Comments on: Finding a satisfying answer. http://www.globalconfig.net/2008/12/23/finding-a-satisfying-answer/ Studying for Cisco Certifications Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:31:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Ethan http://www.globalconfig.net/2008/12/23/finding-a-satisfying-answer/comment-page-1/#comment-385 Ethan Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:56:34 +0000 http://www.globalconfig.net/2008/12/23/finding-a-satisfying-answer/#comment-385 If I was working with a vendor's practice lab, sometimes I'd read the explanation and just go, "Huh?" It wouldn't stick at all. So I'd read it again. And again. Then review all the code line by line as well as the "show" command output to verify what had happened. If it still wasn't sinking in, I'd hit the DocCD and review Cisco's take on it. Many times, that helped, as the problem I was working through was similar to an example in a configuration guide. But if that didn't nail it down, I'd grab a CiscoPress book to get yet another viewpoint. (Wendell Odom has a way of phrasing things that works for me.) None of the social networks were effective for me as a technical learning tool. Usually the problems were so esoteric, complicated, or just plain weird that few people would know what I was talking about. Being able to explain the problem, find someone who grasped the issue and then was willing to help rarely worked out for me. GroupStudy was pretty pointless, although I know it works out well for some people. I did have a little luck blogging about a problem, where a reader might make a useful comment. But overall, I found my time best spent reading, and then reading some more. And you know what else? There were a few things that I just said "forget it", never really got it working right, but moved on anyway. Not core stuff, but weird stuff like frame-relay bridging or building the multicast tree over a topology invented by Satan. It just wasn't worth the cycles to me, assuming I understood what was *supposed* to be happening, even if it wasn't working out in my specific case. If I was working with a vendor’s practice lab, sometimes I’d read the explanation and just go, “Huh?” It wouldn’t stick at all. So I’d read it again. And again. Then review all the code line by line as well as the “show” command output to verify what had happened. If it still wasn’t sinking in, I’d hit the DocCD and review Cisco’s take on it. Many times, that helped, as the problem I was working through was similar to an example in a configuration guide. But if that didn’t nail it down, I’d grab a CiscoPress book to get yet another viewpoint. (Wendell Odom has a way of phrasing things that works for me.)

None of the social networks were effective for me as a technical learning tool. Usually the problems were so esoteric, complicated, or just plain weird that few people would know what I was talking about. Being able to explain the problem, find someone who grasped the issue and then was willing to help rarely worked out for me. GroupStudy was pretty pointless, although I know it works out well for some people.

I did have a little luck blogging about a problem, where a reader might make a useful comment. But overall, I found my time best spent reading, and then reading some more.

And you know what else? There were a few things that I just said “forget it”, never really got it working right, but moved on anyway. Not core stuff, but weird stuff like frame-relay bridging or building the multicast tree over a topology invented by Satan. It just wasn’t worth the cycles to me, assuming I understood what was *supposed* to be happening, even if it wasn’t working out in my specific case.

]]> By: stretch http://www.globalconfig.net/2008/12/23/finding-a-satisfying-answer/comment-page-1/#comment-379 stretch Wed, 24 Dec 2008 09:02:28 +0000 http://www.globalconfig.net/2008/12/23/finding-a-satisfying-answer/#comment-379 I'd like to add http://networking-forum.com (a vendor-neutral forum) to your list. Good people and great opportunities for discussion there. I’d like to add http://networking-forum.com (a vendor-neutral forum) to your list. Good people and great opportunities for discussion there.

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