CCENT

Is Now the Time to Buy a CertPack Deal?

In handling a series of reader questions recently here on the ITKE, somebody raised the question of whether or not it was worth spending $15,000 to sign up for a combination cert training package that would help him acquire A+, Network+, MCP, and MCSA certification. This is an interesting question for all kinds of reasons that I’d like to explore. But first the answer is: “It depends on who’s paying. If somebody else is footing the bill, it may be worthwhile. If you must pay for this out of your own pocket, or borrow money to cover those costs, perhaps not.”

Now for some cost analysis, and then some explanations:

• As I explained waaaay back in 2002, an MCSA is going to cost you about $1,100 to acquire based on minimal and actual costs for self-study including the exams themselves ($125 x 4 = $500 ), Exam Crams ($30 x 4 = $120), full-length study guides ($50 x 4 = $200), and practice tests ($70 x 4 = $280). BTW, obtaining the MCSA gets you an MCP when you pass the first exam in the series, so mentioning the MCP is a little misleading: you must be an MCP to become an MCSA in any case.
• If you shop for exam vouchers carefully, you can find discounts on Network+ costs, with a low of about $215 (see ITExamVouchers.com for the latest deals). Add in the Exam Cram ($30), Study Guide ($50), and a practice exam ($70) for a total of $365 for self-study costs.
• Ditto above for A+, and you can find a low of about $300 for both of the A+ exams. Add two each Exam Crams ($60), Study Guides ($100), and practice exams ($140) for a total of $600 for self-study costs.
• Total self-study budget: $2,065 vs. package price of $15,000. Need I say any more?

Now some explanations, thoughts, and ideas:

• Why go after the MCSA when you should be thinking MCITP for the latest Windows client and server versions, plus platform technologies, services, and so forth, anyway. Chances are good the MCSA will disappear no later than 2012 anyway. Why spend that kind of cash on a soon-to-be-obsolete credential?
• Network+ and A+ are strictly entry level technician certs. They might get you into a support tech or help desk “starter job,” but they won’t get you much further than that. If you’re expecting a significant return on your training/cert investments, these are just the first elements in what should be a much longer sequence of increasingly serious (and higher-paying) credentials.
• If you really want to get a sequence going, you’d want to think about various MCITP credentials, and possibly also Cisco certifications in the CCENT, CCNA, and professional (CCNP, CCDP, CCVP, CCSP) families. Cisco exams cost $125 (two-step CCNA process) or $250 (one-step CCNA and most other non-CCIE exams) each, and you can take 1 (640-802) or 2 (640-822 which also gets you a CCENT, and 640-816) to earn the CCNA. Most of the Cisco professional certs require 4 exams at $250 each to earn, but are highly regarded in the marketplace.

My final take on this situation is that only those with money to burn, or other people’s money to spend, should be considering a “full boat classroom ride to certification.” For everybody else, the economics of self-study are still too compelling to overlook. Still the very best bang for your certification bucks around!

Game Your Way to (Cisco) Certification?

Last Tuesday, April 7, SearchNetworking news writer Dan Morisy interviewed me for a story entitled “Cisco’s Game Face: Can games replace traditional certification prep?” The impetus for  his story is a joint effort among Cisco Systems, Cisco Learning (aka Learning@Cisco), and Larry Holland’s TotallyGames computer game development studio. They’ve created a gaming environment called Cisco Mind Share that covers about half of the content for the entry-level CCENT exam, with an eye to capturing a bigger audience for their learning materials, sold through Cisco Press online and in book stores everywhere. Topics covered include binary notation and arithmetic, IOS fundaments, the OSI model, IP addressing and subnetting, IP routing, switch operation and behavior, wireless networks, and NAT and PAT. Serious (and useful) stuff, in an attractive and entertaining wrapper!

The real questions that arise from this effort might be paraphrased as:

• Will cert candidates use a game as a preparation tool?
• Can gaming work as a reasonable study strategy?

Personally, I’m of the opinion that a game can be like other supplementary forms of cert prep materials, such as Exam Cram books, flash cards, practice tests, and so forth. I remain to be convinced, however that Cisco Program Manager Jerry Bush’s contention “We realistically think someone will use this as a study guide and spend 20 to 30 hours with it just like it was a study guide” holds water. This particular game, in fact, covers IP basics from routing to subnetting, to help candidates get ready for CCENT. But does that mean it will become a primary learning tool? I wonder…

Personally, I think that because most people have to prepare for cert exams in their spare (leisure) time, that when they want to study, they’ll turn to study guides first and foremost, and only then to alternate materials possibly including the Cisco Mind Share game. When they want to play instead of study, I have to believe they may sometimes turn to this game, but for real recreation they’ll be more likely to turn to their favorite MMORPG or FPS extravaganza. Work and play can be hard to mix, and my gut feel is that Cisco will encounter some resistance in getting exam candidates to cheerfully blend these two categories of activity.

But hey, I could easily be wrong, especially for younger demographics. Why don’t you take a look at the online demo — where the first five levels of the game are freely available — and tell me what YOU think? My opinion only goes so far, and I could use some opinions and reactions to what Cisco is offering here. For April this game is available at a 30% discount off the normal $50 list price for $35. Most study guides go for prices in the same range, so from a pure numbers basis it’s not out of line to compare these two types of prep materials. Would you spend either (or both) amounts for this kind of tool? Again, please tell me!

Nearly Everbody Is a Winner! Cisco Flashcards & Simulator

Cisco Press gave me 5 licenses for each item for the contest, so I’m able to give the first 5 posters a license for the 640-533 CCNA Security exam. That means the following posters should contact me to obtain their license keys–namely:

• Rob M, Provo, UT
• Kathy B, Twin Cities, MN
• Yasir I, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
• Reggie G, Chicago, IL
• Juan L, Austin, TX

You’ll need to visit my Web page at www dot edtittel dot com and check the contact info to send me an e-mail with your contact information and phone number (except for Yasir I). I’ll call all the others and confirm your identity, then e-mail you your pickup link and license key. Congratulations to all of you, and condolences to Brett P from Central Wisconsin whose 6th place request exceeded my supply (if you want a license for the CCENT simulator, do let me know because I’ve got a couple of extra licenses to give away).

All of the CCENT Network Simulator requests will be granted, and should follow the same instructions for the 640-533 crowd (e-mail me a phone number so I can verify your identity, yada yada). These lucky people are:

• Carl W, San Jose, CA
• Kobi O, Brooklyn, NY
• Kelly K, Springville, UT

I’ve also got 5 licenses for the 640-460 CCNA Voice flashcards to hand out as well, so please let your friends and colleagues know that if they post a comment requesting same to this or any other thread where it’s mentioned they can pick one of those up for themselves as well, as long as they’re in the first 5 postings requesting one.

Thanks very much to all those who participated. This was fun! If any readers have requests for other cert study material give-aways like this one, let me know and I’ll contact the publishers involved to see if they want to help out. Consider it our small contribution to stimulating the economy!