hi please help

hi all
i am an engineering student and i am interested in pursuing networking as a career.
i am already an MCP and preapring for CCNA exam.
i am doing a project for a company in which i have to secure their LAN,WAN.I am implementing access lists,VLAN security and stateful packet filtering using PIX firewall.
i am being coached by the company guide who gives me gruelling asssignments after the theory class and sees to it that i complete the assignment before i touch the router's,switches in the lab.Its helping me getting my concepts clear.
Can someone tell me if the project will help me later in life after my degree to get a job and stay ahead of competiton in the long line of freshers looking for a job.
waiting for ur replies...
thanking you all in advance.......

I would have to say yes. You are already getting a good start by going for the MCP's and CCNA. This gives you the certification to say that you have passed all the requirements set by Microsoft and Cisco.

The added benefit that you have is that you are getting loads of exposure to the equipment and hands on experience so you will be steps ahead of the "Paper MCP's" & "Paper CCNA's" who have just read the books and passed the exams.

Good luck in your studies

In the bigger picture of what happens when you have your scroll and flat hat on and are on the hunt for a job with the rest of them, it is important to remember that until you have a couple of years "in the job experience - bum on seat" under your belt as well, that piece of paper is pretty much just a way into an interview.... nothing more!

Yes I know you have spent years studying IT learning all sorts of weird and wonderful things you will never use again (well I have never had to differentiate a single thing since leaving uni anyway or write a four page proof of why one plus one equals two!) but you will still be starting at the beginning when you get a job.

I'm not saying what you learn in your degree isn't relevant to the real world. Paying attention and maintaining interest in those long boring networking lectures learning IP and the protocol layers will put your theoretical knowledge far ahead of a lot of PC/Server support managers I have come across in my 15 years in the field.

The real power of the degree comes later on when you have learned the ropes and it's a toss-up who is to get the promotion.... you or the one without the degree.

The MCP & CCNA will help a lot in pulling ahead of the rest of the field in getting a job as well but you are not unique and a lot of unis are pushing their students through mcse and ccna alongside their degree these days to help them afterward. Looks better on the universitys statistics you see.....

However, with this guy mentoring you in the way he is will push you even further ahead of the rest of the job seekers by giving you actual hands on experience in the field so when you get the job you can hit the ground running which is what all employers would prefer. They may even offer you a job themselves quite likely.

I don't think you understand how much this sort of input will help you later on in your career. Even if you may not yet appreciate how much this guy is putting himself out by helping you (most IT techies are usually quite helpfull toward young staff) you should grab any bit of help that will put you ahead of the game later. There are so many people flooding into IT these days, you'll need every edge you can get.

Experience is the one real differentiator between candidates. So all the practical stuff you are doing is good but to make it work for you, you must record it somehow. Perhaps you could keep a log or diary showing all the projects you've done; the problem you strated with, how you solved it and the kit you were exposed to. Something like that would be a valuable ace to pull out at an interview. I would also include any other relevant experience you've picked up along the way, not just your current ones

Perhaps you could keep a log or diary showing all the projects you've done; the problem you strated with, how you solved it and the kit you were exposed to. Something like that would be a valuable ace to pull out at an interview. I would also include any other relevant experience you've picked up along the way, not just your current ones

Excellent sugestion Bishop

hi can anyone help me in how to schedule ccna exam i delhi & wht is the fees??