Advice needed on career in IT

[RVF500]

I have worked through a number of agencies tiggerai and as such have my own company. Which is no big deal, anyone can buy one for £103 and have it registered. It is through working via these agencies that I have built up a database of contacts. Also by attending some training I have been able to highlight myself to the people that run these companies and maintained a relationship with them that migrates into the solutions side of the market. Those contacts and relationships are begining to bear fruit. For contract work I tend to use jobserve.com as my main source.

I agree that commercial qualifications are in some respects better value for money. Results are quicker to get and are rewarded quicker. Often gaining more capital in the eyes of a prospective employer. However, going in at the bottom the more you have to back you the better edge you have. Combine the degree with the commercial certification and you have a powerful tool to back you for that first all important position especially if you are looking at a permanent position. When work was scarce a year or so back I decided I needed an edge to kick the competition out of the door. So I added the CCSP to my CCNP. It worked.

IPv6 is something else that is beginning to sneak in but isn't in widespread use yet. Also something else I need to get to grips with fast. It's just crept into the CCIE. For which I'm taking the written on Monday. Not too confident though as there are 3 subjects that I'm a bit weak on. I'll take it anyway so I can focus my studying in case I have to do a resit.

CCNA is a prerequisite because Cisco want to keep the pool rich. They throw up hurdles to dissuade the faint hearts. Which is why they keep moving the goalposts yamangman. As a holder I'm quite happy that they do that as it maintains the value of my own certification.

[RVF500]

Is a happy bunny.....passed the CCIE written (ok, it took me 2 attempts). Now I can concentrate on the practical lab. Which is much better for me as I'm not much of a bookworm when it comes to techy books. I glaze over after about 20 minutes at best.

[tiggerai]

Nice one!

I've just bought meself a book and looking into distance courses for the CCNA etc... Doing lots of lovely stuff in the networking module at uni, i should really try and pay attention. (been ill the last 2 weeks, so been difficult!)

[RVF500]

Thank you

Luckily for me I have access to the Partner e-learning channel on the Cisco website so I'm busy doing labs. Mind you I've been tearing what little hair I have left out over a relatively simple BGP problem that just won't do what it's supposed to. I know when I find it that it'll be so blindingly obvious it'll be sickening.

I used the Sybex study guide when I did my CCNA. I found it easy to read compared to the Cisco press offerings. You are lucky to have a lab to use at uni. Sounds like you are making the most of it. Good for you. I know that the exam has got harder since I did it. The more hands on you can do the easier it is to work out problems that you don't know the answer to off the top of your head. Though that becomes really useful at CCNP level. I'll keep me fingers crossed for you and wedge (I know he's hard at it too).

[RVF500]

It was blindingly obvious.....and horribly simple. I stuck a ''-' instead of a '_' in a route-map name. On such tiny things hangs a pass/fail. Cruel innit?