I can understand the concerns some people may have about the upcoming
retirement of the ver 1.0 exams.
Although the gist of Cisco knowledge and general knowledge isn't going to
change from 1.0 to 2.0, the equipment specific stuff is, and as some have
noted things like BGP has been beefed up.
It has often been debated here, the benefits of hands on versus
certification with the general opinion being both are required but a lot
more weight going to the hands on.
Which is great but if you're studying to take an exam and it changes there
can be (and is) a feeling that you've wasted time on stuff you're not going
to be tested on and also that you're now not prepared.
Now before I get flamed about "knowledge is the journey - not the exam",
just think about it. It doesn't feel good to fail. You could be God's gift
to networking but you still have to know Cisco's answer and you still have
to know the product Cisco decides to test on. You could be working up at
the Enterprise WAN side of things and you get asked about low end equipment
or vice versa.
You know this however and you study, but then the exam changes.
Hey, all's fair but it's nice to know the rules beforehand.
I'm sure this is why we're seeing a lot of people pushing to get to CCNP
before 31 July. Not because they think they won't be able to pass a 2.0
exam - but because now they have to reconsider what has changed and make
sure that has been covered in their previous preparations which probably
involves more time, more books and maybe another course.
We might be smart but who wants to throw a single question away if they
don't have to?
I'm guilty of this type of thinking. I sat around leisurely studying until
bang - announcement of exams being retired. At that time I was only
CCNA/CCDA. I perked up and put myself on a schedule to get CCNP my end July
and maybe CCDP. (CCDP wasn't as important as the CID isn't being retired
yet).
I have accomplished both goals one month early so perhaps the retirement was
something that just put a fire under my rear - but I did think that I better
take these exams as I know what's on them as they have been discussed
extensively on this list for the year I've been a member.
When it comes to my business card or resume there isn't a ver 1.0 or ver 2.0
behind the certs - not legal anyway, but it feels good to have them now.
Now I can concentrate on getting to ver 2.0 but the urgency isn't so high
and maybe I can take some time out for life since I've studied hard for the
last 3 months or so. I can also sit back a little and listen to what people
are saying abut the ver 2.0 exams which will make getting to ver 2.0 that
much simpler.
So I think the nervousness is natural. I'm also a MCSE 3.51/4.0 but
Microsoft has given us until 31 Dec 2001 to recertify so I'm chilling that
and let others panic about getting it soonest.
my lowly take.....
Kevin Wigle
CCDP, CCNP...........
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nigel Taylor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Chuck Larrieu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "tayta"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, 02 July, 2000 02:15
Subject: Re: ccnp 2.0
> Thank you, Chuck.. I'm sure cisco does the version thing as another way
to
> ensure that folks are knowledgeable on new and upcoming technologies but
as
> with everything else it's another way to make more money, hence the recent
> onslaught of titles geared towards CCNP v2.0. I don't know why folks
place
> a line between these titles in the fist place. In all I really believe
it's
> a manifestation of insecurity from that individual themselves; saying
> they've got the most recent cert possibly leaves them with less of a
chance
> to be questioned about technologies that might come into question.
>
> However the terminology "There's no future without first knowing the past"
> seem to fit perfectly. Folks would do well to remember that amongst
> everything else.
>
> My $0.02
>
> Nigel..
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Chuck Larrieu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: tayta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2000 5:00 AM
> Subject: RE: ccnp 2.0
>
>
> > There seems to be a lot of concern about the migration to the so called
> CCNP
> > 2.0 track.
> >
> > First of all, the certification is CCNP. There are no levels, no
hierarchy
> > of values. My BA degree is of the same relative value as the BA of a
1950
> > graduate or a 1999 graduate. A CCIE who attained his certification is no
> > different than a CCIE who got the cert last month.
> >
> > Second of all while I appreciate the anxiety, the fact is that the core
> > competencies will remain unchanged. Know your access lists. Know the
Cisco
> > troubleshooting methodology. Know OSPF, EIGRP, Token Ring, ISDN and DDR,
> > switches, VLAN's, spanning tree, VTP. Know how to configure and how to
> > troubleshoot. That means show and debug commands and outputs. Yes, there
> is
> > more BGP now.
> >
> > As far as "2.0" materials, what is a book titled "CCNP 2.0" going to say
> > about OSPF that a book titled "CCNP 1.0" doesn't say?
> >
> > Also, there are a wealth of materials freely available on CCO. All the
> books
> > draw upon this material. If you have the means, spend some time
> > familiarizing yourself with what is available. I am currently using two
> > different CID/CCDP books as part of my test preparation. One of those
> books,
> > The Cisco Press publication, even goes so far as to refer readers to CCO
> for
> > many subjects where more detail is required. So you know that CCO has it
> > all.
> >
> > Just concentrate on learning the technologies. The rest will take care
of
> > itself.
> >
> > HTH
> >
> > Chuck
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of
> > tayta
> > Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2000 9:16 AM
> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Subject: ccnp 2.0
> >
> > anybody know of already published materials for working towards ccnp
2.0,
> >
> > thanks
> >
> >
> > ___________________________________
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>
> ___________________________________
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