Technology Learning

Thinking of sitting for the CCNA certification exam but have no real world experience? Beware what you say in forums. This has been a hot topic on more than one occasion. There are those that will bit your head off if you innocently ask and those that will bit the heads off those that bite your head off! So what should you do? Let’s look at both arguments..

Go for it!! these are their arguments.. Knowledge is never a bad thing It’s a catch 22. You don’t certify – you don’t get the job. You show you are overqualified, you don’t get the job anyway. I know of alot of people have used the CCNA to make a career change You are free to study for the CCNA certification exam and you are free to try and get a job out of it. Neither will be easy but it has been done before.

Don’t even attempt it!! these are their arguments.. You should have at least a year experience with Cisco kits before doing the exam It can work against you in the interview if you are showing you have certs way above your experience You should start with the A+, Network+, MCDST then get real world experience then attempt other exams. Look into the CCENT first before doing the CCNA certification exam Don’t do the CCENT first because even that is advanced for a beginner. Go for your network+ first after you complete your A+ I don’t know of anyone that has gotten their first job with just the CCNA certification exam cert.

Confused yet??? I would be if I were a newbie. Here is a few more points to consider and perhaps clear things up a bit…

Certs teach you new technologies. Learning is always a good thing. If you want to do a cert, go or it
we choose what we write on our resumes. If you think you have a cert that will go against you for a particular job, then don’t write you have it!!
listen to those above your experience but always use your own judgment.
its true that getting a higher cert most times will work against you in an interview if you don’t have the experience. Especially when you are going for an entry job. It can show you are overqualified and employers won’t feel confident that you will stay with them too long. But on the other hand, its shows you are proactive and seeking to learn new things. Use your judgement what you will say in the interview.
I wouldn’t just jump straight into a high cert before doing any of the basic knowledge ones first.
If you are set on doing a particular cert which is way above your experience level, well you can always try for it and if you find that you can’t do it, leave it for later.
You can always reword your resume to state that you just love a particular technology and hence that’s why you did the cert but you have no any real world experience as yet.
truth is, its hard to gain experience in a company so you can get the cert later.
Getting certified in a particular technology is fine if you just love it. But going for a higher cert thinking you will make lots of money is just naive thinking

So use your own judgment. Don’t go overboard with certs but at the same time, don’t feel restricted in what you should or shouldn’t learn.

By: Georgia Stath

Let’s define what learning is. Learning is the acquisition of knowledge or skill through education and experience. Our ability to learn and our intellectual capacity are intangibles. However, these intangibles are your greatest assets because everything you do to reinvent and update your knowledge allows you to grow from where you are today to where you want to go. Learning is a prerequisite to growth.

Learning is vitally important because it helps us make informed choices about our own lives and the societies that we live in.

The world is always changing around us. There is nothing anyone of us can do about the changes that happen in industries, technologies, etc. Remember the birth of the automobile? What did the first automobile look like? Now after getting that mental image in your mind, compare it to the automobiles today. We can all agree there are huge differences between them. The automobiles of today are a direct result of human beings gaining a deeper understanding of how cars can operate. This can only happen through a commitment to lifelong learning. If we are to ever progress in any area of our lives, we must heed the call to lifelong learning.

We must acquire this fundamental discipline because it is as normal as food and physical exercise.

Some may think that learning is a luxury for a few individuals or learning should be concerned with our early years. It should be looked at as something well beyond formal schooling. It encompasses our entire life cycle.

Recognize that lifelong learning is a journey with no end in sight and that no one can ever have all the answers. We must have the humility or willingness to learn from others. In other words, learn from the experts. We will never live long enough to learn it all on our own.

The conscious pursuit of learning, just like excellence is what really counts. We must accept the fact that change is inevitable. We must all thrive on change and never be intimidated by it.

Change is the result of a willingness to try out new approaches, observe the results, and to include the feedback into new initiatives.

Learning allows us to stay ahead of the game. If you don’t render yourself obsolete someone else will, like your employer. It’s the price innovators will gladly pay for staying ahead of everyone else. In order for you to create the new results you want in your life, learning is a path you must be willing to take. It provides the opportunities to continually expand your capacity

Perhaps the most important thing you can do for yourself and your future and your family, which will automatically include generations to come, is to challenge yourself to commit to being a student for life as the pursuit for knowledge is one of the smartest investments you’ll ever make.

What have you learned today? What new skill will allow you to move forward from where you are now to where you want to go? Have you heard of the quantum leap strategy?

When you change your thoughts your change your results!!!!

By: Keith Aul

Learning a language other than your native tongue is a challenging feat. In the case of taking a complex Chinese language course where there are different characters and numerous sounds at play, you have to go great lengths to educate yourself properly. But it does not need to be more complicated that it already is. There are books that you can avail of and tutorials or courses you can enroll yourself in. To further aid your learning process, there is also Chinese language software that is offered which you can avail of.

There are different types of software depending on the learning level you are in. There is Chinese language software available for children, which include activities that can be both fun and educational. There is also a list of software for adults. You can simply type in an English word or a composition and translate it into Chinese characters automatically. Most software offers a long list of vocabulary that you can learn in no time. The software offers a simple and interactive way of learning Chinese. You can get the aid of one while you are enrolled in a Chinese language course and make it as your reference in learning the language. And it is also designed to be used independently.

In this day and age, there is always a solution to everything. In the world of technology, learning and education in general, has become easier and more accessible to virtually anyone. With the availability of language software, learning Chinese can be easier on the tongue.

By: Diana K Nielsen