UK Cisco Training Described

If it’s Cisco training you’re after, but you’re new to working with network switches or routers, you most probably should start with the Cisco CCNA qualification. This will provide you with skills for setting up and maintaining routers. The internet is constructed from huge numbers of routers, and national or international corporations with various different locations also use them to connect their computer networks.

Routers connect to networks, so look for a program that covers networking fundamentals (for example Network+, perhaps with A+) before getting going with CCNA. It’s vital that you’ve got a basic grasp of networks before you start a Cisco course or you may be out of your depth. At interview time, companies will expect good networking skills to complement your CCNA.

Qualifying up to the CCNA level is what you should be aiming for - at this stage avoid being tempted to do the CCNP for now. Once you’ve worked for a few years you’ll know if this next level is for you. If it is, you’ll be much more capable to succeed at that stage - because you’ll know so much more by then.

The perhaps intimidating chore of landing your first IT job can be made easier by some companies, via a Job Placement Assistance programme. Sometimes, there is more emphasis than is necessary on this service, because it is genuinely quite straightforward for any motivated and trained individual to secure work in the IT environment - as there is such a shortage of well trained people.

However, what is relevant is to have CV and Interview advice and support though; additionally, we would recommend everyone to get their CV updated as soon as they start a course - don’t delay for when you’re ready to start work. It can happen that you haven’t even passed your first exam when you will be offered your first junior support job; although this won’t be the case unless you’ve posted your CV on job sites. If you’d like to keep travelling time and costs to a minimum, then you may well find that an independent and specialised local employment service might serve you better than a centralised service, because they’re going to have insider knowledge of what’s available near you.

A constant aggravation of various training course providers is how much people are prepared to work to get top marks in their exams, but how little effort that student will then put into getting the job they have qualified for. Don’t give up when the best is yet to come.

Ignore a salesperson who recommends a training program without a thorough investigation so as to understand your abilities and level of experience. Ensure that they have a expansive range of products so they can solve your training issues. An important point to note is that, if you’ve got any qualifications that are related, then you will often be able to begin at a different level to someone who is new to the field. Consider starting with user-skills and software training first. This can often make the slope up to the higher-levels a little less steep.

It’s essential to have the most up to date Microsoft (or Cisco, CompTIA etc.) accredited exam simulation and preparation packages. Make sure that the exams you practice aren’t just asking you the right questions on the correct subjects, but also asking them in the way the real exams will formulate them. It throws trainees if they’re met with completely different formats and phraseologies. Simulations and practice exams are enormously valuable as a resource to you - so that when you come to take the real thing, you don’t get uptight.

It’s so important to understand this key point: You absolutely must have proper 24×7 instructor and mentor support. You’ll definitely experience problems if you don’t. Avoid those companies that use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems - with the call-back coming in during standard office hours. It’s not a lot of help when you’ve got study issues and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.

Be on the lookout for training programs that have multiple support offices across multiple time-zones. These should be integrated to offer a simple interface as well as 24×7 access, when it suits you, with no fuss. Never make do with less than this. Online 24×7 support is really your only option for technical study. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; but for most of us, we’re out at work at the time when most support is available.

Including examinations as an inclusive element of the package price and presenting it as a guarantee for your exams is common for a number of training colleges. Consider the facts:

Clearly it’s not free - you’re still being charged for it - the cost has just been rolled into the whole training package. Evidence shows that if students pay for their own exams, one at a time, they’ll be in a better position to pass first time - because they are conscious of what they’ve paid and therefore will put more effort into their preparation.

Look for the very best offer you can at the time, and hang on to your cash. You also get more choice of where you sit the exam - meaning you can choose a local testing centre. Paying in advance for examination fees (which also includes interest if you’ve taken out a loan) is a false economy. Don’t line companies bank accounts with your money just to give them more interest! There are those who hope that you won’t get round to taking them - so they don’t need to pay for them. The majority of organisations will require you to sit pre-tests and not allow you to re-take an exam until you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass - which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.

VUE and Prometric examinations are in the region of 112 pounds in this country. What’s the point of paying huge charges for ‘Exam Guarantees’ (often covertly rolled into the cost of the course) - when the best course materials, the right level of support and a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.