submitted 3 weeks ago by dbtng@eviltoast.org to c/networking@sh.itjust.works

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By the skin of my teeth. 72 questions.
I blasted through the last questions. Time closed on question 72.
The lablet section must have had a lot of point value. I spent an hour on them, got em right. Got all the subnetting shit. Think I nailed IPv6.

I can stop spending all my free time studying. Go have a drink .
Whew.

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[-] dbtng@eviltoast.org 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Thanks! I did it for close to free. Happy to share ...

Cisco has the free CCST Network training, which gets you a cert, and trains you about 2/3 of the way.
https://www.netacad.com/resources/program-info/ccst-networking

They also have a CCST Cybersecurity that will train you on general security and cover ACLs. I did them both. TBH its a pain in the butt to sign up for Cisco training if you don't work for a company with an account, but it can be done. Fortunately, I was able to use my work email to sign up.

After you finish the CCST, you'll still need to learn etherchannel, vlan/trunk, STP, and OSPF.
There's a lot of really good sites training sites out there. Pick one with a monthly charge that offers tests and labs.
I used KWTrain.com because I was familiar with the guy from his excellent youtube vids. Cost was $39/month, and I only needed 2 months access.

The CCST tests were (2x) $125. + CCNA test was $300. + KWTrain.com cost me $78.

$300 The boss is picking up the (successful) CCNA test.

So the whole thing cost me $328 and a hell of a lot of study time.

Oh, one more thing. Cisco has like a dozen training sites. Explore them. I got a Meraki cert on one of their random sites, took me about 2 days to complete. There's probly other stuff I haven't seen yet.

This CiscoU site is sort of the central training hub.
https://u.cisco.com/
I would suggest that you DO NOT sign up for this until you are ready, because you will get a free introductory window where you have access to a bunch of training that is normally not free. So, get well into your CCST studies before you sign up for CiscoU, and get the most out of your free window.

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