+4/14/2016
First things first, I’ll let you in on a secret that you all probably know: everyone has failed a certification at some point in their career. It may be the CCIE or lower but it has happened. Maybe you decided to take an exam “cold” to get a feel for what you’re up against. There is nothing wrong with it, some people (me included) are not strong test takers.
You’re nervous, maybe you put pressure on yourself since you don’t want to waste the couple hundred bucks you shelled out to take this exam. Maybe you’re worried how it will look to your peers or employer. I’ve been there. Only advice I can give is, relax. It’s a certification, you can always take it again. Remember, networking is hard and the exams are designed to test your knowledge. If you’re looking to truly improve, you should take the time to study, lab, and learn as much as you can. Then, apply what you’ve learned to further your skill set. To me, that is the true purpose of being certified. Trying to download the exam off the internet may get you the cert but you will not be able to perform when you’re in the profession.
Once you obtain the certification, you are expected to at least have some sort of knowledge about the subject. What are you going to say when an employer puts you on a project or has tasked you to figure out a problem during an outage? From one engineer to another, don’t worry so much about the certification test itself but focus more on the process. Study the material, set up a lab or virtual lab, and learn the fundamental concepts of whatever area you’re trying to get certified in. Approach a certification this way and passing will be the byproduct of all the hard work you’ve put in.
Thanks for reading. This page is still under construction… as time allows I’ll be adding more and hopefully a have a better layout.
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