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Network +

M

Mr.Dospod

n00b
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Messages
54
So I recently changed my major to management information systems , and was thinking about getting started on my certifications now, so when I graduate in 2.5 years I will at least have certs...

I think I'm going to start off with the CompTIA Network+, so my question for the community is , what books and study material should I review to be on the path to success. :cool:
 
I would recommend the following author's books:

Mike Meyers (do not depend on this book alone to pass) Has the best descriptive context and explains how things work in simple easy to understand language. He also does not spend anywhere near enough pages on subnetting that other N+ books do.


Mike Hartwood (also good)

Todd Lammie ( also good)

I have the meyers and the hartwood books.
 
Vito_Corleone said:
useless. get the ccna instead.
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I think Network+ is only valuable to the studier, it's not a very valued certificate because it's fairly introductory material. If you're looking at network administration outside of a sysadmin/one one department/IT generalist role you'll most likely need Cisco experience and a CCNA. If you have very little networking experience, Network+ will teach you the basics in a way that's not going to make you feel like you're in way over your head in the first chapter.

For the love of all that is right, get work experience while you are in school. You should be looking at certificates as well but you need all three to help you get a job. Experience, education and certification. Primarily in that order most people agree. Talk to the people who manage internships and co-ops at your school, talk to your professors about work study positions at your school and companies in your area that are hiring. A lot of them will have contacts in the local industry.

As for books I like Mike Meyers and a lot of people will second that. I've used Course Technology books in the classroom and they are well written but not as good for self study. Also, Professor Messer's training videos for CompTIA and Microsoft certifications are free in your browser. His pay product can be downloaded and streamed on other devices.
 
Please correct me if I am wrong, but here is how I understand it.

If you do get Network +, consider getting the official books for the Cisco CCNA and diving straight in to the CCENT. As I understand it CCENT is the first half of the CCNA. Network + looks to be about 85% of the CCENT.
 
Mackintire said:
Please correct me if I am wrong, but here is how I understand it.

If you do get Network +, consider getting the official books for the Cisco CCNA and diving straight in to the CCENT. As I understand it CCENT is the first half of the CCNA. Network + looks to be about 85% of the CCENT.
Click to expand...

That would be largely correct. Quick link to the exam specifications. I'm kind of torn between doing N+ and then CCENT/CCNA or just going straight for CCENT. I'm more interested in the sysadmin field, managing clients, devices, Active directory, etc, then pure network administration. Most of the jobs I'm going for are asking for N+.. I don't do certs just to fill my resume I do them more for myself but I do look at what's being asked for in the jobs I'm interested in. I wouldn't want one of those lousy HR resume filters to pass over my CCENT. ;)
 
I think the real value of the N+ is when you have a A+. Microsoft will accept the two CompTia certs together as ONE elective towards some of their other certs. This may have more value to you as a Windows Admin, compared to the CCENT alone. That said, the CCNA is valuable and carries weight by itself regardless of whether or not you are focusing on Windows Admin or Networking. My advice, if you are focusing on Windows Admin get N+ and then go for CCNA as something to make you more marketable.
 
Mackintire said:
I think the real value of the N+ is when you have a A+. Microsoft will accept the two CompTia certs together as ONE elective towards some of their other certs. This may have more value to you as a Windows Admin, compared to the CCENT alone. That said, the CCNA is valuable and carries weight by itself regardless of whether or not you are focusing on Windows Admin or Networking. My advice, if you are focusing on Windows Admin get N+ and then go for CCNA as something to make you more marketable.
Click to expand...

This does not apply to new Microsoft Certified IT Professional titles, only the older MC System Administrator and MC System Engineer titles which revolve around Windows Server 2003. You may still see value in MCSA/SE since companies don't switch over immediately to new operating systems but they will become dated.
 
well I'm interning on campus right now but for programming hopefully soon I can find a networking job...
As far as what I really want to do with my degree.. I want to be a network or systems administrator, I don't mind working with windows or linux as I have experience in both , and use them on a daily basis.... I just don't want to take a test or obtain a cert and waste my money. My parents don't grasp that certifications are a big deal , so I will be paying for my literature ,as well as testing...
 
Mackintire said:
Please correct me if I am wrong, but here is how I understand it.

If you do get Network +, consider getting the official books for the Cisco CCNA and diving straight in to the CCENT. As I understand it CCENT is the first half of the CCNA. Network + looks to be about 85% of the CCENT.
Click to expand...

I would agree with this. I just finished the first book of the CCNA which is the CCENT material and I also hold a Network+ certification. If you can take the CCENT, you can pass the Network+.

I only have a Network+ because my high school payed for the exam as they had a official Network+ class and if you received a A in the class, you got one voucher to take the exam. I have yet to have any employer look at the Network+ in excitement. Its great study material though for a intro to networking and to really discover if you want to pursue networking further.

In my opinion I would go straight to the CCENT though as this will introduce to a lot of more network topics and you can really judge from there if networking is for you. For instance, when I took the Network+, it never mentioned what a routing protocol is, however, the CCENT does and this topic alone is a major area of networking.
 
adam30k said:
This does not apply to new Microsoft Certified IT Professional titles, only the older MC System Administrator and MC System Engineer titles which revolve around Windows Server 2003. You may still see value in MCSA/SE since companies don't switch over immediately to new operating systems but they will become dated.
Click to expand...

Is MS still even handing out MCSA/SE certs? When I looked last year to get my MCITP Exchange 2010 I couldn't find it anywhere on their site.
 
Lazy_Moron said:
I would agree with this. I just finished the first book of the CCNA which is the CCENT material and I also hold a Network+ certification. If you can take the CCENT, you can pass the Network+.

I only have a Network+ because my high school payed for the exam as they had a official Network+ class and if you received a A in the class, you got one voucher to take the exam. I have yet to have any employer look at the Network+ in excitement. Its great study material though for a intro to networking and to really discover if you want to pursue networking further.

In my opinion I would go straight to the CCENT though as this will introduce to a lot of more network topics and you can really judge from there if networking is for you. For instance, when I took the Network+, it never mentioned what a routing protocol is, however, the CCENT does and this topic alone is a major area of networking.
Click to expand...

Being someone who contemplated the Network+ or CCNA route. I went and passed my CCENT and am finishing up my CCNA. Not only is the CCENT something I feel good about putting on my resume, I felt like I actually learned some more practical things about networking. Whereas the Network+ material seemed like a lot of things were missing in regards to normal everyday networking.

Get your CCENT first, its a solid entry level cert and you will learn something useful from it
 
MCSA will retire the end of this year. Many MCSE exams have already been retired and can not be taken, therefore if you need an particular exam to fulfill your MCSE requirements and it is retired, you are out of luck.

I always direct people to the Microsoft Learning Certification page.
 
Okay so I have decided on the CCENT, now my next question is what does everyone recommend to study such as books , lecture videos, etc as I do not have a "training center" around me nor is anybody else I know really interested in it as much as I am.
 
Vito_Corleone said:
Cisco Press ICND1 book and CBTNuggets.
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++

I used the ICND1 Book by itself and passed my CCENT. After trying out the CBTNuggets for the ICND2, I would recommend that series.

We also have the CCNA study group thread that has some good info in it.
 
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