Sorry for the lack of updates, life has been pretty hectic over the last few days. I've been working a lot and studying for my one class this semester that centers around Microsoft Server 2003. I have to admit, this class has been great thus far in preparing me for certification. I know it's a bit off the mark of Net+, but a lot of the material is similar. I've had practice subnetting, and accomplished some DHCP labs so far. Both good things to be familiar with! I'll get a better update out tonight describing my progress, hopefully I can get through another chapter summary or two.
On a side note, I got VirtualBox installed and running with Ubuntu so far. I was downloading the .iso for Fedora, but my download cancelled halfway through the night. Anyway, I want to become more skilled with Linux, as it could really prove invaluable in my career.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Know Thine Enemy
Hey everyone. Today, I have the four specific domains of the Net+ cert exam test right in front of me. Time to divide and conquer. They are:
Media and Topologies
Protocols and Standards
Network Implementation
Network Support
Obviously they break down even further, but I'm not going to type everything out. Having seen this list, I'm feeling a little better about things. It seems like a general working knowledge of a variety of topics will do best for this exam. One approach method I have in mind is given a particular term or concept, I would like to be comfortable explaining it to someone who has no idea what I'm talking about.
Now that I have a better idea of what's expected of me, I'm going to list my available resources. This will most likely get edited in the future as I add things.
Today I plan to run through the Chapter 1 summary, and review the visual guide to connectors (Appendix D if you're following along). Last week I took a 25-question practice exam and got blasted (about 40%). I wasn't very serious at the time, but I definitely have my work cut out for me.
Time until the certification: 8 weeks.
Media and Topologies
Protocols and Standards
Network Implementation
Network Support
Obviously they break down even further, but I'm not going to type everything out. Having seen this list, I'm feeling a little better about things. It seems like a general working knowledge of a variety of topics will do best for this exam. One approach method I have in mind is given a particular term or concept, I would like to be comfortable explaining it to someone who has no idea what I'm talking about.
Now that I have a better idea of what's expected of me, I'm going to list my available resources. This will most likely get edited in the future as I add things.
- Network+ Guide to Networks, 4th Edition by Tamara Dean. This was the textbook I used for the class, ITNET-101. There is a disk that came with it that contains a variety of tools I can use.
- CBTNuggets, an invaluable website. I happen to get a free subscription through school, but I highly recommend this site for any IT Professional. It contains a wealth of information and videos on a huge variety of topics, from the most basic, all the way up to advanced Cisco certifications.
- This Website, which I found has an excellent PRACTICAL list of information that I should know before going into this exam. After all, textbooks are notorious for overstating, and sometimes we all need some condensation to make things a little easier.
- Self-test software, such as CertBlaster. I still have to see what else is available to me, but I will definitely do so. This will be one of my primary "benchmarking" tools to gauge my progress.
Today I plan to run through the Chapter 1 summary, and review the visual guide to connectors (Appendix D if you're following along). Last week I took a 25-question practice exam and got blasted (about 40%). I wasn't very serious at the time, but I definitely have my work cut out for me.
Time until the certification: 8 weeks.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Introduction!
I am a student in my last semester of the IT Networking program at MATC. I have created this blog to document my progress toward obtaining hopefully a number of IT-related certifications. First up on my list is the NET+ cert from CompTIA.
I currently hold no certifications so this will be a big step for me. I thought Net+ was a good starting point because it is considered to be vendor-neutral, and covers essentially fundamentals. From there, I should be able to obtain more technically difficult certifications. It's possible that I will over-prepare for this one, due mostly to my unfamiliarity. I'm sure that's a better place to be in than the alternative, though. My financial situation doesn't really give room for failure right now. So I have to get it right the first time.
Here's a bit of info on the Net+ cert from Cramsession:
• Cost: $118
• Time Limit: 90 Minutes
• Number of Questions: 85
• Multiple choice, multiple answer
In addition, the exam covers four primary "domains" of information. I'm going to use every resource at my disposal in order to study and prepare for the test. I plan to take it on NOVEMBER 26TH.
I currently hold no certifications so this will be a big step for me. I thought Net+ was a good starting point because it is considered to be vendor-neutral, and covers essentially fundamentals. From there, I should be able to obtain more technically difficult certifications. It's possible that I will over-prepare for this one, due mostly to my unfamiliarity. I'm sure that's a better place to be in than the alternative, though. My financial situation doesn't really give room for failure right now. So I have to get it right the first time.
Here's a bit of info on the Net+ cert from Cramsession:
• Cost: $118
• Time Limit: 90 Minutes
• Number of Questions: 85
• Multiple choice, multiple answer
In addition, the exam covers four primary "domains" of information. I'm going to use every resource at my disposal in order to study and prepare for the test. I plan to take it on NOVEMBER 26TH.
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