I'll be honest — I almost didn't take the exam. Not because I wasn't ready, but because I kept telling myself I wasn't.
Working in IT infrastructure in Utqiagvik, Alaska, I've always touched networking as part of the job. Not as an official network engineer — but the work was there regardless. Enough exposure to make me curious, and enough gaps to make me realise I needed to actually understand the foundations properly, not just work around them.
So I set myself a goal: earn my CCNA. And I gave myself 10 weeks to do it.
The Study Plan
I committed to two main resources: Neil Anderson's CCNA course on Udemy, and Anki flashcards for retention. Neil's course is thorough — it covers every topic on the exam in real depth, not just surface-level overviews. I worked through it systematically, section by section, and used Anki to make sure the concepts were actually sticking rather than just passing through.
The 10-week deadline wasn't arbitrary. I needed external pressure to stay consistent. Without a date on the calendar, it's too easy to let "I'll study tomorrow" become a habit. Setting the deadline forced a structure — and then discipline had to carry it the rest of the way.
Some weeks that was easy. Other weeks I'd sit down with the material and feel like nothing was landing. That inconsistency is normal, but nobody really prepares you for it. You just have to show up anyway.
The Day of the Exam
Walking into the testing centre, I felt settled. Not overconfident — just ready to find out where I actually stood.
The exam started well. Then, somewhere in the middle of it, I looked at the clock.
13 minutes. 26 questions left.
That moment snapped something into focus. I hadn't been pacing myself — I'd been spending too long on questions I wasn't sure about, and now I was in a serious rush. The next 13 minutes were a different kind of test entirely: staying calm, making decisions quickly, not spiralling.
I pushed through. When the result screen appeared, I sat there for a second before it registered. Pass.
What I Took From It
The CCNA taught me the material — but the exam taught me something else: pacing and composure matter just as much as preparation. You can know everything and still lose if you don't manage yourself under pressure.
If you're working toward a certification, build in the study plan, set the deadline, and stick to it. But also practice working under time pressure. Don't just know the material — know how to perform when the clock is running.