Certifications

Ever since I got into the IT field about 11 years ago, I have wanted to get a computer networking certification. In this field, certifications mean a lot. Having a college degree is almost expected now and a certification can assure a company that you truly know your stuff. The most well recognized networking certifications are attained from Cisco. They are the largest networking company in the World. They have many levels of certifications from entry all the way to expert architect. I just want to attain the entry level certification and prove to myself that I can do it. I have heard that some people get an itch once they pass their first level exam to keep moving up the ladder. In my opinion, you really have to work with network equipment hands on everyday to be able to or need to attain the professional and expert levels. You have to re-certify or attain a higher certification every three years to be able to keep your previously attained certifications current.

I have been working hard to get through the material for the first level certification, CCENT. CCENT stands for Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician. It is the first step to the CCNA or Cisco Certified Network Associate certification. I have been reading the book off and on for the past year. It is hard to find time with four kids! I finally finished the book about a month ago and I have finished doing all the lab work that is available with the book. All that is left now is doing practice tests and scheduling the test. The practice test software recommends you set aside two hours to take the practice test and to get rid of all distractions just like in the testing center. My wife is in Paramedic school so it is difficult to get two hours to myself without the kids.

My brother, Jonathan has passed two CCNA exams. They are many versions of the certification, the most common being Network Routing and Switching. He has the Routing and Switching and has recently gotten the CCNA Wireless certification. I would love to get both of those, because Wireless has always been an aggravating part of my job. So I am hoping that certification can help me become better friends with Wireless Networking.

I truly hope that one day soon I will have a blog post about the fact that I passed my exam and got certified. Stay tuned!