At the moment I work for an ISP in London, my role involves configuring Cisco 8xx/19xx/29xx routers with pretty basic configs along with working on Catalyst switches, I also know how to do NAT translations, access lists on routers and PIX firewalls and I also configure VLANs, ports on our core switches and can do basic BGP/OSPF troubleshooting. Most of my work is adding to things that have already been set up, no real deployment and no real new configuration, nothing that I would consider specialist knowledge.
I would like to achieve CCNA and possible CCNP certification by spring next year, which might be slightly optimistic given that I find it neigh on impossible to learn from books - everything I have ever learnt about networking has been based in practise in real life situations on live networks. So self-study is pretty much out the window so I would like to know how the Cisco professionals on this forum gained their certifications.
My education background isn't great, since school I have a C&G Electrical Engineering qualification and did a 1 year level 2 IT Services apprenticeship.
OU courses are expensive, I don't really fancy paying £2.5k to get CCNA if I can avoid it so any help would be appreciated.
I would like to achieve CCNA and possible CCNP certification by spring next year, which might be slightly optimistic given that I find it neigh on impossible to learn from books - everything I have ever learnt about networking has been based in practise in real life situations on live networks. So self-study is pretty much out the window so I would like to know how the Cisco professionals on this forum gained their certifications.
My education background isn't great, since school I have a C&G Electrical Engineering qualification and did a 1 year level 2 IT Services apprenticeship.
OU courses are expensive, I don't really fancy paying £2.5k to get CCNA if I can avoid it so any help would be appreciated.
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