
We have all-access accounts on both CBT Nuggets and PluralSight and they usually have classes for the same certification. Well that’s not entirely true because, here’s my second habit, I watch the same material over again from another instructor. The obvious benefit is that I can get twice the amount of studying in for the same amount of time. I’ve listened to so many training videos at this speed, that my brain has become accustomed to it and regular speed feels terribly slow.
#How do i watch my cbt nuggets videos plus
It might sound crazy (literally) at first, but viewing at faster speed helps me focus, plus it eliminates the temptation to open another tab and listen in the background. I watch all training videos at two times speed. Speaking of time, I had three young children then and because the CBT Nuggets courses are divided up into many 3-10 minute “nuggets”, I could weave in study time between family time. With that subscription I had access to courses for many vendors and was only limited by my time. Later on, CBT Nuggets had really expanded their library and I bought an affordable all-access subscription. After that experience I avoided the books when I could and gleaned from our account manager’s DVD library whenever possible. This was so much more engaging than the book I was reading (I’m looking at you Cisco QoS!) and the instructor helped to keep things fresh. Later that evening I started watching it and was thrilled that there was a highly knowledgeable instructor along with excellent diagrams and animations to help explain the material. I told her about my certification goals and she went out to her car and brought back a DVD set from TrainSignal. I’ll never forget the day the Cisco Account Manager was in town and paid a visit. Although useful, the teacher couldn’t adequately handle the number of students and I ended up mostly relying on the book anyway. When a seasoned tech would ask a question that was beyond the understanding of the beginners, a tangential path had to be taken to bring everyone up to speed. The class was helpful, but there was a huge variety of experience in the room. I was newly married at the time and the classes were unobtainable.Īt some point Cisco offered a complimentary 3-day certification training to our company, which I attended. Back then my choices were to buy the book for $100 or attend a 5 day course in another state for $3,000+. Speaking of budget, books were the cheapest path at the time.CBT Nuggets, Pluralsight, Udemy and YouTube provide loads of learning opportunities for any skill level and any budget. There weren’t as many learning options are there are today.The official books also didn’t skip or gloss over any topics. There was a large gap between my knowledge and the exam material and I needed to slowly absorb the concepts. As a youngster I didn’t know much and I needed to understand the finer details about every topic.As dull as this sounds, I was excited about the material at the time so it worked out fine.
#How do i watch my cbt nuggets videos professional
How I used to Study For Professional ExamsĮarly in my career, the best way for me to prepare for an exam was to buy the official Cisco or Microsoft book and read through it from beginning to end. Everyone learns differently and what works for me may not work for you, but hopefully some of my study habits will provide guidance and motivation. I believe it’s easier than ever to gain the knowledge required for an exam.

It’s hard to work up the motivation to prepare for an IT certification! But the truth is, thinking you can just ain’t enough! These days I study and learn about IT topics completely differently than I used to. If the track is tough and the hill is rough, He was almost there, when - CRASH! SMASH! BASH! “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!” He would not stop - now he neared the top. With a squeak and a creak and a toot and a sigh,

So he started up with a chug and a strain,Īnd he puffed and pulled with might and main.Īnd his engine coughed as he whispered soft, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” He was tired and small, and the hill was tall,Īnd his face blushed red as he softly said, His light was weak, his whistle was shrill. The little blue engine looked up at the hill. This post is a follow-up to Why We Love Continuing Education and Certifications and continues on with What Certs Should My IT Team Have?Ī few weeks ago I was reading to my daughters one of our favorite Shel Silverstein books and came across the following poem:
