Journey to CWNA
Hey everyone, Mike Johnson here. It is time to start my journey through CWNP certifications, starting with CWNA. It was through the wireless community that I learned about CWNP. I had previously held a Cisco CCNA Wireless that I acquired to re-up my CCNA RS certification. Looking back now I realized what I didn’t know even after that exam, and what I wish I did. The CWNA looks to teach you the fundamentals of WiFi, to get your base knowledge ready for the more advanced topics, all while being vendor agnostic. As a network engineer that works with many different clients, this seems to be of utmost importance.
Let’s make a plan
So we are sitting at our desks, all motivated to get to work. So how are we going to get started? I have a couple items I know I am going to use, and I will update with items I find helpful as we work our way through.
- Sybex CWNA Study Guide CWNA-107 recommended study guide
- O’Reilly Learning for digital copies of the book and Wireless related video from Jerome Henry
- Ruckus CWNA videos, for this you will need to be a partner and sign up at the Ruckus training portal
- Small home lab with a Cisco 2504 WLC and three 3802i access points.
- Ekahau Sidekick and Ekahau Pro 10, one of the benefits of working for a large VAR is the ability to have excellent tools at your disposal.
- WLAN Pi a wireless network tool created for WiFi Professionals.
For now I believe that is enough to get me started. In all honesty after reading a bit of the book, I believe it alone should be enough to get you through. I am sure there will be sections in which some memorization will be necessary and creating some flash cards will be in order to help ingrain the information deeper, but we will see how it goes. I made the mistake of rushing through the CCNA Wireless and while I remembered enough to pass the test, I really didn’t “learn” a lot. Most of it didn’t stick. This time around my aim is for embedded long term knowledge. Will I retain it all? Absolutely not. Will I at least understand the concepts? That is the goal. My goal isn’t perfection, as my time is more valuable than would be required to “ace” the test. I am studying to pass. I will be proficient enough to acquire the certification. Passing is 70%, if I get a 70%, my certification looks just the same as the person looking to perfect it. Our aim should be a bit higher than that, but spending extra weeks getting it all perfect is time better spent on the next certification.
Time for motivation
Our plan is in place, and now it is time to light the fire! Below is my favorite video from Eric Thomas, a great motivational speaker. I’ll let the video speak for itself, but pay close attention to the story about the young business man that wanted to learn from his mentor on how to be successful. One of my favorites of all time.
What is the timeline to CWNA certification?
I am setting a goal for myself to take the CWNA certification exam within 60 days. My true aim is to pass by June 30, 2020. Full disclosure I read the first chapter yesterday! I have some extra time right now with the COVID-19 events happening and I am not going to let those go idly by. I am going to use that time to make myself better and move forward in my career. It is go time. See you back for Chapter One review!
