How was the CCNA exam?

The Cisco Certified Network Associate exam was not easy and neither was the Network+ certification when I pass that on November 2019. I had a feeling earlier during the week that I would not pass and had a feeling that I should have rescheduled it.  Why did I not reschedule?    

  

I was at a point where I was burnt out from studying. I went through the Cisco exam objectives, Boson labs, watched David Bombal Udemy videos, used Todd Tammle's CCNA book as a reference, flash cards, practice exam and even took an official week long live virtual training back in the spring. But none of what I learned was enough to pass the exam. But why did I not reschedule the exam? I wanted to keep my commitment and I wanted to accept the outcome regardless of the exam results. Let me explain my experience with the exam. 

I took the Pearson Vue exam at work.  I was lucky enough to reserve a small huddle room in the human resources building because I have too much equipment in my office to move out for a two hour exam.  In the huddle room it had a small table, an office chair and network jack.  There were no pictures on the walls, no monitors, no computers and it had good lighting.  I used a spare work laptop and had it wiped and reconfigured with no firewall settings or no antivirus.  It had the bare-bone Windows 10 image to make sure I was not blocked or disconnected from the exam since I was taking the exam at work.  Also, with a hybrid work schedule for some people in the building I knew I was not going to be disturbed.  The check in process by Pearson Vue was amazing.  I would highly recommend you take the exam at home or work versus going to a testing facility.  Once I finished my I exam I got the notification right away that I failed.  I was hoping to see the details on the exam but they did not include that in the end but I knew I did really bad.  Halfway through the exam I used up to much time on some difficult questions and guessed on a few questions.  I did not want to end the exam without time and now I know. I was not ready for this exam.

My detailed exam results came in the next day.  Once they did I logged back into Pearson Vue right away and it showed the percentage scores of each category. I wanted to post them here with this blog post but I am too embarrassed to show my results with anyone. I am still upset at myself for not rescheduling the exam with how bad I score but I wanted to keep my commitment to the scheduled date.

 

I was at a point where I was putting too much pressure on myself for this exam. At the end of the day, it is just an exam. This does not define who I am and what I am capable of doing and if you are in the same just know that you are not alone.  I am thankful for my job and the opportunity they have given me at work, to learn and develop my skills.  I am most thankful to my wife who is always supportive of my goals and I could not be more grateful for her loving support.  

I am happy that I failed because I will get back to my studies after I have take a small break and spend some time with my wife and kids during the holidays.  

 

Stay strong, keep moving forward and keep on learning. 

Happy Holidays!

Time-Saving Tricks for Subnetting by Practical Networking - My CCNA Studies 10 days Left

With my exam in ten days I have to brush up on my subnetting skills. I will be doing this every day till exam day.  If you are looking for ways to learn subnetting check out the links and video below by Practical Networking. I highly recommend you watch all of the Subnetting Mastery videos and website. If you have done subnetting before and just need a refresher check the video I included below.  The video provides great quick tips.

 By far these are the best videos on subnetting. I think being able to do subnetting quickly is a must know for the CCNA exam.  I have seen at least one or two questions within the Boson ExSim practice exams that require subnetting knowledge.

The links below are directed to their blog, website and YouTube videos on subnetting.  If you want to practice check out subnetipv4.com.  It has a clean and simple to use  tool that populates random CIDR notation to practice from.  In there one has to figure out the Network ID, Broadcast ID and if stuck it can populate the answers.  

Now I got to practice to get fast and better at subnetting. 

https://subnetipv4.com/

Subnetting Mastery Blog Post by Practical Networking

 Subnetting Mastery by Practical Networking

CCNA Studies - Learning Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol w Jeremy's IT Lab

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Quick Study Update – 12 Days to Go!

My exam is in just twelve days, so I wanted to give you a quick update on how my studies are going. Since my last post, I’ve been making steady progress, but there’s still a lot of ground to cover.

Lately, I’ve been focusing on reviewing the topics I’m less confident in. I’m using Anki flashcards daily to reinforce those concepts and plan to go through Boson ExSim exams B and C soon. I recently retook Boson Exam A and scored much better, though I’ve identified a few areas that still need work.

