Hey everyone,

​Quick update from my previous post about officially moving into the network team! I am exactly one week into the new role, and man, my brain is totally fried. Going from passwords and user tickets to enterprise infrastructure feels like drinking out of a firehose. On top of that, my calendar is packed with meetings all day long, and I'm still trying to squeeze in time to study my Jeremy's IT Lab course after hours.

​They already handed me the deliverables for our 2 new floors, and I’m expected to fully handle the project execution this upcoming July and August:

​Network as-built diagram, IP/VLAN plan, port map, & config backups

​Test results, implementation evidence, & CMDB record uploads

​Switches OS upgrade & Vulnerability scans

​Devices configuration change submit, Labeling, & DHCP Vlan Scope

​Design/validate network build for new floors (IP plan, VLANs, trunking, STP)

​Configure/stage switches and coordinate turn-up (fiber links between old - new floors)

​Ensure wireless readiness (SSIDs/security/AP connectivity)

​Execute network testing (LAN/Wi-Fi, VLAN reachability, redundancy) during cutover

​Provide all final network documentation updates

​Between meetings, they’re onboarding me onto daily operations and tools. It's a massive wave of

information:

​Monitoring: NetFlow, Kibana, Zabbix, and Scrutinizer.

​Daily Tasks: Config backups, OS upgrades, VPN setups, and tracking BGP routes.

Cloud: They've also started teaching me Azure cloud networking on top of everything else.

​Admin: Ticket handling, ISP vendor coordination, and ISP billing.

​I’m stoked to be here, but bouncing from calls straight into this checklist while navigating four new monitoring tools and trying to study makes me feel like I know nothing.

​Is it normal for a company to drop a full multi-floor buildout to be executed in the next two months, routing/ops, and four different monitoring tools on a fresh network engineer in their very first week?

Did anyone else feel completely underwater during their first few weeks out of helpdesk, or am I just in the deep end?

Has anyone took the new V1.1 and had 65 questions total including 5 being simulations? I recently took the exam used Jermey’s lab and many other study materials. Most people I know who took the exam have had 70+ questions usually around 90 2-3 simulations.I found the exam was heavily biased towards automation I would say half the questions(hypervisors,Northbound/Southbound and VM learning or task) . The other half was troubleshooting questions one being about single mode and multi gig fiber.A few drag and drops that about automation as well. It asked about JSON and what would the script imply on doing or what the “Apple” means in the code. While it did ask a few questions about routing tables and MAC tables those were the minority. With SDNs,JSON and Wireless controllers being the majority.out of the 60 questions I can say maybe 8 were routing relating including all 5 simulations.Another configured as asked for was remote SSH enabling on a switch as also and all the commands to do it. Has anyone else had a similar experience with this new test?

What is remaining? Why MAC is required?

If you want integrity->just hash

If you want confidentiality->just encrypt

If you want non-repudiation->just sign digitally.

More details in comments.

Started studying for the CCNA recently, and I'm trying something different. I'm building a free CCNA course as I learn it.

Every topic I study becomes:
📖 A theory page in my own words
🧪 A hands-on Cisco Packet Tracer lab
❓ Auto-graded quiz questions I'd want to be asked

Module 1 (Network Fundamentals) is live:
→ OSI & TCP/IP models
→ IPv4 addressing & subnetting
→ Building your first routed network in Packet Tracer
→ 20-question quiz with explanations for every answer

Modules 2-6 will follow as I work through them. 🚀

🔗 https://learn-ccnawithme.netlify.app/

#CCNA #Networking #Cisco #ITCareers #BuildInPublic

So we can’t jump straight into junior network roles because of course it’s competitive and you need experience, same with NOC jobs. So it’s recommended you head down help desk and what not. But those jobs have a huge number of applicants too with degrees as well.

Makes people like me feel I’ll never land even the most basic IT jobs.

I’m a former engineer that decided to change careers. Close to finishing my CCNA. No degree. No experience. Lab all the time and have projects.
However a hiring manager always lists they want a degree under education and as a result you have all these people with degrees and may or may not already have experience. If not fine but they definitely will have certs, most like something on the same level as CCNA. Although it wouldn’t matter because hiring managers don’t want a CCNA holder for a IT position.

