Cisco Certification: The Most Important Cisco Study Youll Ever Do

All of us are familiar with the pyramids of Egypt. These magnificent structures have stood for thousands of years, withstanding extreme heat and other factors that would bring down an ordinary structure.

When we look at these pyramids, we instinctively look toward the peak. We tend to do the same with the Cisco Learning Pyramid. If you're not familiar with this, Cisco uses a pyramid to illustrate how the CCIE is at the peak of the Cisco certification structure, with the CCNP in the middle and the CCNA at the bottom.

I'm often asked how to become a CCIE. My response is always "Become a master CCNA and a master CCNP first". That answer is often followed by a puzzled look, as though I've mentioned some new kind of Cisco certification. But that's not it at all.

The reason the pyramids of Egypt are so strong, and the reason they have lasted for thousands of years, is that their foundations are so strong. It's not the well-built peak that allows such a building to last it's the foundation.

The same can be said for your Cisco certification studies. As a CCNA candidate, you may not even be thinking about the CCIE yet (although I hope you will!). You may be looking ahead toward the CCNP. You must realize, though, that the skills you will learn in your CCNP and CCIE studies are built upon the studies you do for your CCNA.

Indeed, your CCNA studies are the most important studies of your career.

Let me repeat that. Your CCNA studies are the most important studies of your career.

Look at some of the topics you'll have to master for your CCNP and CCIE, such as OSPF and using binary math. You cannot understand how the many types of OSPF networks work unless you understand how OSPF works in the first place. And how can you possibly use wildcard masks, access control lists, and the many other applications of binary math you'll encounter in your CCNP and CCIE studies if you don't get that fundamental understanding of binary at the CCNA level?

I know we work in a field where our customers tend to want things done yesterday. I know that it's hard not to be in a hurry when you're studying for your CCNA - I've been there! Keep in mind, though, that when you're studying for your CCNA, you're not just studying for a certification exam - you're building the foundation for the rest of your Cisco certifications and the rest of your career.

To your success,

Chris Bryant

CCIE #12933

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage. The Bryant Advantage offers dozens of FREE CCNA and CCNP tutorials and articles. The Bryant Advantage sells the world's most comprehensive CCNA and CCNP Study Guides, and my exclusive Binary Math and Subnetting Mastery book. My $299 CCNA Online Fast Track is the world's fastest-growing CCNA course. Visit http://www.thebryantadvantage.com today!

In The News:
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cfootball/2061ap_fbc_t25_nebraska_texas_tech.htmlcid=1255910265ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNFZFlreNA3SOwJhsl4hPbl44BFd5Aimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=4eA1iEPZidUJimgurl=seattlepi.nwsource.com/dayart/aponline/56453.25Nebraska-Texas-Tech-Football.sff.jpg width=80 height=61 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Seattle Post Intelligencer/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/big12/stories/101208dnspotechbriefs.3da1829.htmlcid=1255910265ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNHydPDs3Gg1zuzXhm_RFPTwZ99OCQNebraska penalties benefit Texas bTech/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fDallas Morning News,nbsp;TXnbsp;-/font nobr34 minutes ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The bpersonal/b foul gave bTech/b a first down on the 4. From there, Shannon Woods ran in for the touchdown, giving bTech/b a 17-7 lead. A 69-yard kickoff return by b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/837413.htmlcid=1255910265ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNFEQ1M4hB3dF5JrIgazlsjIIx90wgNo. 7 Texas bTech/b squeaks out an OT win over Nebraska/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrKansas City Star/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/10/11/ST2008101101500.htmlcid=1255910265ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNHe9gkG0Eu6QUqBn9HEy14hqMSDMgRed Raiders Squeak by Cornhuskers in OT/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrWashington Post/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/470/story/530635.htmlcid=1255910265ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNEVfFvm5jr9FDukVWPuf8LiXAulsgRecap: Texas bTech/b vs. Nebraska/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrIdahoStatesman.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1255910265hl=ennobrall 246 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/10/09/open-thread-hows-your-personal-tech-spending/cid=0ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNHxHG4E5nGIW2QzXlTad108wCNInwOpen Thread: How’s Your bPersonal Tech/b Spending?/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fWebWorkerDaily,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobrOct 9, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1As the larger economic picture continues to look dismal, the reverberations are being felt within the btech/b sector. As our parent blog GigaOM reports, b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.sltrib.com/tv/ci_10653836cid=0ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNFbgNCDNHuipiQwTTx9r6mVKeq-2gbPersonal Tech/b: Ready or not, digital TV is coming to Utah/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fSalt Lake Tribune,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobrOct 7, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By Vince Horiuchi Come Feb. 17, all broadcasters will switch off their analog television signals. If you are not prepared by then, the only thing you will b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cfootball/2061ap_fbc_gardner_webb_ga_tech_1st_ldwritethru.htmlcid=1255521052ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNGVo6E3dyt9rlYd0TWcxpnBhWV7eAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=2YKfF62qGDgJimgurl=seattlepi.nwsource.com/dayart/aponline/59098.41Gardner-Webb-Georgia-Tech-Football.sff.jpg width=76 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Seattle Post Intelligencer/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/gatech/stories/2008/10/11/georgia_tech_special_teams.htmlcid=1255521052ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNHB0r9uqPrzf0B7_-XKaVPyyHWofQbTech/b’s special teams better in victory/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAtlanta Journal Constitution,nbsp; USAnbsp;-/font nobr3 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The bpersonal/b foul gave Gardner-Webb a first down, and the Bulldogs scored on the next play. Blair hit a 29-yard field goal in the second quarter and hasn’t b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.gwusports.com/ViewArticle.dbml%3FDB_OEM_ID%3D10300%26ATCLID%3D1601469cid=1255521052ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNF0p8guVZYfBZIcBPlL6qy2gmJGAAGWU Upset Big Falls Short, 10-7, At Georgia bTech/b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrGardner Webb University Bulldogs/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1255521052hl=ennobrall 174 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/09/30/DI2008093001430.htmlcid=0ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNEpIJyrhDCgHLT_9awfq1_qvH7aEgWashington Post bPersonal Technology/b Columnist/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fWashington Post,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobrOct 2, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The Washington Post#39;s Rob Pegoraro will be online Thursday, Oct. 2 at 2 pm ET to discuss recent reviews and answer your bpersonal tech/b questions. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/152160/hotels_a_geek_can_love.htmlcid=0ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNEjMj0SrPkt_9AgImElHFaIPiJX-QHotels a Geek Can Love/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fPC Worldnbsp;-/font nobr7 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Hotels are increasingly becoming high-btech/b. And with good reason: People want their 24/7 connectivity and other techie requirements even when they#39;re away b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.goracers.com/ViewArticle.dbml%3FDB_OEM_ID%3D6700%26ATCLID%3D1601610cid=1256658054ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNHC95mZtO0fIjz-tl7hYPESvBy_TwRacers Offense Explodes in 51-21 Victory Over Tennessee bTech/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMSU GoRacers,nbsp;KYnbsp;-/font nobr2 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Another three-and-out by TTU turned into points late in the third as Ehrhardt burst up the middle for a career-long 31 yard run before a bpersonal/b foul b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.idahostatesman.com/470/story/530683.htmlcid=1256658054ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNGSH1JxeGeYY5ehz2eag8T_nb_l-wMcKinnis scores 3 TDs to lead Murray State/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrIdahoStatesman.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256658054hl=ennobrall 63 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hJwK9IwOXL-KmdCnrBwyJMxtFpGQD93OJ67G1cid=0ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNFU03loSmg7-eNAXW6gwR2RGlPPTQFBC Gardner Webb Ga bTech/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Associated Pressnbsp;-/font nobr7 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Johnson was penalized, however, for a bpersonal/b foul midway through the third quarter that negated a 34-yard field goal attempt that Gates missed wide left. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/10/tech-leads-at-half-177.htmlcid=0ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNHxrC7lNzLfRJuAxnA3lL279U2JhQbTech/b leads at half, 17-7/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fDallas Morning News,nbsp;TXnbsp;-/font nobr9 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1A bpersonal/b foul by lineman Ndamukong Suh for a late hit on Harrell gave bTech/b a first on the 4, then Shannon Woods ran for the score. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/sports/mizzou/story/0b7697087137b1bf862574d8000e0464%3FOpenDocumentcid=1256160515ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNHRyt61MtXs3K8r4BycYn1V584_RAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=SAlc9OUpaIsJimgurl=images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/ganz300oct4.jpg width=58 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2St. Louis Post-Dispatch/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://nebraska.scout.com/2/799941.htmlcid=1256160515ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNG4h6wQXyCgqno6cDCL_VtbqtTI_wNo moral victories at Nebraska/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBig Red Reportnbsp;-/font nobr5 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The story of the game for Nebraska wasn’t that they were able to stop bTech/b’s potent offense. The story was that they did just what you have to do against an b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/06/sports/FBC-Nebraska-Penalties.phpcid=1256160515ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNEhprYzV4NyoXk2yp8Xi_x2qzaTlQPelini says players need to show restraint/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrInternational Herald Tribune/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.theindependent.com/sports/x1261519841/Huskers-HQ-Is-the-past-really-in-the-pastcid=1256160515ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNGBq7FpoKvi9Fdm5lmJ7Sri8AfcegHuskers HQ: Is the past really in the past?/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrGrand Island Independent/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D467633cid=1256160515ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNHT_1DYMDpOd-X-bDuPiUKlqffqswGanz says Huskers must get better, and fast/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrSportingNews.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.omaha.com/index.php%3Fu_page%3D3918%26u_sid%3D10452988cid=1256160515ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNH79W52uwioHo0i8t7YV4u6R5ByMgnobrOmaha World-Herald (subscription)/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.theindependent.com/sports/x1272962181/Huskers-aim-to-reduce-penaltiescid=1256160515ei=UZXxSNnnOKCQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNF2Ee8doN4lt0yFgA4x9zI51bPgPwnobrGrand Island Independent/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256160515hl=ennobrall 202 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
personal tech - Google News


Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

Got Virus?

GOT VIRUS? Your Data is NOT lost forever!In the wake... Read More

JVCs First Three-Layer Combo-Disc Blu-Ray / DVD

JVC developed and used a high-performance reflective film to produce... Read More

Home Electronics: The Facts About Plasma TV

Not so many years ago, homes across the country watched... Read More

Build Your Own Computer

I'm eighty-one years old and I bought my first computer... Read More

What?s the Difference Between Plasma TVs and LCD TVs?

Plasma and LCD TVs are the latest trend in home... Read More

The Help Desk

When you think of a help desk, what do you... Read More

A Tale of Two Regeds

Tech support tells me to type 'regedt32' as opposed to... Read More

MobiTV and Visual Stimulation Imput for Personal Cognitive Performance

Stimulus thru Caffiene or Visual Input?It appears that the Mobi... Read More

The Benefits of the New Firefox Browser

You probably heard of the new Firefox browser version 1.0... Read More

Help, I Need a New HDTV! (Part 4 of 5)

Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More

Smart Apple iPod Tips and Techniques

Are you thinking of buying an Apple iPod? Or have... Read More

5 Steps to Remove Spyware for Free

Have you ever tried to remove Spyware off your PC... Read More

Deleting and Destroying Data Forever

Peoples' private information needs to stay private, even after it... Read More

Windows Task Manager in English

You use Ctrl+Alt+Del to see what's running on your PC,... Read More

Cisco CCNA Candidate FAQ

CCNA FAQQ. What exams do I have to take to... Read More

Tips For Finding Great Deals On Computer Accessories & Supplies

Tip #1. Do a Google search. Don't be to general... Read More

Apache, MySQL & PHP for Windows

Apache, MysQL and PHP for Windows could be a nice... Read More

Favorite Things To Do With Home Technology

Save money. Save 10-15% on utility bills per month. Work... Read More

Basic Diagnosis Guidelines for Your PC

Simone is exasperated. She has to work on her university... Read More

Toshiba Wins Hollywood Support for the HD DVD format

What led them to this choice, as all four studios... Read More

Flow Text Around a Graphic in Microsoft Word

Flow Text Around a GraphicQuestion: I have inserted a photo... Read More

Palm PC critique

I met an entrepreneur who hole heartedly disagree with an... Read More

Temporary Fixes to Spyware, Ad-ware, and Virus Infections

So you've got some spyware, ad-ware, or viruses on your... Read More

PC Tools Youd Never Think You Need

Do you use Windows standard uninstall feature? How do you... Read More

Internet Explorer Shortcuts for Mouse-o-phobes

If you're like me, you occasionally find the ubiquitous mouse... Read More