One big takeaway from my practice exams: read the questions carefully. It’s easy to rush through and make quick selections without fully thinking things through—something I’ve been guilty of. Taking an extra moment can really make a difference in choosing the best answer.

Also, I wanted to share a helpful resource on Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol. If you haven’t already checked out Jeremy’s IT Lab on YouTube, I highly recommend it. He offers tons of free videos that cover all the CCNA topics. If you’re looking for a solid, free online trainer, this is a great option.

I’d love to go into more detail about what I’ve been learning, but I’ve got to get back to the flashcards and keep grinding. The next time I post, it’ll be after the exam.

Exam day: November 19th.

Till next time—wish me luck!

CCNA Studies - I Took My 1st Boson Practice Exam

I finally took my first Boson ExSim practice exam this week, and I did horribly. I’m not kidding—I only got 34% of the questions right, and by question number sixty, I had only 18% correct. After that score, I decided to take a mental break from anything IT-related, including studying for the CCNA and even work. So, I took the weekend off from all of it.

I’ve been working six days a week for most of this year, and lately, it's been super busy with many people returning to their offices after eighteen months of working from home. Why am I working every Saturday? Overtime pay! Out of a large team of technicians, I volunteered for it—but only after checking in with my wife to make sure she was okay with being home alone with the kids. I can't thank her enough for her support. Working Saturdays has been a win-win for us: I get the extra pay and use my free time to study for the CCNA.

Besides the good pay, it’s been a nice shift to catch up on repairs or incidents from the week. Most Saturday shifts were quiet and typically around 7 to 8 hours, but in September, the hours were extended to 12 due to more staff, faculty, and students returning to campus. I enjoy the extra hours and the studying, but I was starting to feel burned out and needed a mental reset—especially after taking that Boson practice exam.

So, I told my manager I wouldn’t be covering this past Saturday and spent the whole weekend with my wife and kids. No labs, no studying, no work—just family time. I went to my five-year-old son’s soccer game and was so excited to see him score his second goal. After the game, we stayed a bit longer to let the kids play on the playground. We did a lot of fun things together, and I couldn’t have asked for better fall weather in Connecticut.

At times, I wanted to pick up my flashcards or do a Boson lab, but I really enjoyed the break and being present with my family. I was due for it—and I'm glad I took the exam when I did.

The exam itself was great. It felt like getting punched in the gut, but it was important to gauge where I stand with what I’ve studied so far. I’ve heard nothing but great things online about Boson’s practice exams from people who’ve passed. The format is solid, the content is tough, and the questions are well-written. I’d recommend Boson ExSim and NetSims to anyone prepping for the CCNA. The only thing I wish the ExSim had was an option to break it down by chapter, subject, or content. When I studied for the Network+ exam, I’d go chapter-by-chapter and test myself after each one, which really helped.

Why did I take the exam now? I scheduled my actual exam for mid-November and needed to identify my strengths and weaknesses. It’s clear I have more weaknesses than strengths, but during the practice exam, I realized I actually knew some of the answers. My main issue was misreading the questions or answers.

After seeing my score, I’m considering rescheduling my exam—and if I do, that’s okay. But I’ll wait until I get closer to the date to reassess. If by the end of October I’m still not retaining the information, I’ll know what to do.

I keep hearing from folks on YouTube and elsewhere that the CCNA isn’t a destination—it’s a journey. And if now’s not the time, that’s okay. I remind myself that I’m still new to this content, and many others have been in my shoes. My goal after passing the CCNA is to become a Network Administrator, Technician, or Junior Network Engineer—whether within my current company or somewhere else.

I’m thinking of rescheduling because I have a lot of information to absorb, and I’ve got about fifty days left. There are still exam objectives I don’t fully understand. The CCNA covers a ton of material. What confuses me most right now—among many things—is how packets flow. I have a general idea, but if I had to explain it to someone else, I might miss a few key points. With seven weeks and three days to go, I’ve still got a lot to learn, test, and review.

Honestly, I don’t know how people take the exam in under eight weeks without any prior IT or networking knowledge. I mean, sure, anyone can learn it—but for me, it’s taking time to really understand the concepts. Learning what specific commands do and memorizing them is a workout in itself.

