Very confused and stressed!!!

[network_guy]

Hi everyone, I registered to this forum in hopes that someone may enlighten me as to what exactly is going on with the Cisco CCNA examinations.

My country of residence is Canada. I am not sure whether certifications are standard internationally, although I suppose they are since "Pearson Vue" supplies them and they comply with Cisco standards.

For the past couple weeks I have been studying for Cisco CCNA intro Exam (640-821) and INCD as well. I was going to take the exams one at a time. Yesterday, I went to a test center (a.k.a: $$$ training center $$$) to take my exam. Anyhow, after 1 full hour of trying to belittle me and suck me into one of they're training programs which cost a bundle, and after another half hour of telling them which Cisco exam I wanted to take, they told me the Cisco CCNA has been changed, I pointed them to the Cisco exam 640-821 which is the intro for the hundredth time and after registering half-way, a notice was displayed asking for a number to some type of "Cisco Academy". Anyhow, as confused as these people were, I was even more confused, I studied weeks for these exams and my stress level went up a notch after having no answers as to what the helk transpired here. I went to the Cisco website and it stated Cisco CCNA exams have been "Retired since Nov 2007", I'm assuming that means they were discontinued and are not valid any longer. I have called up many other places and they are telling me I can take my CCNA intro exam, I don't know whats going on any longer...CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT IS GOING ON AND CAN I TAKE MY CCNA INTRO AND IF NOT WHAT CCNA EXAM CAN I TAKE ? PLEASE HELP ME...IM GOING NUTS

Thanks for any input here!!!

[BosonMichael]

All your questions are answered directly on the Cisco Web site, which you have already seen.

So what can you take? You can take the new ICND1 and ICND2 exams, which will get you the CCNA certification. You cannot take the old INTRO or ICND exams unless you are currently enrolled in a Cisco Academy course, and I'm not sure how long that "grace period" will be offered before those students have to switch.

You don't need to take a Cisco Academy training course. All you need to do is study for the ICND1 and ICND2 exams (one at a time is recommended), visit www.vue.com to register for your exam, and show up at the testing center at your assigned time... no need to speak with ANYONE at the testing center other than to say, "I'm here to take an exam."

[sunn]

Just to clear things up, because I'm in Canada too, what BM said is valid for us Canucks .
Check out the Cisco site for exam details. Specifically, the CCNA path via the CCENT is made up of the 640-822 ICND1 & 640-816 ICND2.

As for studying outdated material, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure most of the topics and concepts are same with some modifications. Pick up a book that covers the new exam material and you should be fine.

Good Luck with studying...

[network_guy]

Hi, thank you BM and sunn for the replies.

Anyhow, I just have one final question. If I go take the INCD1 test having studied for CCNA intro, should I expect something entirely/somewhat different? What additional material could be missing from the CCNA intro that is on the INCD1 exam. I know the Cisco website provides the outline for the INCD1 exam, the only thing I see extra in the INCD1 is more on WLAN, but if anyone has taken the CCNA intro and then the INCD1, from your experience how much different are they? I don't want to purchase new materials for the INCD1 knowing that I only have to catch up on some more details on WLAN. Thank you again for any response, much appreciated!


( In correspondence to the training center, thats exactly what I specified, I was there only to take the exam, nothing more. I did not ask about they're training programs etc...I simply wanted to get my certificate. Instead, they asked me all kinds of questions, where I studied before, if I had any training, how could I advance while taking they're training courses etc...At first I thought this was part of the procedure so I politely went with the flow but I specifically asked just to take the test, when I told them I have a degree in Computer and Networking they told me I still need to update to windows server 2008, Vista etc...I finally lost my patience and told them they shouldn't care as it wasn't they're business, I got out of there triple time once they told me I couldn't take the CCNA intro. )

[network_guy]

Good Luck with studying...

Thanks....I love studying especially! ...

/sarcasm

[network_guy]

Actually, I made a decision (not that anyone cares but here it is)...I'm sort of happy Cisco came out with the CCENT exams. If I get these certs I'm pretty much up to date with all the material for another 3-4 years minimum. If I got my CCNA intro before it retired it wouldn't look that great on a resume (to the employer) but the CCENT INCD1 and 2 would.

Thanks for your replies, I just found a INCD1/INCD2 torrent package and don't have to purchase any new material.

[BosonMichael]

Originally Posted by network_guy

Anyhow, I just have one final question. If I go take the INCD1 test having studied for CCNA intro, should I expect something entirely/somewhat different?

Ab-so-lutely. Cisco analyzed their old INTRO and ICND exams and realized that the INTRO exam had all the easy CCNA stuff and the ICND exam had all the hard CCNA stuff. Thus, nobody was going the 2-exam route... the risk of getting hung up on the ICND exam was too great. So Cisco reshuffled the CCNA objectives for a more even distribution of difficulty between the two exams. Thus... the INTRO book is probably going to miss a lot of stuff they've shuffled around.

Originally Posted by network_guy

( In correspondence to the training center, thats exactly what I specified, I was there only to take the exam, nothing more. I did not ask about they're training programs etc...I simply wanted to get my certificate. Instead, they asked me all kinds of questions, where I studied before, if I had any training, how could I advance while taking they're training courses etc...At first I thought this was part of the procedure so I politely went with the flow but I specifically asked just to take the test, when I told them I have a degree in Computer and Networking they told me I still need to update to windows server 2008, Vista etc...I finally lost my patience and told them they shouldn't care as it wasn't they're business, I got out of there triple time once they told me I couldn't take the CCNA intro. )

They so totally want to sell you some expensive training. Avoid that and register on VUE's website.

[BosonMichael]

Originally Posted by network_guy

Thanks for your replies, I just found a INCD1/INCD2 torrent package and don't have to purchase any new material.

Dude... that's piracy... blatant copyright infringement. Know that several of us on here are published authors who make their living from book and training product sales. Stealing our stuff from torrents literally takes food from our kids' mouths.

If it's worth using, it's worth buying. Consider it an investment in your career.

[network_guy]

Dude... that's piracy... blatant copyright infringement. Know that several of us on here are published authors who make their living from book and training product sales. Stealing our stuff from torrents literally takes food from our kids' mouths.

If it's worth using, it's worth buying. Consider it an investment in your career.

Hey thanks for your replies, its worth mentioning that I did purchase my CCNA intro and INCD package at Chapters (this Canadian book place). I paid somewhere around 100 dollars for the whole package, and I think purchasing the INCD1 and INCD2 books would be unfair to me because a) the book place should not have been selling it since its retired and b) I did not get the chance to utilize the knowledge from that and take the CCNA exams c) now I have to recompile my knowledge by re-reading the material and spending another 2 long weeks digesting it until the exam

I purchase all my books atleast 99 percent of the time because I don't like PDF files and rather like to take notes down in the books pages. I am fair, and I think that considering my honesty, downloading this package won't have major impact on Cisco press authors since I already put money in they're pockets from previous purchases while others (probably thousands of them) never had. I promise when I become CCIE I will help out the authors in the development of new Cisco texts.

Thanks again for the previous replies!!!

[BosonMichael]

Originally Posted by network_guy

Hey thanks for your replies, its worth mentioning that I did purchase my CCNA intro and INCD package at Chapters (this Canadian book place). I paid somewhere around 100 dollars for the whole package, and I think purchasing the INCD1 and INCD2 books would be unfair to me because a) the book place should not have been selling it since its retired and b) I did not get the chance to utilize the knowledge from that and take the CCNA exams c) now I have to recompile my knowledge by re-reading the material and spending another 2 long weeks digesting it until the exam

I purchase all my books atleast 99 percent of the time because I don't like PDF files and rather like to take notes down in the books pages. I am fair, and I think that considering my honesty, downloading this package won't have major impact on Cisco press authors since I already put money in they're pockets from previous purchases while others (probably thousands of them) never had. I promise when I become CCIE I will help out the authors in the development of new Cisco texts.

Thanks again for the previous replies!!!

