In the beginning of wireless implementations, school districts began adding autonomous access points as their budgets allowed. I configured and installed autonomous HP access points in libraries and conference rooms at the first school district I worked for.
Life happened and I began working for the second school district of my career. There I configured and installed an Aerohive wireless infrastructure. We didn’t have full coverage in our schools but I installed as many APs as the budget would allow. I attended Aerohive trainings taught by David Coleman. He was a big inspiration to learn more about wireless.
I started with my current school district five years ago. This school district uses all Cisco products so it wasn’t long before I knew it was time to step up my game and study. I remember my first conversation with Sam Clements about our wireless environment. That’s when I realized I had a lot to learn about wireless and it was time to get started. Sam was motivating and inspiring and still is.
The first CWNP certification I studied for and achieved was CWTS. Shortly after I studied for and achieved CWNA. Once I felt proficient with my CWNA skills it was time to move on to other certifications.
I have seen many questions about which professional certification to pursue first. My decision was based on necessity. One of my first tasks was to redesign and upgrade our current schools and design two new schools that were being built. That made it an easy decision to pursue my CWDP first as I needed those design skills. Once I acquired that knowledge and passed that certification, I decided to pursue CWAP next. I started getting work orders that required analysis and packet capturing skills to troubleshoot the issues. After passing CWAP, my final studies were security. CWSP was the most difficult certification for me as it was my weakest area. I worked harder for that knowledge than any other CWNP certification. I’m happy to say I passed my CWSP.
I have grown as a wireless engineer with my CWNP studies. It isn’t about the certifications for me. It is about acquiring the knowledge. I want to continue to grow and learn everything I can about wireless as it is my passion and makes me happy.
The final step is my CWNE application which I plan to submit this week. I have worked very hard to get where I am today. I am confident in my abilities now. Wow, I could not have said that in my first days of wireless installations. I’m anxious, nervous, and excited about this certification but I know I’ve done the work and have the knowledge I need to deserve this.
