Progress Check: Day #11 of the Complete CCNA Course by Jeremy’s IT Lab.

Last year, I passed an Introduction to Networking unit where I was taught networking basics in six weekly lessons. Anyone who has any knowledge of networking will know that six lessons is not nearly enough time to cover all that content, and it ended up being a pretty brutal unit with incomprehensible notes and clueless assignment submissions.

In retrospect, it was a miracle I survived the unit in the first place.

I was initially keen to put that unit behind me and start learning new things. After all, I had enrolled in this Cyber Security course to learn the ‘exciting things’ like ethical hacking and malware, not subnetting or binary conversions.

But after struggling with subsequent units, I found myself revisiting my networking notes time and time again. Networking determines how devices communicate with each other in any environment, and it would therefore obviously be relevant in any area of cyber security. A friend finally talked some sense into me that I wasn’t going to get anywhere by doing the bare minimum, and that it was about time I started learning to do the hard work.

Hence, this blog was formed.

Among other things, I will endeavour to document my personal journey as I follow the CISCO-Certified Network Associate (CCNA) study materials. 

The CCNA certificate is widely considered to be one of the more challenging entry-level certifications you can get in IT. It encompasses all areas of IT and networking, and is a pretty respected addition to any IT resumé. I haven’t fully committed to actually sitting the exam (as I’ve heard it requires regular re-sitting in order to maintain the qualification), but for now I’m resolute in following the study materials and learning for the sake of learning.

I would highly recommend the Complete CCNA Course available on YouTube by Jeremy’s IT Lab. He provides a consistent and in-depth curriculum that is accessible for any beginner looking to get a start on IT. More recently, I have also begun using this Anki Deck to test my knowledge while I’m out and about.

Lots of the information covered so far has been taught in school, which is why I have been able to breeze past the first ten days of Jeremy’s course (sometimes doing two or three days in one sitting). I have consolidated my knowledge about:

• The OSI Model;
• Physical media used to transmit data on a network, including Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cables, RJ-45 connectors and fibre-optic cables;
• Switches and MAC addressing at Layer 2; and
• Routing and IPv4 addressing at Layer 3.

The material is starting to get more challenging as we move beyond what I have previously learnt. So while I am anxious to take on more information, I am also equally excited to finally gain a better understanding of IT networks.