Want to start CCNA course and know about commsupport.co.uk

[gift07]

Hi every one,

I want to take CCNA training. I have seen a lot of providers online but Commsupport Network seems good. Just want to know if any of you have any experience about Commsupport. Do you think 5-6 days course enough to learn and pass CCNA? I will appreciate your valuable comments.

Thanks.

[hbroomhall]

Do you think 5-6 days course enough to learn and pass CCNA?

Basicaly - no. Unless you know most of it already and need to fill in the gaps.

Harry.

[simongrahamuk]

Didn't you already sak the same thing here:

http://www.certforums.co.uk/forums/thread22191.html

Please don't cross post. Your posts will be seen and answered by those that have the answers.

[gift07]

Originally Posted by hbroomhall

Basicaly - no. Unless you know most of it already and need to fill in the gaps.

Harry.

hi Harry,

thanks for your comment.

[greenbrucelee]

Originally Posted by hbroomhall

Basicaly - no. Unless you know most of it already and need to fill in the gaps.

Harry.

What Harry said, do you have any IT experience at all?

You should have some experience with Cisco kit in a job before doing the CCNA.

[MrKif]

Hey, i am doing my CCNA with commsupport at the moment and i have to say they rock!!! The instructor knows his stuff and does alot more than is needed just to pass the CCNA. He will get you to do labs, send you away and bust your lab then ask you to fix it.
The guy teaching me, Joe seems really enthusiastic and honest as well. They do 2 types of course, the 5 day one or the same course taught over a series of Sundays and a Friday. I have 2nd line experience but not much cisco at all and he advised me not to take the 5 day course but to do the weekend one instead. That way i get to read up on what we have learnt and also prime myself for next weeks class. He knows he may loose a few students this way, but he would rather have you learn it properly.
Beware though, he is a slave driver and expects you to do around 2-3 hrs work per night every night on top of course attendance which is around a 10 hour day but it's all good as he really wants you to pass. His mantra is he wants to create network engineers, not paper ccna's so he focuses a lot of practical work as well as theory. On average i'd say half the day is theory and half lab.
If you can get hold of cisco kit then good, but if not he supplies all ccna students with a top sim that is far better than any of the others i have used. He also ensures you get 2 routers and switch each so no waiting round for others to finish labs. You also get the proper Cisco manuals, not some shonky textbooks!
I got badly ripped off by Amraf for my MCSE (1 decent MCP, the rest were taught out of a book before they dissapeared with my cash) so have been very hesitant to book any other courses and certainly would not reccomend Commsupport if i wasn't happy with them.
Joe himself will tell you, just 5 days in his class with no previous experience will 1) not get you a pass in the CCNA exam and 2) will not make you a network engineer. You will need to supplement his class with lots of reading and lab work at home as well. Don't believe any school telling you they will make you an CCNA or network engineer in such a short space of time, it's impossible!

[Sparky]

Originally Posted by MrKif

Hey, i am doing my CCNA with commsupport at the moment and i have to say they rock!!! The instructor knows his stuff and does alot more than is needed just to pass the CCNA. He will get you to do labs, send you away and bust your lab then ask you to fix it.
The guy teaching me, Joe seems really enthusiastic and honest as well. They do 2 types of course, the 5 day one or the same course taught over a series of Sundays and a Friday. I have 2nd line experience but not much cisco at all and he advised me not to take the 5 day course but to do the weekend one instead. That way i get to read up on what we have learnt and also prime myself for next weeks class. He knows he may loose a few students this way, but he would rather have you learn it properly.
Beware though, he is a slave driver and expects you to do around 2-3 hrs work per night every night on top of course attendance which is around a 10 hour day but it's all good as he really wants you to pass. His mantra is he wants to create network engineers, not paper ccna's so he focuses a lot of practical work as well as theory. On average i'd say half the day is theory and half lab.
If you can get hold of cisco kit then good, but if not he supplies all ccna students with a top sim that is far better than any of the others i have used. He also ensures you get 2 routers and switch each so no waiting round for others to finish labs. You also get the proper Cisco manuals, not some shonky textbooks!
I got badly ripped off by Amraf for my MCSE (1 decent MCP, the rest were taught out of a book before they dissapeared with my cash) so have been very hesitant to book any other courses and certainly would not reccomend Commsupport if i wasn't happy with them.
Joe himself will tell you, just 5 days in his class with no previous experience will 1) not get you a pass in the CCNA exam and 2) will not make you a network engineer. You will need to supplement his class with lots of reading and lab work at home as well. Don't believe any school telling you they will make you an CCNA or network engineer in such a short space of time, it's impossible!

If you don’t get the CCNA or become an IT engineer (hee hee!) then what is the point? Surely you would be better off saving the cash and buying some different training products for the CCNA?

