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cisco networking academy

J

jeffmoss26

2[H]4U
Joined
Aug 1, 2002
Messages
2,267
Hi All,
I'm currently a High School sophomore. Tomorrow, I am going to see about some options for technical education. The program I am considering is Information Systems. A person from my dad's office suggested that I look into a Cisco Networking Academy program, specifically getting my CCNA while I am in HS. Has anyone gone through the program while in HS, and do you recommend it? I don't think the technical education program I am looking at is Cisco based, I think it may be less in-depth of training than I am looking for, since I already took some classes about networking a couple years ago. (Not to mention the knowledge I have gained from [H] and other boards.)

TIA
Jeff
 
That's interesting because im elidgeable for it next year and thats what we use for our network training. No clue what it is though sorry
 
The cisco network academy is decent. You'll at least get to play around with some routers and see if you like it. Usually the network accademy classes are filled with a bunch of retards that don't want to learn, but if you apply yourself you'll learn quite a bit in it.
 
I just looked at the website of the program I might take. It does look basic. They teach MS Office and some Accounting stuff along with IT/networking. Maybe the Cisco route is the way to go for me. I will see after I check out this school program. I will report my findings to the board after school tomorrow.
 
find out who your sysadmin and/or your network admin is for your school, email them, or talk to them about getting some real experience if your school has a nice network setup. Thats sort of what i did, and I have had a nice job working with computers and networks with high and low end equipment for 4 years now.
 
I worked for my school's IT department all last summer. It was great experience, and I still help them out when they need me to. We have a pretty nice network here. I also a former teacher of mine about Cisco classes and he put me in touch with someone from a local community college.
 
i went through the academy in high school and have earned my CCNA

CCNA is the foundation for all things networking, these days. no other beginner's cert. program goes as in-depth as this one does.

it is definately worth taking if you plan to go into IT.

don't think for one minute that the CCNA will be the answer to your problems of landing an IT job....but it IS the best way to start to get an all around basic understanding of networks.

....the only downside to it is that it is all cisco-based....
 
Centurion is right. I got my CCNA junior year in HS, didn't help me one bit in landing my job but it gives you a very good start into the basics, and even an intermediate view of how networks work etc.

True, it is all Cisco based, but you'll find nowadays (is that a word?) that many switches, routers, etc. all have their own OS's on board, but they act pretty much just like Cisco's IOS. They all have their unique qualities but you just gotta adapt to 'em...thus is the nature of the modern IT guy.



cheers,

Anthony
 
I'm a senior in highschool, my highschool gives us a cisco class for free...that's what im doing right now
 
Well, I went to check out the programs today. I saw another class that interested me more, Computer Networking and Electronics. It is much more hands on than the IS class, and I will be able to work with Cisco equipment and work towards my CCNA. The other class I thought I wanted to do is more management/business type stuff, not for me.
So I am pretty sure I will do the Networking/Electronics class next year, primarily for the exposure to the Cisco equipment/training.
Plus, we learn computer repair and I get a free set of tools.

Thanks for the help
Jeff
 
Originally posted by jeffmoss26
Hi All,
I'm currently a High School sophomore. Tomorrow, I am going to see about some options for technical education. The program I am considering is Information Systems. A person from my dad's office suggested that I look into a Cisco Networking Academy program, specifically getting my CCNA while I am in HS. Has anyone gone through the program while in HS, and do you recommend it? I don't think the technical education program I am looking at is Cisco based, I think it may be less in-depth of training than I am looking for, since I already took some classes about networking a couple years ago. (Not to mention the knowledge I have gained from [H] and other boards.)

TIA
Jeff
Click to expand...

I'm in ccna right now. cisco.netacad.net Currently a jr in my hs It's a good class to learn networking etc. I'm also learning to use linux as well. Could always ask your cisco teacher to teach you more than just ccna stuff.