Doesn't matter - it's still piracy. The ICND1 and ICND2 books are different from the INTRO and ICND books. It's not Cisco Press's fault that you didn't do your homework; the exam retirement was made known around the middle of last year. Thus, if you want to use their stuff, you should pay the money.

The book place isn't gonna keep track of certifications to see if they're current. If YOU didn't know they were retired, how would you expect an employee in a book store to know?

Following your logic:

I bought Call of Duty 2, but I didn't know Call of Duty 4 was out for the PC! How dare the game store sell it to me? So I just downloaded it from a torrent. After all, Activision already got their money for Call of Duty 2... why should I have to pay for Call of Duty 4???

I don't think it's fair that I have to drive a '99 Altima with three hubcaps, so I think I'll go take an '07 Altima from the car lot.

If you're truly honest, do the right thing.

[network_guy]

My logic is reasonable to me, but I bet its unreasonable to many. I paid a lot for education, over 18 thousand dollars of it while one of your Cisco buddies at the office (wearing tie, a Rolex watch and driving a Ferrari) is telling me to go shove the diploma in the tin can. Now, I have to pay off a monthly mortgage with no job, no certificates, no money and a fatcat boss telling me I got nothing to offer and if I did it would be for minimum wage, else I end up on the street. How is that logic sound to you? (I might just end up writing a C program at the EOF). I could have not mentioned anything at all, and could have lied that I'm purchasing the books etc... I have no money for gas much less another 100 dollars for a textbook and a exam I have to pay for that once again may or may not get me a job. So 18000 to pay off in OSAP, 1000 to pay off monthly mortgage, jobless, my diploma to employers seems to be synonymous with toilet paper and minimal experience in the field.

How delightful this is...

[network_guy]

The book place isn't gonna keep track of certifications to see if they're current. If YOU didn't know they were retired, how would you expect an [i]employee in a book store to know?

So let me see, if that were true then they wouldn't be selling Windows 95 textbooks would they? If not, why not? I mean, obviously the employees wouldn't know anything so that means they should still be up there. If bookstores didn't know when books weren't valid any longer they would still be selling books on how to build room sized computational devices using vacuum tubes. The fact is there is some rules and regulations when keeping track of books especially with IT books which change quite often. I am no author, I imagine when a author releases his books, he does so at certain times etc...In that case, the author should have specified that the book is not valid any longer (specify approx time to warn customers etc...), to prevent stealing money from the buyers (which is exactly what the author or bookstore is doing in this IT related case, its selling books that belong in the trash can) . But the simple fact is that the bookstores would go bankrupt if they sold outdated material. They sold me outdated material, whether or not they meant too or not. Its not my fault, I expect the latest books to be out there on the shelf, if I wanted to get outdated books I'd go to my nearest library...thnx

[greenbrucelee]

Originally Posted by BosonMichael

Doesn't matter - it's still piracy. The ICND1 and ICND2 books are different from the INTRO and ICND books. It's not Cisco Press's fault that you didn't do your homework; the exam retirement was made known around the middle of last year. Thus, if you want to use their stuff, you should pay the money.

The book place isn't gonna keep track of certifications to see if they're current. If YOU didn't know they were retired, how would you expect an employee in a book store to know?

Following your logic:

I bought Call of Duty 2, but I didn't know Call of Duty 4 was out for the PC! How dare the game store sell it to me? So I just downloaded it from a torrent. After all, Activision already got their money for Call of Duty 2... why should I have to pay for Call of Duty 4???

I don't think it's fair that I have to drive a '99 Altima with three hubcaps, so I think I'll go take an '07 Altima from the car lot.

If you're truly honest, do the right thing.

Good point Rep give for quoting the truth.