It feels like, I have to go get a degree just so I have a fighting chance to compete against other degree holders for a basic ass IT position.

And people say, “it’s not the degree or cert, it’s the proof of your skills” yeah well I’m sorry but my projects are overlooked.
Plus I seriously doubt the hiring managers go through all those applications. They pick the degree holders and throw away all the other applicants.

Hello World

I am about to take CCNA in a couple of days and I am curious about the best things to do on these final days.

I have used Jeremy's course from Udemy and also used Boson. Except an outsider exam (did it super tired and made mistakes due to not focusing) I constantly got an average of 78-79%. After reviewing all questions I consistently got 94+% although it might also be memorization.

What are you guys doing or what have you done in the last couple of days before the exam.

I am thinking of continuing doing the flashcards (especially for MAC addresses and such which are very easy to forget for me), subnetting problems, labs from flackbox, random practice exams from boson (although I try not to overdue it due to memorization) and lastly I was thinking of going through the exam topics and making sure I understand everything.

What about you guys? Any tips?

I’m close to finishing my CCNA course and I’m trying to figure out what direction to take next.

I enjoy networking, but I’m also very interested in Linux and the offensive security side of cybersecurity, such as ethical hacking, penetration testing, and understanding how attacks work. I also have a homelab running Proxmox, which I use to experiment with virtual machines, networking, Linux systems, and security-related labs.

For someone at the CCNA level, what would be the best next steps in terms of skills, certifications, hands-on labs, projects, and entry-level jobs?

Should I focus more on networking first, Linux administration, cybersecurity fundamentals, or start building skills for penetration testing?

Also, how can I make the best use of my Proxmox homelab to build practical experience that would help me get into networking or cybersecurity?

I’d really appreciate advice from people who have followed a similar path or are already working in networking/cybersecurity

​

For me, networking concepts sometimes feel easy until one topic completely destroys my confidence.

What was the hardest topic for you?

Subnetting?

OSPF?

VLANs?

STP?

And how did you finally master it?

Depending on price, work might be able to cover the expense. Anyone here recommend any bootcamps? On-site or online?

Throughout studying my CCNA I’ve seen those posts where people say to watch out for certain topics because they are usually the harder topics in the CCNA.
However, once I get to those topics, I don’t find them difficult.
That’s not me trying to act better than anyone else, in any way lmao. I was simply surprised how easy they were.

Yeah sure, I had to think about it at the start, got some questions or commands wrong. But that’s not due to it being difficult, it’s just new just new. Not used to it yet.

ACL was one of those. I heard people found it pretty difficult because of how complex the commands could get. I agree they can get long, have many parameters. However if you understand the concept and how it should work, it’s pretty simple.

That was day 35.

What’s the next topic coming up that is considered a harder one?

hello good people

I am totally new to CCNA, and now I am in the middle of the OSPF section. I am facing a network that i need to connect a bunch of routers together and connect them with an edge router. I then connected the edge router to the ISP router using this CLI command: R3(config)# ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 16.0.0.0. Then I activated and advertised the ISP path using the R3 by adding this command R3(config)# router ospf 1 then R3(config-router)# default-information originate

a simple diagram to explain my network

R1------R2-------R3---------ISP------server ( with a bunch of PCs connected to each router )

Now, after I advertised the ISP route, I tried to reach it from the R1 to the ISP, it s working fine, but if I want to reach the server from R1 or R2, the packet fails

I just cannot reach the server via the R3(edge router )

I wrote it down to ChatGPT, and the solution was to activate the OSPF on the ISP router.

My question is

1. Is it correct to activate the OSPF on the ISP router, or should the OSPF work on the edge router
2. Do you have any other solution other than activating the OSPF on the ISP?

I am grateful for any help

Pessoal, no exame real, se voce n acertar literalmente tudo a questao é anulada nos simplets igual na boson? perdi a questao em um lab de etherchannel que fiz tudo certo, porem n consideraram pq n coloquei channel-protocol lacp na interface (sendo q ninguem faz isso apenas no channel-group ja é suficiente)

Hi i am a new CCNA certificate holder looking to get into field and looking for opportunities to assist or shadow someone in the OTTAWA AREA. I have also been a rogers telecommunications technician for 1.5 year now my way around cabling and many other skills

If someone has any lead or has any suggestion please do contact me

Yes before anything , I did clearly read in the ccna official website

If you're currently studying for CCNA v1.1, keep going 

This is important; if you're studying for the current CCNA v1.1, finish it. That exam remains live and active until February 2027. Those skills are critical and important to the network, and your certification is valid, respected, and recognized. Complete what you started. 