I'd recommend that then also start learning differen't programming languages: html, c+, c++, Java, perl, etc etc

$5 says that I'm the only one in my class that gives a shit about learning IT and networking everyone else just plays lan games and bullshits through the tests. I run the counter-strike libux redhat 9 server but everyone keeps dicking with it so I'm going to stop upkeeping it, let them screw it up i'm not fixing it.

my gradbook goes like this so far this year:
Sem 1

ch.1 95.7
ch.2 84.2
ch.3 86.4
ch.4 94.7
ch.5 84.0
ch.6 90.0
ch.7 80.0
ch.8 75.0
ch.9 96.0
ch.10 68.0 (gotta retake this one again.
ch.11 92.0
 
Is networking the field you want to try your hand at? If so, then your CCNA is a good way to get started.

I actually started at the bottom. Helpdesk doing PC support, server admin, system engineer (engineering new platforms and server systems), network engineer (mostly layer 3), and now I am a network engineer working layers 1-3 for a Global ISP. I really enjoy what I do because I work on everything from Nortel Passports to Cisco 7600 series routers. I am glad I took the path I did because I have knowledge of more than just the network. I can, if necessary troubleshoot all the way from a desktop, across the network(sometimes around the world), and onto the server the user is trying to access with an understanding of everything in between. Of course, my job does not require this, but I have the skills anyway, which makes me feel good...
 
I definitely want to go into networking. Since I worked at my school last summer, I gained a lot of knowledge about IT and working in the "real world." I am going into this with a serious attitude, I know people who would just screw around in this class, with the hopes of an easy A. I want this knowledge to help me in college and in the job market. I know some stuff about networking, I would have to admit that I don't know a ton. However, I do know quite a bit about voice/data cabling systems and their infrastructure. This comes from the work I have done with my dad's work. I'm not sure how much useful that is in the networking world.
 
Is any programming or programming languages usually involved with networking??

(i can't even figure out if that is a sentence, i'm bad with language in general i guess... :) )
 
Originally posted by jeffmoss26
I do know quite a bit about voice/data cabling systems and their infrastructure. This comes from the work I have done with my dad's work. I'm not sure how much useful that is in the networking world.
Click to expand...

Don't underestimate the value of fully understanding Layers 1 and 2. Some people think it all happens at layer 3 and that you should just skip over the first two layers because "you will not ever need to know it". Well, I am here to tell you that knowing layers 1 and 2 will make you a much more valuable engineer because I have and do work with guys that are strictly layer 3 and if you were to throw them onto a WAN switch would not know what to do...
 
I want to learn Cisco while I am in high school, so I can move on to more advanced stuff in college.
 
there aren't really any telcommunications courses in college, unless you go to a trade school or something. not until grad school, anyway...

and the courses in the trade schools probably just cover certifications and such..

anybody want to enlighten me?
 
im an informations systems major at UMBC and its prolly the most diverse major ive ever seen...

accounting, econ, comp sci, management, databases, systems analysts, networking, blah, blah


this comin semester im taking an intro to networking class and the next level of classes have networking with microsoft, unix, linux, novell (laff) and things along that line

i dont think that technical classes are only at tech schools or grad programs, but it does depend on the college or univ... if you go to a liberal arts school, dont plan on getting into highly technical classes

ours is considered science/technology and our main majors are comp sci and IS so its hard as hell
 
Telecom is kind of an elusive area of communications. Most guys in telecom got there training in the Military and when there done with that they go on to work with Qwest or SBC. Ive studying the Cisco academy now, (Module 1) its basically filling in some of the blank that I was confused on. The advantage of knowing telecom is that not only will I be able to tell you how a packet gets from point a to point b. But I can tell you where it gets on to the T1, where the connections are made in the CO, what happens when the T1 gets to the DS3 mux, what happens when the DS3 hops on the OC48, what happens when it hits the long haul circuits and alll the way to the other side. Now chances are I won't use that info, but its sound impressive :) Especially since most IT techs dont know anything about how a DS1 or DS3 works.
 
I do know some stuff about telecom, since my dad works for a telecommunications interconnect company. I also visited a CO in California and learned how a lot of the stuff works.
I think I would rather go into networking/IT instead of telecom.
 
