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Passed VCAP5-DCA (550) Saturday. Man, they're really pushing that Web Client.
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# ? Oct 6, 2014 19:00 |
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# ? Jun 5, 2024 08:47 |
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If I plan on working in security eventually, and will receive my net+ and sec+ within the next three to four months or so, is it worth going for the a+ too? I ask because WGU covers all of the voucher costs with tuition, but I transferred in with about half of my program already done. A previous class I took at community college satisfied the need for the course at WGU that grants you the voucher for the a+. I'm trying to land something entry level in IT and haven't had any luck so far, will net+ and sec+ help me in that respect? Obviously a degree is way more valuable than a certification, but when it comes to landing a first job with no previous work experience in IT I'm not sure what is more valuable.
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# ? Oct 6, 2014 20:59 |
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Drunk Orc posted:If I plan on working in security eventually, and will receive my net+ and sec+ within the next three to four months or so, is it worth going for the a+ too? I ask because WGU covers all of the voucher costs with tuition, but I transferred in with about half of my program already done. A previous class I took at community college satisfied the need for the course at WGU that grants you the voucher for the a+. I'm trying to land something entry level in IT and haven't had any luck so far, will net+ and sec+ help me in that respect? Obviously a degree is way more valuable than a certification, but when it comes to landing a first job with no previous work experience in IT I'm not sure what is more valuable. If it's free, might as well get the certification, it's probably a keyword that HR looks for on entry level positions. I don't think it'd be worth paying full price though unless you were seeing lots of positions that demanded an A+ in order to be considered.
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# ? Oct 6, 2014 21:07 |
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:If it's free, might as well get the certification, it's probably a keyword that HR looks for on entry level positions. I don't think it'd be worth paying full price though unless you were seeing lots of positions that demanded an A+ in order to be considered. It's not free because the course requirement is already met by a previous class at a different school, apparently. I really don't want to pay out of pocket but it seems necessary for a lot of entry level spots that I've seen, and asked about by several recruiters.
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# ? Oct 6, 2014 21:10 |
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Depends on if you feel like you can afford to wait and see what kind of boost you get from the N+/S+. I'd like to think a manager who sees a candidate that passed N+ and S+ would figure he's smart enough to learn the A+ material in a matter of weeks. The A+ is probably the most entry level certification that exists in IT. Its purpose is to poke your foot in the door and help you land your first helldesk or repair tech job. It shows that you at least know something, even if you don't have the work history yet. Once you've gotten that first job, no one will care about it because almost any work experience speaks louder than the cert. But it is certainly valuable for getting past the initial HR filter. If 50 resumes come in and 45 have all 3 certs, you're probably landing in the reject pile. This is also a roundabout way of saying that you should start working on a professional network. See if there's some local <whatever tech you love> user groups or meetups you can go to. Often times you'll start a conversation with someone, get into your skills and background and find they're hiring for someone exactly like you. You'll immediately have a huge leg up and probably get to submit your resume to the manager directly instead of getting filtered by a third party. edit: vvv 100% agree with this poster Docjowles fucked around with this message at 05:56 on Oct 7, 2014 |
# ? Oct 7, 2014 04:06 |
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Drunk Orc posted:If I plan on working in security eventually, and will receive my net+ and sec+ within the next three to four months or so, is it worth going for the a+ too? I ask because WGU covers all of the voucher costs with tuition, but I transferred in with about half of my program already done. A previous class I took at community college satisfied the need for the course at WGU that grants you the voucher for the a+. I'm trying to land something entry level in IT and haven't had any luck so far, will net+ and sec+ help me in that respect? Obviously a degree is way more valuable than a certification, but when it comes to landing a first job with no previous work experience in IT I'm not sure what is more valuable. If you are already in school, already getting net+ and sec+, and will have a BA(?) when you graduate and start looking for work, you can safely skip the A+. I'd suggest the A+ -> CCNA route only if you weren't already in school, and only then because it worked for me with no degree or work experience of any sort. Ideally I think you would do Sec+/A+ in school and CCENT (-> CCNA) after, but honestly I feel like your time is better spent focusing on something more specific to Security. While interviewing you (note: I am not a hiring manager for anyone) for a security position I'd probably give way more of a poo poo about seeing "<Big Security Cert>: Scheduled MM/YY" than about seeing a completed A+, which is essentially 2 whole tests of poo poo that you should probably be googling anyway. For example: The internal moving parts and distinct processes of laser printing. The difference between Laser, Dot matrix, Ink/Bubblejet printers. The maximum lengths and throughputs of specific versions of SATA cables. Maximum sizes associated with various layerings of DVDs/BluRay Discs. Acronyms all over the place. I hope you're ready to memorize some fuckin pin counts because boy is that poo poo on there. Specifically, different types and verions of memory module pin counts which might be the most boring poo poo imaginable. Skip it if you can. Avoid jobs that require it if you can. Read the exam requirements and then learn about the actually interesting/important bits (RAID, Northbridge+Southbridge, IRQs, etc.) afterwards.