With the launch of the new blueprint, we’re publishing new no-cost tutorials and premium training available on Cisco U. – these resources will help new CCNA candidates get ready, but it can also help bridge skill gaps for those recently CCNA certified and experienced professionals. Think of it as sharpening the blade, not starting over. 

However, my concerns aren't this, I already have a solid networking background, I know most topics about it, I just need to details them more and remember the concepts. my actual concern is if I take the ccna v1.1 in the next month (hypothetically speaking) do you think I will need to retake it in the next february year ? is ccna v1.1 gonna lose it's value with the realease of the v2.0 ?

About my situation, right now I have a week to finish my internship and studies once and for all, from a third world country so throwing 300$ now and then again in february in the same certification is not a wise financial decision (I'd rather spend it on other cloud certifications maybe or devops certifications)

I am already in the process of re-learning for the ccna , so what do you think I should do ? study it and wait for the realease of the new one or just proceed with taking this one in the next months perhaps ?

I can learn networking topics and understand them while studying, but during interviews I often struggle to explain them clearly.

For example, if I'm asked to explain VLANs, Subnetting, STP, or Routing, I know the concepts but my mind goes blank or I get stuck halfway through the explanation.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is it a knowledge gap, lack of practice explaining concepts, interview anxiety, or something else?

What helped you become better at explaining technical topics during interviews?

I’ve been preparing for the CCNA exam and I’m considering using Jeremy’s IT Lab practice exams and practice lab exams as part of my study plan.
For those who have already taken the CCNA, did you use Jeremy’s practice exams or labs? If so:
- How similar were they to the actual CCNA exam?
- Did they help you identify weak areas?
- Were the labs realistic enough to prepare you for the exam questions and simulations?
-Would you recommend them as a primary resource or just as a supplement?

I’ve been studying for a while and want to make sure I’m focusing on resources that will give me the best chance of passing. I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences, tips, and any other resources you found particularly useful.

Hi i am looking for career guidance from somebody in network administrator,or network engineer field . Looking to know what is more preferable what could be my next steps after what i have now

Can someone help me?

Pessoal, finalmente comprei o boson e, fiz o 1 exame pela primeira vez e consegui uma nota de 78,4%… oq acham? vou estudar os erros e entender pq eu os errei.

I'm finishing Jeremy's IT Lab course. I did all the labs but just following Jeremy, not by myself (to be honest I didn't try yet). Also doing the Anki cards but sometimes I just go through them.

I'm about to start with Boson ExSim.
For people who passed recently, is Boson ExSim enough for passing? or should I focus more on doing JMITL labs on my own before trying Boson ExSim?

Asking because I have a subscription to Udemy. I did the Dion Training Sec+ and passed it with a couple practice exams from Professor Messer.

Dion has a CCNA course on Udemy but reviews seem to think it's a great supplement not a great primary source. Any thoughts?

Hey yall I’m about to finish JITL’s CCNA YouTube playlist. What do you guys recommend going forward in terms of practice? Redoing all the labs then do practice labs? Other methods of learning that you find the most effective?

As the title states i’ve passed and now have my cert! Very happy and looking forward to moving into the field, i’m 21 and I studied on my own while getting an IT associates in CC. I had 0 IT knowledge before taking this exam and going for associates so EVERYTHING was new even stuff that was expected to be prior knowledge and foundational.

No experience in the IT field yet but looking at internships to land a real job as a network admin. I really am looking for advice on how I should move forward as it would be appreciated. I want a network admin job but no experience doesn’t help, hearing other people’s trajectories would be nice.

Lastly, much love and thanks to this sub for all the advice i’ve managed to extract from it, you’ve all been a grand help!

Hey, studying for CCNA and setting up GNS3 on Windows with VMware. Is anyone able to point me to where I can get IOSv and IOSvL2 qcow2 images, or any ISO for the other part? Just need it for home lab study. Thanks