online course ideas

[osiris999]

im a full time cnc machinist and work 70 hours a week. going to a school is a no go so i wanna take some online courses. i took a cisco ccna course in high school. it was a 2 year class but i was only able to take it one year. i made straight a's and really loved the class. so whats the best way to get a ccna or another cert online. what certs are also good to get. all sites seem to be boot camps that pretty much give give you the answers. i actually wanna learn. also does anyone know if cisco still does it on their site. i think it was called netacad i cant find anything on it.

[Serra]

I can't speak much to places where you can do courses on-line or about IT certifications other than Cisco's, but I might be able to help in a small way with some of what you're looking at. Hopefully others can fill in a more. Working those kinds of hours regularly gets crazy pretty quickly so I wish you the best of luck with your endeavor.

I believe that Cisco's NetAcad is only provided through other bodies (eg. local colleges). This link may help you find one near you or that offers it online. They can be a bit hit or miss... it really depends on who is teaching it. I personally had a great experience when I went through it, but mileage may vary.


Speaking purely as regards CCNA-level certification training for an entry position (I can't really comment a lot on any other vendors)...
Although I would look at NetAcad first for Cisco certification training (both for the training and the resume point), if the times/locations do not work for you it is possible to do some pretty good CCNA-level training on your own . You can use software like Dynagen to simulate routers, pick up a few cheap switches from eBay, and download exercise books and just work through all of it. Doing so can be a bit confusing if you've never done it before (eg. what software/how does it work/what material/etc), but if you decide to go after Cisco as a vendor and come to that point I can make some suggestions... just post back here or send me a PM.


BTW - I applaud your commitment to learn the technology and not the test. That's the best and only way to succeed. Too many people in the IT industry take the easy way out, and I can never figure out why... they are invariably lower quality employees, and obviously so. They don't tend to particularly succeed and just taint everyone else while they're busy failing by casting doubts on the whole process.

[Face]

CBT Nuggets is the way to go .. so I've heard.

http://www.cbtnuggets.com/series/410


Might wanna look at trainsignal as well:

http://www.trainsignal.com/Cisco-CCNA-Training.aspx