[BosonMichael]

sniff sniff...

My SPAM detector's going off...

[MrKif]

"sniff sniff my spam detector is going off".
Can i kindly suggest you see a spam detector engineer then. The question someone posted was regarding how good commsupport were, i answered based upon my experiences so far. Sorry if i mistook the idea of the forum to exchange information and to answer questions.

[MrKif]

Originally Posted by Sparky

If you don’t get the CCNA or become an IT engineer (hee hee!) then what is the point? Surely you would be better off saving the cash and buying some different training products for the CCNA?

as a base for more study i.e you need to do more than just sit in the class for 5 days. You need to read and do labs yourself. What i was trying to say was ther is no way anyone can make you a competent network engineer in 5 days from scratch. Seems to me there are alot of people out there wanting shortcuts that dont exist and alot of dodgy firms willing to cash in on that.

[greenbrucelee]

Originally Posted by MrKif

as a base for more study i.e you need to do more than just sit in the class for 5 days. You need to read and do labs yourself. What i was trying to say was ther is no way anyone can make you a competent network engineer in 5 days from scratch. Seems to me there are alot of people out there wanting shortcuts that dont exist and alot of dodgy firms willing to cash in on that.

Does this place also tell their students that without relevant work experience (a year in a real job working with cisco kit) is virtually usless as no employer in their right mind will employ someone to work on their network with no experience regardless of their level of certification.

[MrNerdy]

A good introduction into CCNA would be to do both Cisco IT Essentials 1 & 2.
They would both give you an understanding of Cisco, how the exams are done and above all prior knowledge.
CCNA can not as other have stated be taken in 5 days, most semesters take 1 term at most UK colleges.

If your new to IT & PC's then doing the 2 IT Essentials courses coupled with CompTIA A+ would give you a head start, good all round knowledge and above all the skills to take and pass CCNA.

If when your doing CCNA you find it difficult and it is, if you do the first 2 semesters plus some extra reading up you would have the knowledge to take the CompTIA Network+ exam. And build from there.

[GW]

Originally Posted by greenbrucelee

Does this place also tell their students that without relevant work experience (a year in a real job working with cisco kit) is virtually usless as no employer in their right mind will employ someone to work on their network with no experience regardless of their level of certification.

Actually, I got laid off at the end of December since the company I worked for merged with a company in another part of the State and that company is moving all of our products to their headquarters so the IT Department was the first to get the axe.

So far two of the interviews that I've gone to that they are working on offer letters for me (company's are doing more background checks now a days so it takes a few days before they are allowed to make an offer) they are going to have me work on Cisco kit even though I told them I have little to no experience with Cisco but they are willing to train.

I'm finding many companies like having someone who has a CCNA even with little to no experience because then they believe you have the bare basics and they will train you to work on their kit.

GW

[greenbrucelee]

Originally Posted by GW

Actually, I got laid at the end of December since the company I worked for merged with a company in another part of the State and that company is moving all of our products to their headquarters so the IT Department was the first to get the axe.

So far two of the interviews that I've gone to that they are working on offer letters for me (company's are doing more background checks now a days so it takes a few days before they are allowed to make an offer) they are going to have me work on Cisco kit even though I told them I have little to no experience with Cisco but they are willing to train.

I'm finding many companies like having someone who has a CCNA even with little to no experience because then they believe you have the bare basics and they will train you to work on their kit.

GW

I hope you mean you go laid off

Its good that they are willing to train you up on the cisco gear but what I was meaning to point out that a company won't wont let you loose on your own on their network with or without the CCNA.

In the UK we are bombarded all the time with TV adverts saying get this cert with us and you will earn 37k a year with no experience which we all know is BS. If these training providers would say we will get you a jon were you will get training to go with your certification then that would be better and not give people the illusion that IT is well paid from the start and easy, which it isn't.

[MrKif]

Originally Posted by greenbrucelee

Does this place also tell their students that without relevant work experience (a year in a real job working with cisco kit) is virtually usless as no employer in their right mind will employ someone to work on their network with no experience regardless of their level of certification.

Put it like this, he doesn't make any promises of employment and certainly doesn't tell people they will be getting jobs based on CCNA qualification. He actually went into one the other day about some other firm who make employment offers, his argument being that how the hell would a training company be able to tell you were a competent engineer based upon the fact you paid for a training course.
I don't think its fair to brand the CCNA as "virtually useless" without the experience. It provides a good starting point and if you already work in an IT role you can use it to leverage a sideways move into networking with your present employer. Alot of places now also get kit out and expect you to fault find as part of the selection process
Personally i shall be using the qualification, along with my previous experience in 2nd and 3rd line to be able to blag a job.