My Certification Experiences

My personal opinion on these magic papers!

CompTIA Network+

Rating: 3.5/5

This is the sampler plate of the networking world. The certification teaches you all kinds of networking technologies, it's the bare minimum of understanding networks.

It’s pretty much just knowing, and being able to explain hundreds of networking related terminologies and how they apply in real scenarios. I call this one, the network literacy certification.

You can check the exam topics here.

That being said, it is a good entry-level certification for people who want to work in the field of IT and want a good foundation of networking. However, if you plan to specialize in networking, I would not recommend this path. But you can always study this course especially if you have zero knowledge in networks, and if you have money to spare or a free chance to take the exam, might as well.

How long it took me: 40 days
How I did it:

• Professor Messer (Free) — kind of monotonous and can be a snoozefest but he is concise, clear and straight to the point. Notes and practice exams are paid content.

• Jason Dion (Paid) — soft-spoken, goes a little more in depth and unnecessary but he also inserts valuable exam tips. The paid course includes PDF notes and a practice exam.

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CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate)

Rating: 5/5

Ah, this one was a 5/5. All hail Cisco! The one true vendor!

An amazing certification, this took me for a ride and it was a bumpy but really fun one. It goes over most of the stuff that you will need to start a career specializing in Networking. It’s a completely different beast from your typical entry-level certification, that’s probably why there’s always an argument whether it is one.

Cisco ensures that you will have a strong foundational knowledge of networking concepts, be able to troubleshoot a real environment and configure and design a campus network.

Hands-on learning was my favorite part of this certification. It made me simulate my own network, implement technologies I’ve learned into beautiful presentable projects. I was able to see packets flow through devices, different layers communicate and routers work their magic.

How long it took me: 120–130 days
How I did it:

• Odom’s Official Cert Guide (Vol. 1, Vol. 2) (Paid) — Odom is an amazing teacher and these books have greatly helped me. These books have thousands of pages but they are worth it. I used pearson subscription to get access to these books instead of buying the hard copies.

• Odom’s Certskills (Free) — this is a supplementary website that matches the chapters in Odom’s books. The site has a lot of free labs, exercises and drills that are very helpful.

• Jeremy’s 60-day CCNA (Free) — he can be a bit monotonous, but he makes it so each topic is broken into small chunks that are easier to study, he goes way beyond but that’s a good thing for CCNA. The daily lessons also include labs and a flashcard app for memorization.

• Neil Anderson’s Course (Paid) — once you get past the accent, he is an amazing teacher. One of the highest rated ones too. The course includes PDF notes, a study plan, exam tips and labs.

• Boson’s ExSim Practice Exam — the industry standard for CCNA practice exams, they are tailored just like the real ones. They have 312 questions you can go through to prepare your brain for the real exam.