the bottom, and update this article as time goes on.
Why I Started
Before talking about the CCNA, I would like to state what I was very adamant on earning right before I started studying for it: the eJPT. It’s an entry-level cert for red teaming, and I was determined to get this cert, even though it was said to be very easy. I applied for a grant to be able to afford it, but after getting passed over and thinking about it more, I decided not to go with it. Instead, I chose to start studying for the CCNA. To me, it seemed a much better use of my time. I would need to learn some networking, which I could apply in a variety of fields and is a great base knowledge to have. Additionally, it is much more in demand than the eJPT (5 jobs compared to 1000+ jobs in my area), making it better in the long run in terms of a career.
How I’m Studying
Currently, I’m going through the complete CCNA video series on the Jeremy’s IT Lab YouTube channel. It’s been an excellent experience, since he fills it up with detailed and clear explanations, Anki flash cards, and Packet Tracer practice labs. These resources are amazing in picking up the material, cementing it in my brain, and actually getting to configure devices. I am also going through the book 30 Days Before Your CCNA Exam review book by Allan Johnson while I cover the topics. Though the book is meant to be used as review in the days before the exam (the title communicates this quite well), it is very useful for offering more succinct explanations of the concepts. Additionally, I personally take a liking to books and think that reading helps cement the concepts into my brain even more, accompanied with the detailed notes I take with every one of Jeremy’s videos. Advice from me would be to do multiple videos in one day, but not too many that it becomes overwhelming. Two or three is advisable, but your mileage may vary.
Plans Before the Exam
My current plan is to finish Jeremy’s video course and the review book I mentioned earlier, spend time going through a mixed round of Anki flash cards (basically combining all of Jeremy’s flash cards into one deck), and take a Boson Ex-Sim CCNA practice exam to see where I am in terms of knowledge of the topics on the real exam. Finally, I plan to go over the concepts day-by-day (as prescribed by the review book) in the days preceding my official exam registration.
Resources