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# ? Oct 7, 2014 05:35 |
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I'm finishing up some foundation level project management training from PMI and looking to take the CAPM exam. Anyone have experience with it? Are the questions on the CAPM exam laid out like the questions in PMI's training modules?
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# ? Oct 7, 2014 13:24 |
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Drunk Orc posted:If I plan on working in security eventually, and will receive my net+ and sec+ within the next three to four months or so, is it worth going for the a+ too? I ask because WGU covers all of the voucher costs with tuition, but I transferred in with about half of my program already done. A previous class I took at community college satisfied the need for the course at WGU that grants you the voucher for the a+. I'm trying to land something entry level in IT and haven't had any luck so far, will net+ and sec+ help me in that respect? Obviously a degree is way more valuable than a certification, but when it comes to landing a first job with no previous work experience in IT I'm not sure what is more valuable. A+ strikes me as a complete waste of time and especially money if you have to pay for it. I don't have mine or know anybody that does even over in our Help Desk. A support position at a Help Desk is a relatively high turn over position compared to other "higher" groups so my perception is the HD group is more heavily invested in getting somebody who places priority on customer service, politeness, good communication skills, and not being a muppet who can be trained up; since really it's mostly the same set of issues in your environment day in and day out with minor variations. I didn't even know what the cert really was when I was hired as a level 1 HD dude. I just knew what I knew from growing up and using/building a few computers. Net/Sec+ will get you in the door to security somewhere as low man, but in is in.
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# ? Oct 7, 2014 14:28 |
likw1d posted:I just finished the VCP-DCV course Friday and I am now able to register for the VCP-DCV exam. I am currently waiting for PearsonVUE to add the VMware portal to my account, whatever that means. I got the blueprint and Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5 book. Any people with experience studying and taking the VCP-DCV exam have any tips and suggestions? What is the best way to practice for the test? Do as much as you can at home, wherever possible. If you have the dollars, build up a storage server, install the 2k12 demo version with Storage Spaces and iSCSI, and use that for shared VM storage on an ESXi lab box. Pricey but the single best way to get your hands dirty. I can't speak for that book - I used Sybex - but if it has exercises, do them. If it has practical lab things, do them. Futz as much as possible.
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# ? Oct 7, 2014 14:58 |
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Not precisely cert related, but does anyone have any book recommendations for learning AD stuff? There's potentially a sysadmin job opening up at my work soon and while I'm doing ok on the networking side, my windows server/AD skills are lacking. We're running 2008R2 for what it's worth. I'm not specifically looking to test on anything at this point, but maybe down the road.
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# ? Oct 7, 2014 16:04 |
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Drunk Orc posted:It's not free because the course requirement is already met by a previous class at a different school, apparently. I thought at WGU you pay by the semester, not the course, and also that you can immediately pass a given course by passing the cert? So presuming you can pass A+ cold wouldn't it be no additional cost to you to get the cert compared to having the requirement waived?