All in all, I’m glad I took the weekend off and now I’m excited to get back into studying. I’m not rescheduling just yet. There’s still a lot to learn, but if you’re feeling overwhelmed or burned out, it’s crucial to take breaks—especially if you’ve got a family and other responsibilities. Take advantage of every moment, and don’t be afraid to hit the reset button when needed. Just don’t stop, and don’t give up.

I’m ready for these next seven good weeks of studying. See you soon, CCNA.

My CCNA Studies - I Scheduled My Exam for November!

It has been a while since I have posted an update on my CCNA studies and I am excited to say that I scheduled the exam for the second week in November.

I need to be honest and say that it was challenging to study this summer.  I feel like summers are not that long in Connecticut.  I took most of July off from studying to enjoy the warm weather and to spend quality time with my wife and kids. While we were on vacation my plan was to study at night when the kids were in bed but that did not turn out as planned and I am really happy it did. 

My wife and I had previous employers that did not allow employees to take more than a week at a time of vacation unless there was a major life changing event. So taking two full weeks was one of the best vacations we had since we got married.  But after we got done with vacation I knew that I had to make up some ground with my studies. 

I have been studying on and off since earlier this year but truth is that I did not have the official accountability. But now I do with my exam schedule and once I did, in the words of Emeril Legasse, I "kicked it up a notch!".  

 Learning networking technologies is not easy for me to understand but I still like it.  I am a person that loves how things are made and work.  At work I have been taking advantage of the overtime and working six days a week most of 2021. Nobody at work has wanted the overtime on Saturdays, except another technician but it is really quiet so I take the opportunity to do a full day of studying.  Even then I still feel like it has been a challenge to study eight to 11 hours every Saturday but what keeps me in check is having the exam scheduled.

As soon as I scheduled it I knew I needed a good lab to work with since the Cisco labs I got in March expired and were only available for three months. I wish they would just provide access to that for the whole year. Three months of access is not enough in my opinion unless you already have experience in networking and just need to review some things in a lab environment.  So I  went and got both the Boson NetSim for labs and the ExSim as a practice exam. So far the labs are just as good if not better than the ones from Cisco. I like the format and the way they go about it. I like how they create multiple tasks that are repetitive. It helps me to grasp the commands when configuring the devices and for anyone who is a musician can appreciate and understand how important repetition is.  

Since then I have been able to understand more how NAT and PAT work along with many other protocols and configurations. I also change it up and use David Bombals CCNA and Packet Tracers courses.  His Packet Tracer course on Udemy is great.  If you do not have enough funds to purchase the NetSim from Boson get his course.  You wont regret it but definitely get the ExSim if you do not have a practice exam for the CCNA.  I went through a few questions on exam one and they are really good. I heard others online say how the Boson ExSim is close to the Cisco exam. 

I like David Bombal's Packet Tracer courses because he challenges one to go about real-life-like scenarios before providing the how to. I think it's important to do so to force one to learn the process because in real life we will need to do our own research to troubleshoot and configure a network. 

For books, I had the digital copy of Cisco Cert Guide but somehow they got removed from OReilly Books from my company so I have Todd Lammle's book and will say it's an easier read. I should have used these a long time ago because the OCGs are a tough read.  

In all, I am excited and nervous to take the exam in three months. August almost gone but I have learned a good amount from earlier this year.

What I might do next is just go through the first of the three available exams by Boson to get an idea of where my strengths and weaknesses are and focus on where I don't know anything. 

Let me know if you have any struggles and successes. I like to see what people have done to pass their exams and their experience with the exam taken at home or work. 

CCNA Studies Update

With spring already here, the weather warming up, and the COVID 19 vaccine well on its way. Things seem like we are well back into some normal routine. I have been back in my office for at least three months, my kids are back in school and daycare and things seem somewhat better. I know that some people are struggling during these times from the effects of COVID and with that I would encourage you to utilize your time wisely. I know what it is like to feel stuck in a career that you do not want to be in long term.  Take this opportunity to learn a new skill in information technology. No matter what age and where you are in your life just start. With that also comes some rough studying days ahead. Lately, I have been struggling to get any motivation for the CCNA. I think taking five eight-hour-per-day CCNA virtual training was a lot to learn in one week. 

