Networking Specialist: My CCNA Journey
Follow my complete journey from networking beginner to CCNA certified professional - including study methods, practical labs, challenges, and how this certification opened doors to cybersecurity opportunities.
After my first sysadmin job it didn’t take long to notice the gap. Linux I could figure out, but networking — I didn’t even know what a VLAN was at that point. That’s not a great place to be when you’re trying to grow beyond the basics, so I started looking into what it would actually take to fix that.
Finding the Right Learning Path
I started looking at Udemy courses and vocational schools in Timișoara that went up to CCNP level. Savnet was the one that clicked — when I called and they mentioned physical labs, actual industrial routers and switches and firewalls, I was done thinking about it. Online simulators are useful but they’re not the same as hands-on. By the end of that call I was already asking when I could start. If you’re in Timișoara: https://savnet.ro/
My CCNA Learning Evolution
Module 1: Starting with Packet Tracer
From there to building my first homelab versions was just a small step. Initially, I installed Cisco Packet Tracer and started doing all the exercises I received in Savnet’s lab plus homework assignments. I was so hyped that by the end of module 1, I was rushing to finish my exercises and personal troubleshooting sessions so I could help other students with their problems - probably one of the best ways to approach real IT troubleshooting scenarios.
Module 2-3: Advancing to GNS3
During that period, my schedule was something like: 10 AM - 6 PM at my first job (which I wrote about here), and three times a week from 7 PM to 10 PM I attended CCNA labs. Even that wasn’t enough for me - I had already developed a true passion. That’s when I discovered GNS3, a complete emulator where I could use real router and switch images, as well as virtual machines and even Docker containers. That was the moment when my weekends started focusing largely on extensive practice in the virtual lab I created on my laptop.
Module 4: Complex Network Projects
Starting from module 3, we received much more complex projects that we had to complete at home and verify during labs with one of our instructors.
Network Topologies & Lab Work
The exams at Savnet were harder than the standard NetAcad curriculum — deliberately, to push you further. Outside of that I was spending full days on topologies, morning to evening, partly because I genuinely wanted to understand how everything connected, and partly because I really wanted that certification.
Lab Gallery
Certification Day
After months of labs, theory, and various tests, the time came to schedule the actual certification exam. I’ve never been more nervous for any exam - I knew how important this certification had become for me. February 18, 2020, shortly before the COVID pandemic put the world on pause.
Passed on the first attempt. Three hours scheduled, submitted in about an hour and a half — theory plus labs with troubleshooting. I don’t think I’ve been more focused for any exam before or since.
I could have done better on the theory side — I never perform as well there as I do in practice. But it was enough, and that was the moment I’d been waiting for.
The certification itself wasn’t the biggest thing to come out of that period. Shortly after, one of my module four instructors recommended me for a cybersecurity role — Blue team. That’s a different story, for another post.