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# ? Oct 7, 2014 16:06 |
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I haven't read it and it has no reviews but this seems like something you might benefit from: http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Active-...ctive+directory Bonus, it's from 2014.
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# ? Oct 7, 2014 16:09 |
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Sub Rosa posted:I thought at WGU you pay by the semester, not the course, and also that you can immediately pass a given course by passing the cert? So presuming you can pass A+ cold wouldn't it be no additional cost to you to get the cert compared to having the requirement waived? That's what I thought but because I've already "passed" the class they can't issue me the voucher to cover the exam fees. Does that make sense? e: that was weird not sure what happened with the triple quote! crunk dork fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Oct 7, 2014 |
# ? Oct 7, 2014 17:21 |
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internet jerk posted:I haven't read it and it has no reviews but this seems like something you might benefit from: This is a solid recommendation. The O'Reilly book is the gold standard AD book. I have the 4th and 5th edition of the 'cat' book and they come in handy. http://www.amazon.com/Active-Directory-Designing-Deploying-Running/dp/1449320023 Technet though is the best resource ever for anything Microsoft related though if you need to get deeper into stuff. I have no idea how they keep all that documentation together but it's awesome.
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# ? Oct 7, 2014 17:39 |
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SeamusMcPhisticuffs posted:Not precisely cert related, but does anyone have any book recommendations for learning AD stuff? There's potentially a sysadmin job opening up at my work soon and while I'm doing ok on the networking side, my windows server/AD skills are lacking. We're running 2008R2 for what it's worth. I'm not specifically looking to test on anything at this point, but maybe down the road. Ignore this recommendation if "lacking" still means more than zero. Right now I'm taking a "Windows Network Infrastructure" course with this as the text: MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-642): Configuring Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure (Like $10 used). It's not explicitly AD-focused (nor as cert-oriented as it sounds), but I'm finding that in the process of setting up network services on a 2008 R2 server chapter by chapter it's also giving me a bit of an introduction to AD, and being a hands-on person that doesn't speak Microsoft yet I think it's sticking better than if I started out with a book with a bunch of theoretical discussion of AD. The caveat is it's useless unless you can find a way to put a copy of windows server on a VM or two so you can do the labs.
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# ? Oct 7, 2014 17:51 |
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Thanks for the recommendations. I got my boss to order a couple books for me since our training budget poo poo the bed.
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# ? Oct 7, 2014 20:37 |
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Remy Marathe posted:Ignore this recommendation if "lacking" still means more than zero. Right now I'm taking a "Windows Network Infrastructure" course with this as the text: MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-642): Configuring Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure (Like $10 used). 70-640 is THE active directory test and it would be a slightly better suggestion to start with that book (however all three MS tests keep going back to AD, and there is a lot of crossknowledge). Months of lunches and the oriley cat books are great suggestions. I'm also putting it out there Group Policy: Fundamentals, Security, and the Managed Desktop link
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# ? Oct 8, 2014 03:14 |
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I failed my 70-411 exam yesterday, by quite a bit. This was my second MS Cert test, but my first at a Pearson test center. The exam seemed nothing like what was tested on by the Transcender practice test. I'm retaking again on Monday at a Prometric center, anybody have any tips? Can I expect the Prometric test to be closer to what I saw on the practice exam?
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# ? Oct 10, 2014 16:17 |
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TheDestructinator posted:I failed my 70-411 exam yesterday, by quite a bit. This was my second MS Cert test, but my first at a Pearson test center. The exam seemed nothing like what was tested on by the Transcender practice test. I'm retaking again on Monday at a Prometric center, anybody have any tips? Take my advice, hear me now and believe me later. Transcender WILL prepare you for failure on an MS Cert test. It is such a loving sham product.
