CCNA exam prep for beginners: Are you ready to jump in?

Chris Sienko: 0:00

Infosec and CyberWork hacks can help you pass Cisco's CCNA certification exam. But what if you think you're not just ready yet to make that jump? What would it take for you to jump into the study of CCNA with both feet? Infosec CCNA bootcamp instructor, wilfredo Lance, wants you to know that you can be ready to start the big learning a lot faster than you think, and tells us why some of his most entry-level students often do better on the test than their more established classmates. So if the prospect of passing the CCNA on the first try got you fired up, well, that's the point. So keep the excitement coming and check out today's episode of Cyber Work Hacks.

Chris Sienko: 0:40

Hello and welcome to a new episode of Cyber Work Hacks.

Chris Sienko: 0:43

The purpose of this spinoff of our popular Cyber Work podcast is to take a single fundamental question and give you a quick, clear and actionable solution or a new insight into how to utilize InfoSec products and training to achieve your work and career goals.

Chris Sienko: 0:57

My guest today, wilfredo Lanz, is an InfoSec instructor, and one of the key focus points for InfoSec is our Cisco branded certifications, and in this case we're talking about the Cisco Certified Network Associate or CCNA certification. So for those of you who don't know about it. Ccna is one of the foundational certifications aimed at providing proficiency at basic IT networking concepts and is a very important signpost for employers that you can do the very real job of networking for their organization. So, to be cleared, ccna is a first-level certification, but we have to ask how much do you need to know to get started on studying for the CCNA? And that's the topic of today's Cyber Work Hack. So thank you again for joining me, wilfredo. Thank you, chris. So, to start very generally, wilfredo, what types of people enroll in your CCNA boot camps? What are their experience levels on average around networking concepts?

Wilfredo Lanz: 1:54

So we get a typically mixed group of people attending the boot camp, some of them with some experience working with IT networks and operating systems and equipment, some of them with some experience working with IT networks and operating systems and equipment. Some of them may already had the certification in previous years and are looking to renew or get their certification recertified and some of them may be relatively new into networking. So it is typically mixed group, I would say. But those people that do not have enough experience, in most cases they have the motivation and that's a very important factor, I would say. Being motivated to get it is really at the top of the factor for people to be successful on the bootcamp.

Chris Sienko: 2:50

So, to that end, let's talk to the people who are at that sort of very ground level, who have the motivation to learn it. What are some important skills or areas of experience that you really should have in your toolkit before you start studying for the CCNA? I'm assuming like a basic knowledge of how computers work and so forth, right, yeah, basic knowledge of networking.

Wilfredo Lanz: 3:13

If you understand, for example, IP subnetting, right, that would be very helpful coming into the training. If you understand basic fundamentals of network equipment, the difference between a switch and a router and an access point or a wireless LAN controller, how communication happens right between equipment, different equipment in a network system, that basic level, fundamental, is important. If you have it it may be very helpful great, uh.

Chris Sienko: 3:50

So yeah, a lot of our listeners have told us that they they visit this show to kind of window shop their potential future careers. I we had at least one person who was a scholarship winner who listened to 30 or 40 episodes of the podcast. That all said what's it like to be this kind of job? What's it like to be this kind of job? What's it like to be this kind of job? So I know that people are are looking to get a sense of things before they jump in. So, briefly, can you talk about the type of work that CCNA certified IT network professionals do for a living?

Wilfredo Lanz: 4:20

That is possibly one of the most important advantages of the CCNA certification, because these are transferable skills. These are the skills that you get right and would apply to any organization. And some people may say well, this is Cisco training. True, but Cisco is a leading organization in the IT networking around the world. So if you learn the networking implementation of Cisco equipment, this is easily transferable to other vendors' equipment. You may go to work for a company that is not using Cisco, maybe using Juniper or Palo Alto or Checkpoint equipment. It is easier to transition if you already have experience and know the Cisco internet work, operating system and equipment. And also because the CCNA gives you a good understanding of how networks operate and network principles, even if you go to work in a different setting.

Wilfredo Lanz: 5:32

Let's say that you are going to work in a cloud environment. Okay, Then you will be doing in a cloud environment. You still apply the same principles. You may need to configure a virtual cloud-based router or a cloud gateway or a cloud firewall, and everything you learn during the CCNA is applicable to the cloud environment. So, again, one of the major advantages here is that those are transferable skills. You may work as a network technician in a private data center or on an IT department and then go to work for a completely different company in a completely different environment, and if they are doing networking, then you will adapt to that work quickly.

Chris Sienko: 6:27

I imagine it's something like working with different operating systems on computers, like if you are very skilled in Linux or very skilled in Windows and then have to work in something else, like it's just a matter of understanding the sort of subtle variations. Right, absolutely.

Wilfredo Lanz: 6:41

That's correct.