I have always loved building things, so after changing my mind on what I want to do when I go grow up (I wanted to be a video game designer in 7th and 8th and a graphic artists in 9th and 10th), I have decided to go into networking. When I heard my school had a Cisco networking academy I couldn't wait to sign up.
So right now I'm on chap 10 of CCNA1 and I am really having fun with the teacher and my classmates (all 10 of them). CCNA1 is very boring with tons of info and almost no hands on, but it should ramp up in CCNA2.

I plan to take Information Technology in college and maybe get a CCNP a little while afterwards. Does this plan sound good to any of you experienced networkers? Get the CCNA, then a IT degree, and then hopefully find a job? Thanks.
 
jeffmoss26 - Telecom is interesting in the beginning, but I could teach you how to troubleshoot a T1/T3 in about 2 hours. Gimme a day I can teach you to troubleshoot Optical Carriers, I was in it for 5 years and it just gets to damn repetetive. In other words I dont blame you for wanting to get into the Data side :) IP is where the world is going anyway, thats the reason I am switching. (OR sucumbing to the darkside as my coworkers would say)

zeroARMY Im in CCNA Module 1 right now. Its basically a review of all the shit I studied for my Net+ exam, with some emphasis on stuff cisco deams important. Stick with it Module 2 is where it starts to get fun.
 
Yeah, since I go to my dad's office a lot and talk to the techs, I have pretty much learned all the telecom stuff in a couple days. A lot of the phone systems are going to IP (Inter-Tel for one) so the techs now are getting Net+ Certified to work with IP telephony. It's really cool how things are advancing.
 
Anyone here passed the CCNA 640-801 test? If so, prove it by posting your ID #.
 
Jeff,

While I've heard great things about the Cisco Networking Academy programs, do not underestimate courses that are vendor neutral. While the CCNA program teaches you a lot of general networking concepts, it naturally does lean to a focus on Cisco. Do not make the mistake of thinking that everything in the world is Cisco. General networking technology courses can be very valuable if you are just starting out. You will learn things in the Cisco academy that apply only when dealing with Cisco equipment, so keep an open mind and dont narrow your focus to only Cisco. You'll be a better engineer if you have experience with a range of vendors and know how their products interact with other vendors as you might not always be thrown into a 100% Cisco network.

As others have stated, you also need to know L1 and L2 in depth. This will give you a better understanding of the overall picture. You will be more valuable to your employer if you can troubleshoot all the way from L1 to L7 as many engineers only know a couple layers in depth. If you have some money, get your hands on a C1900 or C2950 from Ebay if you can find it on the cheap. Play around with it a lot, the experience you gain will be invaluable to you.

------------------------------------------
Seraphim,

With regards to programming, any programming you know will only help you. It's very possible you'll find yourself writing scripts to update routers, collect SNMP information for graphing programs, writing scripts to monitor a link and run a traceroute if it fails, etc etc. If you're going to learn anything, I'd say learn at least a little about C/C++ and Perl, and get your hands on Linux and learn the CLI (real men (and women) dont use the GUI :).
 
Thanks for all the advice. I don't know if this class is totally Cisco or not. A couple years ago, I did take some basic networking classes. They were interesting, but most of what we did was web design.
 
Originally posted by Boscoh
Jeff,

While I've heard great things about the Cisco Networking Academy programs, do not underestimate courses that are vendor neutral. While the CCNA program teaches you a lot of general networking concepts, it naturally does lean to a focus on Cisco. Do not make the mistake of thinking that everything in the world is Cisco. General networking technology courses can be very valuable if you are just starting out. You will learn things in the Cisco academy that apply only when dealing with Cisco equipment, so keep an open mind and dont narrow your focus to only Cisco. You'll be a better engineer if you have experience with a range of vendors and know how their products interact with other vendors as you might not always be thrown into a 100% Cisco network.