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# ? Oct 10, 2014 16:52 |
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TheDestructinator posted:I failed my 70-411 exam yesterday, by quite a bit. This was my second MS Cert test, but my first at a Pearson test center. The exam seemed nothing like what was tested on by the Transcender practice test. I'm retaking again on Monday at a Prometric center, anybody have any tips? Don't feel bad, I just got the poo poo kicked out of me on my 70-411 too. The 70-410 was pretty easy to practice all the concepts in a home lab but I'm not really sure how to practice making VPN tunnels and such in a home lab without taking a break to get a much better understanding of networking.
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# ? Oct 10, 2014 17:51 |
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likw1d posted:I was planning on scheduling to take the test sometime in December or January. My idea is to just study and read everything over and over until then. It's a great idea to focus on the obscure concepts though, I'll make sure I know those well. Do you think practice tests are worth it? I would like to get familiar with how VMware test questions are worded or what to expect at least. I would definitely take the practice tests. They helped me, but not as much as rote memorization.
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# ? Oct 10, 2014 21:31 |
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It's probably a bit obscure but anyone ever do anything with Acme Packet/Oracle SBC certification? The company is willing to pay but as far as I can see there's 1 certification and about 20 different 5 day training courses you can take for $3500 a pop. Materials outside of them seem a bit light. "Oracle SBC Configuration and Administration" seems like the best bet though.
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# ? Oct 10, 2014 22:40 |
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MrBigglesworth posted:Take my advice, hear me now and believe me later. Any suggestions for a different practice exam?
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# ? Oct 11, 2014 00:25 |
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I gave up on MS stuff. Focusing exclusively on Cisco, which, weirdly enough, the Transcenders actually have value in practice for.
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# ? Oct 11, 2014 04:11 |
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TheDestructinator posted:I failed my 70-411 exam yesterday, by quite a bit. This was my second MS Cert test, but my first at a Pearson test center. The exam seemed nothing like what was tested on by the Transcender practice test. I'm retaking again on Monday at a Prometric center, anybody have any tips? Pretty sure there's no difference between the Prometric and Pearson tests - same question bank for either of them. But seconding what everyone says - Transcender's stuff is generally useless, and nothing like what you'll encounter on the exam.
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# ? Oct 11, 2014 18:51 |
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Is the CIW 1D0-520 as easy as practice materials suggest?
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# ? Oct 11, 2014 21:36 |
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TeamIce posted:Pretty sure there's no difference between the Prometric and Pearson tests - same question bank for either of them. But seconding what everyone says - Transcender's stuff is generally useless, and nothing like what you'll encounter on the exam. Yeah, the testing center just runs the test that Cisco provides to them, nothing different other than the environment itself.
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# ? Oct 13, 2014 02:42 |
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TheDestructinator posted:I failed my 70-411 exam yesterday, by quite a bit. This was my second MS Cert test, but my first at a Pearson test center. The exam seemed nothing like what was tested on by the Transcender practice test. I'm retaking again on Monday at a Prometric center, anybody have any tips? My advice: Take at least a month off. If you failed by 'quite a bit' you're going to fail the second time. If you would have failed by 1 or 2 questions a quick retake might get you a different bank of questions that you could eek out a pass on, but failing by quite a bit shows you need more time learning the material. Go down everything listed on the test page and make sure you fully understand everything listed. https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/exam-70-411.aspx Microsoft loves to focus on their networking stuff, so make sure you understand the NPS and Network Services areas very well.
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# ? Oct 13, 2014 02:57 |
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Drunk Orc posted:Is the CIW 1D0-520 as easy as practice materials suggest? Most CIW exams are pretty easy, I don't remember having any issues with that one when I took it.
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# ? Oct 13, 2014 03:00 |
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Failed the MS 70-685 on Thursday with 631. Need to work on networking and security, particularly the GPO settings, I think.
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# ? Oct 13, 2014 09:22 |
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skipdogg posted:My advice: This is good advice.
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# ? Oct 13, 2014 09:32 |
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PneumonicBook posted:Most CIW exams are pretty easy, I don't remember having any issues with that one when I took it. Right on, thanks!