Chris Sienko: 6:42

Yeah, yeah, yeah, so, yeah. So you know, and, as you said, cisco is just such a massive leader in this space that you're never going to. You know, it's not like you're never going to work for the Cisco system. If you're working in networking, you're going to be using the direct thing at least sometime. I imagine, absolutely yeah. So we at Cyborg Hacks and by we I mean me are very passionate about lowering the barrier to entry for new students. Wilfredo, so can you talk to listeners who are interested in studying the CCNA but might fear that they don't have enough experience yet? Are there some very basic things that they can do in their own time, even if they're not already doing this kind of work in their job, to make sure that they're up to speed and ready to go on day one of cracking the CCNA study guide?

Wilfredo Lanz: 7:32

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, first of all, when you enroll for the CCNA with InfoSec, they give you access to the InfoSec resources, right? Yes, Before you start the bootcamp. So you will have access to the InfoSec web portal where they have some coursework review. You have access to practice questions. So the sooner you enroll and the sooner you get access to that, the better off you're going to be by the time the bootcamp starts. Because here is the thing, right, people, they feel some motivation to go into the bootcamp to get the certification, and there may be some uncertainty about if to get the certification. And there may be some uncertainty about if I get the certification, what is going to happen, what type of job I'm going to have and I got to tell you this IT is probably the most, one of the most safe approach to have a job out there. Right, absolutely, so it's booming. It's very hard I would say very difficult to be unemployed if you get these skills that we teach here, right, I mean, you need to hide from people and they will find you.

Chris Sienko: 8:50

Hey, we need you to work, Please come back, come back Absolutely.

Wilfredo Lanz: 8:54

So look, and it's a fascinating thing, right? If you like it, you feel motivated, you can make a good living enjoying the work of IT and the bootcamp is kind of you know, opens that door right For you to get started, even if you are not into IT. But you feel the motivation, not because it pays well, because it does, but because you want to work in that field. You feel the motivation, you want to do it. Then, if you do it without motivation, then you are going to be rewarded very well, rewarded because the IT field again is booming. Because the IT field again is booming and even some companies may lay off people. That may happen. You quickly find a job because again, it's one of the most booming areas in the economy, the whole IT-related jobs.

Chris Sienko: 9:59

Now, wilfredo, networking, I know, is a very tactile process. Obviously it's not like cybersecurity where you might be just working in a, you know, in a monitor or so forth, but you really learn the process of networking and troubleshooting a network by building a network and troubleshooting it. So, wilfredo, do you have any tips for listeners to get this type of hands-on experience themselves? I know when we started talking, you know a decade ago, like you were really encouraged to build your own home switching routing lab and do it for yourself. Do people use sort of a virtualized equivalent now, or do you still think that there's a lot of benefit to having a home lab set up to sort of like, do this stuff for yourself?

Wilfredo Lanz: 10:36

I would say the simulators, like a packet tracer, gns3 and other simulators on the market, can be very beneficial, very useful for people trying to get an understanding of how networks operates and the operating system. It's all software based because, I mean, I know that was the mindset a few years ago that you needed to have physical access to the equipment, you needed to run the cables and connect. But think about this If you are working which a lot of companies do these days on the cloud you don't have access to the physical equipment.

Wilfredo Lanz: 11:15

You have no cables. It's all software-based, so the use of the simulators and cloud-based network equipment and services is sufficient to get to the certification and to do the job that you need to do for a lot of organizations.

Chris Sienko: 11:39

Okay, great. So as we wrap up today, Wilfredo, do you have any last words of encouragement for the potential IT and networking pros of tomorrow?

Wilfredo Lanz: 11:48

Well, I got to tell you it's the best field to be on right now. So IT seems not to slow down, right? So, if anything, there are more and more opportunities associated with IT. If you have the motivation, get your certification, find a job and you will see that it will never stop. I mean, the challenge in IT is that things do change quite frequently. You need to keep up right with the changes. But if you enjoy that right, if you enjoy learning and you know adapting to changes, then you will be very well rewarded in IT. You know, it's just amazing the opportunities that are across the field. And this is I live in California, right, we're not talking, this is in any part of the country. Wherever you go, there will always be an opportunity associated with IT jobs and careers.

Chris Sienko: 12:50

Fabulous Well, wilfredo Lanz thank you so much for helping us create a new generation of CCNA an opportunity associated with IT jobs and careers Fabulous. Well, alfredo Lanz. Thank you so much for helping us create a new generation of CCNA certified pros. Thank you.

Wilfredo Lanz: 12:59

Chris.

Chris Sienko: 13:01

And thank you all for watching this episode. If you enjoyed this video and felt it helped you, I hope you'll share it with colleagues and on forums and on your personal social media accounts and also check out. I have three other episodes with Alfredo on CCNA. I think you're going to like all of them and definitely subscribe to our podcast feed and our YouTube page. Go to YouTube or to go to your podcast catcher and type in cyber work and infosec into any of them and it'll come up pretty quick. There's plenty more to come and if you have any topics you'd like us to cover, you can always drop them in the comments below and we might well take you up on the deal. So until next time, happy learning. Hey, if you're worried about choosing the right cybersecurity career, click here to see the 12 most in-demand cybersecurity roles. I asked experts working in the field how to get hired and how to do the work of these security roles so you can choose your study with confidence. I'll see you there.