As others have stated, you also need to know L1 and L2 in depth. This will give you a better understanding of the overall picture. You will be more valuable to your employer if you can troubleshoot all the way from L1 to L7 as many engineers only know a couple layers in depth. If you have some money, get your hands on a C1900 or C2950 from Ebay if you can find it on the cheap. Play around with it a lot, the experience you gain will be invaluable to you.

------------------------------------------
Seraphim,

With regards to programming, any programming you know will only help you. It's very possible you'll find yourself writing scripts to update routers, collect SNMP information for graphing programs, writing scripts to monitor a link and run a traceroute if it fails, etc etc. If you're going to learn anything, I'd say learn at least a little about C/C++ and Perl, and get your hands on Linux and learn the CLI (real men (and women) dont use the GUI :).
Click to expand...

Not exactly mostly it's going over the layers of the OSI model, Hex, bianary, components of a network etc. Not fully fixed on cisco environment
 
Originally posted by darkmyth
Not fully fixed on cisco environment
Click to expand...

I never said it was...I said that because its a Cisco course there are things in that course that apply only when dealing with Cisco equipment and that he should keep an open mind because not everything he will deal with as an engineer will be Cisco. I've seen the ciriculum for the Cisco Networking Academy program although I have not attended it...and yes, much of it is generic networking stuff but at the same time one of the things this course does is try to prepare you to pass your CCNA which covers a lot of Cisco specific stuff - at least it did when I certified on 607.

Judging from most of Jeff's posts though he seems to be pretty well versed on this stuff for someone his age, so I'm sure he knew this before I told him.
 
Originally posted by Boscoh
I never said it was...I said that because its a Cisco course there are things in that course that apply only when dealing with Cisco equipment and that he should keep an open mind because not everything he will deal with as an engineer will be Cisco. I've seen the ciriculum for the Cisco Networking Academy program although I have not attended it...and yes, much of it is generic networking stuff but at the same time one of the things this course does is try to prepare you to pass your CCNA which covers a lot of Cisco specific stuff - at least it did when I certified on 607.

Judging from most of Jeff's posts though he seems to be pretty well versed on this stuff for someone his age, so I'm sure he knew this before I told him.
Click to expand...

Originally posted by Boscoh
General networking technology courses can be very valuable if you are just starting out. You will learn things in the Cisco academy that apply only when dealing with Cisco equipment, so keep an open mind and dont narrow your focus to only Cisco.
Click to expand...

actually you did say that it just focus's on cisco.

Originally posted by Boscoh
I've seen the ciriculum for the Cisco Networking Academy program although I have not attended it...
Click to expand...

so if you didn't take the program how can you say it's focused on just their equipment?


I agree with you on jeff experience though. Good to have a good amoutn of knowledge at any age. I'm only 16 myself and not the most novice person with IT.
 
I am a 10th grader and i am currently enrolled ion our cisco academy. most of the stuff is biased with their products
 
Originally posted by ksanders2006
I am a 10th grader and i am currently enrolled ion our cisco academy. most of the stuff is biased with their products
Click to expand...

I'm an 11th grader right now and enrolled in CCNA at my highschool and its not bias with cisco what so ever. Even if it did lean more towards their products its called cisco systems network academy for a reason. It's hosted and put on by cisco. Of course they are going to use their equipment come on now people :rolleyes: it'd be stupid for a buisiness to poor so much money into a cirtification to show you how to use someone else's equipment throughout their lessons. Use common sense people. They teach you how a network works, how packets are built, the OSI model, Hex, Bianary, ip's, mac addresses, subnets, network diagramming, how to make cat 5, how to set up patch panels, how to set up a wiring closet, etc etc. Not only focused on their equipment. :rolleyes:
 
I'm enrolled in our "Technogly Charter School" at my high school right now. Tomorrow is the last day of Cisco 3, then its off to cisco 4, if i pass my final. I'd recommend taking it in high school, if thats where you wanna go. I know all i do in there is mess around, so i will probably end up retaking it in college, but doubling up, so like 1 and 2, 1st semester, 3 and 4 2nd, just becuase i've already taken them.
 
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