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# ? Oct 13, 2014 12:31 |
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I will say I'm personally a fan of the Microsoft Exams getting tougher. The 2003 stuff was a bit of a joke with all the braindump certs out there. The 2008 stuff, especially after R2, was much better, and the 2012 stuff seems like no joke at all. I can honestly say I put a ton of work into my 2008 certs. I haven't really looked at the 2012 tests yet, but I'm expecting a bit of a challenge. I just finished WGU, so now it's time to figure out where to go next.
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# ? Oct 13, 2014 16:35 |
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Is the Cisco security track even worth pursuing these days? ASA is a piece of poo poo and they bought Sourcefire to replace their terrible IPS offerings. I'm wondering if it might be better to just go for straight R&S to complement the CISSP and master's degree I'm getting.
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# ? Oct 13, 2014 18:14 |
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Always go R&S before anything else.
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# ? Oct 13, 2014 18:22 |
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psydude posted:Is the Cisco security track even worth pursuing these days? ASA is a piece of poo poo and they bought Sourcefire to replace their terrible IPS offerings. I'm wondering if it might be better to just go for straight R&S to complement the CISSP and master's degree I'm getting. I had to get my CCNA Security for work, and I feel like it was an OK experience, but I don't know that I'd bother with the CCNP Security track unless you are being required to get it by your employer.
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# ? Oct 13, 2014 18:42 |
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Any word on when the 70-680 exam will stop being offered? I'm doubling down on studying it - hit a lull when my daughter was born a 6 weeks ago - and I assume its expiration has to be somewhere on the radar (with Windows 10 and all), but I'm not seeing anything anywhere. Edit: Nevermind - looks like it still isn't scheduled. Found this link: https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/retired-certification-exams.aspx#fbid=Reu1n1N85CQ Japanese Dating Sim fucked around with this message at 17:46 on Oct 14, 2014 |
# ? Oct 14, 2014 17:44 |
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:Don't feel bad, I just got the poo poo kicked out of me on my 70-411 too. The 70-410 was pretty easy to practice all the concepts in a home lab but I'm not really sure how to practice making VPN tunnels and such in a home lab without taking a break to get a much better understanding of networking. As much as I feel like the Network+ is a massive waste of time for anybody interested in going down the infrastructure path, it's a pretty good primer for non-networking focused people. Obviously skip poo poo like the encoding techniques of various 802.11 specifications or anything about token ring. I'd argue that everyone in IT should be able to pass the "can I explain it to a 6 year old" test for subnetting, routing, switching, and layer 2/3/4 communications. On the other side of the coin, I've met quite a few network spergs and I could make the case that without being able to do basic automation tasks, scripting, or basic Windows server tasks like configuring DHCP, unless you work in a really specific environment, you're also a huge waste of space (or forever stuck at the NOC / help desk). Everything overlaps these days, embrace it, don't fight it.
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# ? Oct 14, 2014 19:16 |
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I'm scheduled to take ICND1 in 10 days... I'm planning on banging through the Todd Lammle book in that time, I will probably dedicate 6+ hours a day until the exam to it. I've been working as a sysadmin for about 8~ years directly working w/ cisco/juniper/hp/dell/brocade/arista managed switches, routers, and I've configured practically every possible thing a sysadmin can do in that time, so I'm not expecting it to be that difficult... but I've never been a great test taker. The bright side is I'm already gainfully employed and my employer said they'd pay for this so I just said "gently caress it, I'll sign up for the test." Does that sound like a stretch for passing? I took the assessment exam and got about 1/2 of the questions, most of which that I got wrong I was generally familiar with subject but not to the fine level of detail they were asking about. It's not a problem to delay the test, but would prefer to get it over with if possible.
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# ? Oct 16, 2014 02:39 |
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# ? Jun 5, 2024 08:47 |
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If you only nailed 50% on the practice that's generally not a good indication. If you have the time, study to the course.
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# ? Oct 16, 2014 03:19 |