Cisco CCNA Certification: Why You NEED Hands-On Practice !

CCNA and CCNP candidates hear it all the time: "you have to get some hands-on experience to pass the exams".

Candidates tend to think that's just so they can solve the simulator problems, but that's only the more obvious reason.

First, I want to make it clear that I'm not bashing learning from books you have to learn theory before you can really know what's going on in the first place. The key is that to truly understand routing and switching processes, you've got to have that hands-on experience.

So if the simulator questions are the more obvious reason to get hands-on experience, what are the less obvious reasons?

Glad you asked!

You see what happens when things don't go according to the script. One of the biggest problems with learning your skills on software programs such as "router simulators" is that with simulators, things go pretty much as planned.

I have news for you: that doesn't always happen in the real world. While Cisco routers and switches are highly reliable devices, every once in a while you're going to get an unexpected result from a command. Maybe it didn't work after you typed it in maybe it has an effect on your prior configuration that you didn't expect. Maybe you don't know what happened ? you just typed in that command and the router went nuts!

Sooner or later, that's going to happen to you in the real world. And as I tell my students, it's actually a good thing to have happen to you in a lab.

You don't learn to troubleshoot or fine-tune a configuration when everything works perfectly. You don't learn much at all when things go perfectly. And you're practicing to learn!

I often say that great chefs don't learn to cook on cooking simulators they learn in the kitchen, and they burn a lot of meals on the way to greatness. You need to screw up some configs on the way to greatness, and you can't do that on a computer program. You have to be on the real thing.

You build confidence by working with real Cisco routers and switches. Would you want the Super Bowl to be the first football game you ever really played in? Of course not. Then why would you take router configuration exams and be nervous about having to create a VLAN, or troubleshoot an OSPF configuration?

You cannot walk into the testing room a nervous wreck. You must have the attitude that you are already a CCNA or CCNP, and you're just there to make it official. I can tell you from firsthand experience with many students that the way you develop than confidence is to work with the real deal.

You can't buy that confidence, and you can't simulate your way to it. You've got to work with real Cisco routers and switches. By working with the real equipment, you develop the real skills and real confidence you need to pass the CCNA and CCNP exams.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage. The Bryant Advantage sells the world's best CCNA Study Guide in PDF format for only $15 and is the ONLY company specializing in CCNA and CCNP rack rentals, allowing candidates for these certifications to gain vital hands-on experience with full racks of Cisco routers and switches with labs and prices designed just for them. There are also plenty of FREE CCNA and CCNP tutorials! Visit his site at http://www.thebryantadvantage.com today!

---

Digital Cameras, Media, and Card Readers

With the dropping prices on digital cameras and digital media... Read More

RFID for Beginners

RFID technology is used frequently today and has been around... Read More

SED is Coming

One of the bigger challenges facing display manufacturers is to... Read More

USB Key Drives - Useful Tool

There are many different names for these drives, just so... Read More

Top Three Factors to Consider While Choosing a Data Center for Your Business

Data Centers are the core of the Internet. The computer... Read More

Testing Capacitor-How To Test A Capacitor When Breakdown Under Load

Have you ever come across power problem where once you... Read More

Advanced Tips on Speeding Up Your PC

Other then keeping your HDD free of viruses, spyware, and... Read More

Review of Logitech Computer Speakers

When it comes to computer speaker systems, you have a... Read More

Setting up a Tape Backup Strategy for your Business

So you know a little bit about tape backup, but... Read More

Personal Asset Preventive Maintenance Software

Personal asset preventive maintenance software exists to help people manage... Read More

Is A Laser Printer Right For Me?

The average home computer user definitely does not need a... Read More

How To Upgrade Your PC

Before you upgrade your PC hardware it's best to search... Read More

Used Laptop Computer: Your Quick Purchase Inspection Guide ? Part 2

Used laptop computers are everywhere these days. How can you... Read More

The Road Ahead

We live in an area that has begun to... Read More

Unclogging Epson Print Heads

Tools needed:1 - 10cc Injector1 - 4" - 5" of... Read More

Review of Popular Wireless Headphones

Just about everyone would I agree, I think, that wires... Read More

Digital Camera Prints - Getting the Most for Your Money

Digital cameras have really taken off in popularity in recent... Read More

Getting The Proper Laptop Screen Size

Are you sick of viewing everything on that small screen... Read More

Used Laptop Computer: Your Quick Purchase Inspection Guide ? Part 3

Used laptop computers are everywhere these days. How can you... Read More

Laptop Notebook ? Inexpensive Business Laptops

Laptop Notebook ? Your Portable OfficeIn much of today's business... Read More

A Look at Laser Toners

Laser toner is the ink for laser printers. It is... Read More

Special Events Recording in DVD Players Age

The proliferation of portable DVD players has dramatically changed the... Read More

Inkjet Printer Tips to Select Proper Printer

If you are tight on budget, go for Inkjet Printer.... Read More

USB Hubs and Ports Explained

The USB standard has become the universal means of connection... Read More

The Printer Cartridge Wars: Generic or Remanufactured Cartridges Right for You?

OverviewAs "generic", "remanufactured", and "new compatible" inkjet printer cartridges and... Read More

An Inexpensive Solution to Securing Public Access Computers

Offering secure public Internet access is not as easy as... Read More

Cisco CCNA Certification: An Illustrated Guide To Ethernet CSMA/CD

When you're studying for your CCNA exams, you're going to... Read More

Wireless Notebooks: What You Need To Know About Going Wireless!

It's not exactly breaking news that our world is becoming... Read More

Do You Feel Used by Computers?

Do You Feel Used by Computers?A look at second-user computer... Read More

Sony vs. Olympus: Digital Voice Recorders

Digital voice recorders have become increasingly popular over the last... Read More

Give Your PC a Monitor Makeover

Whether you are crunching figures at a front office job... Read More

What Is A Fuse? And How To Test It.

A fuse is a very thin wire, which either melts... Read More

At War With The Internet

When it comes to sales of technology products over the... Read More