Originally Posted by network_guy

My logic is reasonable to me, but I bet its unreasonable to many. I paid a lot for education, over 18 thousand dollars of it while one of your Cisco buddies at the office (wearing tie, a Rolex watch and driving a Ferrari) is telling me to go shove the diploma in the tin can. Now, I have to pay off a monthly mortgage with no job, no certificates, no money and a fatcat boss telling me I got nothing to offer and if I did it would be for minimum wage, else I end up on the street. How is that logic sound to you? (I might just end up writing a C program at the EOF). I could have not mentioned anything at all, and could have lied that I'm purchasing the books etc... I have no money for gas much less another 100 dollars for a textbook and a exam I have to pay for that once again may or may not get me a job. So 18000 to pay off in OSAP, 1000 to pay off monthly mortgage, jobless, my diploma to employers seems to be synonymous with toilet paper and minimal experience in the field.

How delightful this is...

Mate it doesn't matter how much you have paid for education or that you don't have a job or enough money. Stealing is stealing.

I left school at 16 with not very good grades, I found a youth training scheme which was free in which I learned I was good on computers. I got £30 a week doing this as it was through the dole office, I was lucky enough to get a grant to help study a GNVQ in IT at a local college. I was then approached by the head of the IT dept saying I should go to uni and do a HND then further it on to a degree.

I had to use my own money for this a subsequently got into thousands of pounds worth of debt. I left uni in 1999 I never got an IT job as I was in so much financial problems I couldn't do anything but move back home with my Mum.

I got my self a job which I am still in 8 years ago, I do things with IT but not in the capacity I would like and will only finish my debt repayments in 15 days time.

Whilst still in this financial mess I decided to get some certs although I still have no cash so thought I'll self study & when I can afford I'll take the exams

My point of this story is I have no cash, not a job I really enjoy but I would never steal or cheat my way to a certification.

If it takes me 1 year to get a job in IT with certs by stealing/cheating or 20 years to get an IT job and some certs doing it properly I'll do it properly.

[greenbrucelee]

BTW my local Waterstones sells The complete guide to Windows 98SE and you can even get a book on OS2 warp

[network_guy]

Originally Posted by greenbrucelee

Good point Rep give for quoting the truth.



Mate it doesn't matter how much you have paid for education or that you don't have a job or enough money. Stealing is stealing.

I left school at 16 with not very good grades, I found a youth training scheme which was free in which I learned I was good on computers. I got £30 a week doing this as it was through the dole office, I was lucky enough to get a grant to help study a GNVQ in IT at a local college. I was then approached by the head of the IT dept saying I should go to uni and do a HND then further it on to a degree.

I had to use my own money for this a subsequently got into thousands of pounds worth of debt. I left uni in 1999 I never got an IT job as I was in so much financial problems I couldn't do anything but move back home with my Mum.

I got my self a job which I am still in 8 years ago, I do things with IT but not in the capacity I would like and will only finish my debt repayments in 15 days time.

Whilst still in this financial mess I decided to get some certs although I still have no cash so thought I'll self study & when I can afford I'll take the exams

My point of this story is I have no cash, not a job I really enjoy but I would never steal or cheat my way to a certification.

If it takes me 1 year to get a job in IT with certs by stealing/cheating or 20 years to get an IT job and some certs doing it properly I'll do it properly.

Thats a good story (and I'm definitely feeling you)...but let me get this straight. So basically, by your logic I have to wait 20 years to get a certificate and end up (in the present tense) on the street? Thats not a very good plan Bruce, I expected more from you. I know you were just analogizing but the fact remains that time is a great factor for me. I'm not here to talk about the situation I am in anyhow, I just think plenty of you underestimate peoples situation and jump to outrageous conclusions of committing some sort of violent crime (ie: the Ferrari driving, Rolex wearing "business" men). How about your aborting wives or girlfriends? Are you going to protest against that as well, I hope you will, thats not a Cisco textbook in there, thats a valued human life...I can understand you Bruce, but I can't understand top-notch arrogance. There are millions of people pirating right now, you name it, music, movies, books, software etc... If everyone is such an angel on these forums, then please tell me why haven't you protested with the other millions of angels who are against pirating. Why jump at me like a cat from the bush? Let me tell you something about Pirating, you do it, I do it and everyone else does it...and the reason:::-> because they can.


P.S: I'll steal from Bill Gates anyday