Having to absorb so much information from the lectures and still have only 2 months lefts to use the Cisco labs and study for the CCNA is a challenge. After that, I found it hard to continue studying for the CCNA. Sometimes I even wondered if I should even continue. I know I am not alone when I say this. Not only specific to the CCNA but for studying for any important exam or certification.  

Many times we have work and personal responsibilities that take priority over others. I keep asking myself if I really want the CCNA? I still say yes but sometimes wonder if I really should because I like where I am at in my company and do not want to leave my job and company. One of the main reasons is I finally completed five years here and I feel like I can still do more. One big perk that I find motivating me is once an employee completes five years the company provides added vacation time. Which for me is huge when having two kids under the age of five.  

So why am I writing this? Honestly, because I want to let you know that you are not alone. There are days when I need to give my brain a mental break from studying. There are days when I know I should be studying and I do but feel like it is not enough.

What should I do? How should I continue?  

I think that is part of the journey. Knowing that some days and weeks are not going to be as easy and finding that consistency is key, not motivation. I also think that my why is not the same. When I was studying for my Network+ certification in 2019 I felt like I had a lot weighing on me to pass that exam. It was my first IT certification, I wanted to prove it to myself, my peers and show my kids how important it is to continue learning after college. 

But now I find myself against not wanting to and this is okay.  I understand that I will have these days and that life is about prioritizing what is important to me and to me that is family, friends, health, and more. Things could be worse for me but it is not.  I am lucky to have a job, a roof over my head, a loving wife and beautiful kids.  Maybe now is time to reset and refresh the studies.  

Knowing when this comes up could be different for you.  If you are in a situation where you have no job and have a family to care for, I could understand that you are running as fast as you can to reach the finish line.  That is why I would say if you are in a similar situation as myself.  It is okay to take a mental break and enjoy the warmer season now that things seem to be somewhat "normal".  

In the end write down your goals and keep them posted up.  Writing down my why is important to me.  Maybe right now is no the time but tomorrow is.  Many people who are into fitness give themselves breaks between days.  They work on legs on Monday but Tuesday they work on arms.  Mixing it up helps. 

I hope you are doing well during these times and with your studies.  Let me know how you are doing with your studies and what you do to help yourself to stay consistent and motivated and what you to do relax from work and your studies. 

My CCNA Studies - What I learned about VLANs and Trunks?

Lately, I have been concentrating my CCNA studies on Implementing VLANs and Trunks. Today I want to provide you a brief overview of what VLANs and Trunks are. The reason I have been concentrating on this is that at my company an office needed to have certain computers set up on a VLAN due to the data transactions they were doing on certain computers. Something I learned about two years ago was about securing and separating point of sales computers that require a virtual local area network. This helps so others are not able to easily see or connect to those computers. They process credit card transactions and it is important to make sure that they are compliant and secure. 

What is a VLAN? 

Having the point of sales device to be on a VLAN is what we did. Well, that is what network support did and I just statically assigned the IP addresses to the computers. We logically segmented the systems to be under a group which would be for Point of Sales transactions. This process is great to help separate different groups and departments. This is also important, especially if sensitive or confidential information needs to be "same" network as other computers are in the office. Other examples to segment them would be to separate the Human Resources department from Sales. Given that HR may have important employee data that needs to be protectors and separated from others within the company.  

How I see a VLAN is that it creates a "hidden" network within a network. Think of it as having a Windows operating system on a Macintosh computer by using VMWare Fusion or Virtual Box. Having this creates a way to only connect servers on the same logical network. This can all be done, just like having Windows on a Mac, through software. This is extremely helpful given that one does not have to purchase more equipment for this to work. Now my analogy may not be exact but hopefully, you can understand a bit about what a VLAN looks like.  

According to Cisco Student Learning Guide, Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions, "switches often use links that carry data from multiple VLANs and allow VLANs to be extended across an entire network. These are called trunks.".

In all a VLAN uses the same physical network but have their independent network. Just like a point of sales computers maybe not the same as the manager's computer in the office. If it is, then it should not be. By having this in place it provides a layer of security and one benefit on "containing broadcasts within a VLAN improves the overall performance of the network.". One YouTube page that I go to for information is from Practical Networking. Their video and website provide greatly simplified information on networking. Plus their subnetting videos are great and easy to follow. Check out their video on  What are VLANs?

