Training in Cisco is intended for individuals who wish to work with network switches and routers. Routers hook up computer networks via the internet or lines dedicated for that purpose. We’d recommend that your first course should be CCNA. Steer clear of going immediately onto your CCNP as it is very advanced – and you need to work up to it to have a go at this.

It’s important to have an understanding of the operation and function of computer networks, because computer networks are joined to routers. If not, it’s likely you’ll run into difficulties. We’d recommend you first take a course in the basics – perhaps Network+ and A+, before you start a CCNA course. You may find training companies will put such a package together for you.

Getting your Cisco CCNA is where you should be aiming; don’t be cajoled into attempting your CCNP. With experience, you can decide whether you need to train up to this level. If so, your experience will serve as the background you require to take on your CCNP – as it’s a very complex course – and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Have a conversation with any specialised consultant and they can normally tell you many awful tales of students who’ve been conned by dodgy salespeople. Ensure you only ever work with an industry professional who asks lots of questions to discover the most appropriate thing for you – not for their wallet! You need to find a starting-point that will suit you.

Of course, if you’ve had any relevant qualifications that are related, then you can sometimes expect to begin at a different level to a trainee with no history to speak of.

If this is your initial crack at studying to take an IT exam then you should consider whether to cut your teeth on user-skills and software training first.

Now, why might we choose commercially accredited qualifications instead of familiar academic qualifications obtained from tech’ colleges and universities?

With an ever-increasing technical demand on resources, the IT sector has moved to specific, honed-in training that the vendors themselves supply – in other words companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA. This usually turns out to involve less time and financial outlay.

Obviously, an appropriate portion of background information must be covered, but precise specialisation in the required areas gives a vendor educated person a distinct advantage.

What if you were an employer – and you required somebody who had very specific skills. Which is the most straightforward: Trawl through reams of different degrees and college qualifications from several applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which vocational skills have been attained, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that perfectly fit your needs, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. The interview is then more about the person and how they’ll fit in – rather than establishing whether they can do a specific task.

Don’t accept anything less than an accredited exam preparation programme included in the package you choose.

Because many examination boards in IT come from the United States, it’s essential to understand how exam questions will be phrased and formatted. It isn’t good enough simply answering any old technical questions – it’s essential that you can cope with them in the proper exam format.

As you can imagine, it is vital to ensure that you’re absolutely ready for your commercial exam before taking it. Revising mock-up exams logs the information in your brain and helps to avoid thwarted exam entries.

The way in which your courseware is broken down for you is often missed by many students. How many parts is the training broken down into? What is the order and how fast does each element come?

Delivery by courier of each element one piece at a time, according to your exam schedule is how things will normally arrive. While seeming sensible, you should take these factors into account:

What if there are reasons why you can’t finish every exam? What if you don’t find their order of learning is ideal for you? Because of nothing that’s your fault, you might take a little longer and not get all the study materials as a result.

In an ideal situation, you want everything at the start – enabling you to have them all to come back to in the future – as and when you want. This also allows you to vary the order in which you complete your exams if you find another route more intuitive.

(C) Jason Kendall. Go to LearningLolly.com for smart advice on Cisco CCNA and Cisco Training.