CISCO CCNA? (U.K)

[johnmhigh]

Hi, i'm currently looking in to taking the CISCO CCNA course on the open university (U.K) but i have two concerns. 

 

Firstly, there is only two class room days where u get hands on with some networking equipment, the rest is all theory. How much of a disadvantage would this be?

 

Secondly, If all goes well and i get my CCNA, this would be my only I.T related qualification, ive noticed a lot of networking jobs ask for training in other areas apart from CCNA such as virtualization, juniper etc. Whats the chances of getting into the I.T field with just the CCNA to my name.

 

I do realize this is a broad question but would still hugely appreciate any advice. Thanks.

 

 

[Lurick]

A lot of CCNA, last I was studying it at least, is about introducing you to the basics and getting you familiar with terminology and theory. Once you get into CCNP studies is when you start to apply that knowledge in a more practical manner and see a lot more hands on labs.

[johnmhigh]

Well CCNP isn't something I've thought about, yet. I'll be studying part time as I currently work in a warehouse full time so I can't go to actually university to do the course and have to take it from home. If I went into the I.T field with just CCNA would it more than likely be just a helpdesk jobs taking calls and troubleshooting?

Thanks

[Lurick]

6 minutes ago, johnmhigh said:

Well CCNP isn't something I've thought about, yet. I'll be studying part time as I currently work in a warehouse full time so I can't go to actually university to do the course and have to take it from home. If I went into the I.T field with just CCNA would it more than likely be just a helpdesk jobs taking calls and troubleshooting?

Thanks

With just a CCNA, yah, probably something along those lines, but that's also a good way to get some hands experience too. You would probably be Tier 1 support in a NOC or something which is a good way to get your foot in the door too and if you're lucky, the company might pay for you to get more certs and whatnot along the way.

[johnmhigh]

1 minute ago, Lurick said:

With just a CCNA, yah, probably something along those lines, but that's also a good way to get some hands experience too. You would probably be Tier 1 support in a NOC or something which is a good way to get your foot in the door too and if you're lucky, the company might pay for you to get more certs and whatnot along the way.

Thanks, that help alot, i need to get out of the job I'm in now lol. Thanks again!

[Lurick]

Just now, johnmhigh said:

Thanks, that help alot, i need to get out of the job I'm in now lol. Thanks again!

From what I've seen, just personal experience so take it for what it's worth, but having a constant job is seen more favorably by employers even if it's not in the field of work you're aiming for so maybe line something up before jumping ship although I know that can be hard sometimes.

[johnmhigh]

6 minutes ago, Lurick said:

From what I've seen, just personal experience so take it for what it's worth, but having a constant job is seen more favorably by employers even if it's not in the field of work you're aiming for so maybe line something up before jumping ship although I know that can be hard sometimes.

Well I've been at my current job for 11 years now and won't leave until I have a job to go to in the networking area, I don't partially like my job but it is secure.

 

[DogKnight]

Do a search in these forums for other posts about the CCNA or qualifications. There has been some great advice.

To summarize, make sure the qualification you go for leads you to the job you want. As per what @Lurick said, do you want to be handling support calls in a NOC? Where do you want to end up? Will this qualification or the job it can get you, lead you to a position you want in the future? If you went down this path, did L1 NOC work, got your CCNP, and ended up programming networking equipment, would you be happy?

There are hundreds of IT related courses. Think about the type of job you want, speak to people doing that job and find out what an average day/week is like and decide if its for you.