What is Trunking with 802.1Q? 

Trunking to me is where two lanes are combined to the same port. What I understand from what I have read is that it allows one to take advantage of any unused ports to create double the speed instead of having to purchase more hardware. For example, if you have 100Mbps it would double to 200Mbps. Is this good? I think so but I do not think it is that simple. I guess networking is not with larger networks. In all "trunking allows switches to pass frames from multiple VLANs over a single physical connection.". A trunk also "allows the transport of frames from different VLAN.". (Cisco Solutions student learning guide CCNA page 163). 

Cisco Catalyst switches do support the IEEE 802.1 Q trunking protocol and a reason why I see that when an ethernet frame is put on a trunk it will need to add a VLAN tag about the VLAN. Note that VLAN trunking is connected to a Layer 2 switch. "The router does the routing, with the switch creating the VLANs." (CCNA 200-201 OCG Vol 1 Chapter 17. IP Routing in the LAN). 

In conclusion, I have experienced this as a desktop support technician when I had to call in to get a few computers set up on a specific VLAN. Before I did not know what the tech meant about VLANs but any time I see a point of sales computer I can imagine that they were segmented from other computers on the network. As always please take my posts only as my point of view on my studies for the CCNA and always do your research. If you have not already done so go to OReilly or on Amazon and get the Cisco CCNA cert guide and let me know how your studies are going. I would be eager to hear how your studies are going.  

Don't stop learning. Keep it up even if it is for a few minutes each day.  

My Experience taking a 5 day Instructor Lead Training (CCNA)

On Friday, April 2nd, I completed a five-day virtual training on Cisco's Certified Network Association program. (Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions - CCNA) Before I need to state that I will not provide any information on the course material. The truth is you probably can learn it all from the Cisco Official Cert Guide. This post will mainly reflect my experience attending instructor lead training versus doing the self-study route. When I signed up for the class through United Training I was super excited but nervous at the same time. The last time I took instructor training was about eight years let alone IT-related. 

How was the virtual training? 

Overall I did have a good experience and learned a lot. By the end of the week, I was mentally exhausted. I was mentally exhausted every night when I got home. Training started at 9 am and lasted until 5 pm. We had the standard hour lunch and small breaks in between and the training kept me fairly engaged but by day five I needed a mental break.

Why did I take the instructor lead course?  

Honestly, my manager and department were able to provide me with the training. I knew I wanted to continue learning throughout this year and lucky to work in a place that encourages continued training and development. Even if I am not directly working or supporting network switches and routers they always encourage us to learn new systems and technologies. So I took the opportunity to sign up for the Cisco CCNA training plus I wanted to see the difference from instructor lead to self-study. 

It was perfect timing too because my son's elementary school opened back up after a year being closed and at the same time we put my daughter back into daycare. If not I do not think I would be able to take the course at home. So with the kids in school and daycare meant more time for me to focus and concentrate without interruptions. 

Why not do the self-study? 

I did the self-study route for the CompTIA Network+ certification in 2019 and this time around I wanted to experience instructor lead training. I was thinking of taking a Linux+ or Security+ training since I passed the Network+ but my heart was calling for networking and I decided to go with Cisco's CCNA training first. I do not think one form of training is better than the other and they both have their advantages but the instructor lead training does cost a lot more and I will let you know my recommendations throughout. 

How was my experience? 

First things first. It took me about two days to get accustomed to the live virtual format. Most of the day the trainer presented the content with the students using the chat function in Zoom to communicate and ask questions. It was a bit awkward for me to type into a chat window in an instructor lead training when we have a live trainer available to talk to. However, the trainer did provide us the opportunity to use our microphone but by default, we were muted and could not unmute at will. From my perspective, only two people used the microphone and I was one of the two that used the microphone. Having this kind of training by chat was not a great experience for me and I was not a fan. The content presented was good but that part of communication and interaction is not for me. I gave it a chance knowing that this is the world that we live in due to COVID. If this were in-person training it will be a different experience. 

The reason why it took me some time to get used to the format was when I had to ask a question or respond to the trainer. By the time I tried to type something decent that would be understandable we were on to the next lesson or lab. The trainer did great to answer all of our questions and by day two we had a formula in place to let him know that we were typing a question. He did a good job providing us time for questions and did well at answering our questions. He also did not hesitate at all to review a topic or subject. Again the chat function was a bit awkward for me to get used to but by the end of the week, I got used to that form of communication.

What is included with the class? 

The course includes a Cisco online student guide with questions at each lesson and labs. The course did not include the Cisco Official Cert Guide but the student guide works well and is available to use offline by using the Cisco eReader application. Not a big deal but I would prefer it to be available through my eReader application like iBooks or Google Play Books choice. Did I mention they included labs? They were great! 

I would recommend you get them if you are looking for some labs to practice and learn from. I am not sure why I did not think of this before but through the class, I found out that one can purchase the Cisco labs separately. Why do I like them? Because the format of the labs and the student guides are easy to read and navigate plus it is Cisco. The only thing about the labs is that it is timed. Which is a good thing because it encourages one to use the time wisely and do labs. If you purchase it directly from Cisco you have only 90 days to use the labs. I was thinking of purchasing another vendor's labs but if my labs expire and still not ready for the exam I will buy them again or go with another lab environment. Another reason why I like the labs is that they include scenarios and quizzes. Well, they call them Fast Labs but in all, it is a quiz and they provide you with the tools on how to complete the task. What does not come with the course is an official Cisco practice exam but I did receive one through United Training who assisted me with registering with the course. That practice exam does provide a nice timed exam online. 

What about the trainer? 

The trainer has a lot of experience and certifications. Although I do not recall him providing his experience and the industry he worked in. What I can recall was that he has his CCNA, CCNP, Linux+, Security+, and much more. The presentation slides were clear and easy to read and good. They did not seem as though they were created by him but by Cisco. Most of the training was were pretty engaging because I am naturally curious and excited to learn about Cisco systems but one day the content was a bit dry. I cannot remember what the subject was but thinking it was about headers, packets, and trailers. I still have trouble understand that part even after studying it several times. 

One thing I have learned about myself is that if someone reads verbatim the slide I disconnect right away.  

I need to learn Python? 

Now that I am done with the instructor lead training I still have some self-studying to do and recommended we learn a programming language. He suggested learning Python. Something that I have heard through the community online. 

I am excited to learn a programming language. I originally wanted to be a web developer when searching for a different IT career path but feel the love of networking. I officially started learning Python last week and using the Microsoft free Python course online to help. I like their format and how they get right into the content but will look into other training online through Cisco's net academy and w3school.com. I tried watching some videos on python but get disengage quickly. For now, my preference is to read and understand the language straight. I feel like this skill needs to be done and not just watched so I have a book in OReilly books titled Introduction to Python 2nd edition by Bill Lubanovic. So far so good and with the combination of the other online learning sites, I hope to better understand and be able to utilize the language effectively.  

If you have any recommendations on videos for learning python for beginners please leave them in the comment below.

What is next? 

I still have plenty of Cisco labs to do and redo from the class. The trainer even said it is recommended that we memorize the commands. So I have been retaking some of the labs several times to drill the Cisco commands. 

My goal is to take the CCNA exam by end of summer no later than early fall. I still consider myself to be a newbie to this all and my hopes from or after I take the exam is that I can gain some experience with Network Support in my company. we know that experience weighs just as much if not more than a certification and by doing so one can better understand the operations and day-to-day task of a network technician. A certification just validates that you are capable enough to understand the content and they do help provide opportunities to grow in IT. Plus I would doubt they want just anyone messing around the command line on their switches and routers. I know I would not if I was the hiring manager. 

In conclusion, if you are debating if you should take the instructor lead training or do self-studying. Personal I would save your money and utilize it towards purchasing the Cisco labs and other videos online that will help you study at your own pace.  

After my training, I learned a lot but still have self-studying to do and to practice for the exam but if you like the interaction with an instructor and trainer then maybe that is the best for you. Just think about where you can utilize your time and money wisely. Also, check with your company to see if they offer any reimbursement for taking the class. If so then go for it but some companies may not be willing to have you all day in a live training if there is nobody else to cover for you.  

In all, I hope I provided you with some options to think about and that you will make the best decision. As always keep on learning every day and it is never too late to start.