2026 has been a reckless year as it is, and one fine summer day in March, I decided to take on CCNA!
Now, I’ve been working in networking and automation for years. Routers, switches, Python, test automation.. all familiar territory.
So naturally, I thought, how difficult can CCNA be?
Oh, the confidence. The absolute innocence !!
My Journey started with a three-week study plan by underestimating both the syllabus and my supernatural ability to get distracted !
The initial enthusiasm was unreal. New study plan, fresh notes, quizzes, targets.
I was ready! Then came subnetting & then STP & then OSPF !
June flew by, deadlines were conveniently forgotten, September arrived…
& just like that my three-week plan slowly became a much longer relationship with CCNA !
There were days I felt like a networking genius. Then there were days when I couldn’t remember the difference between two protocols I’d studied the previous evening.
OSPF, ACL, NAT, HSRP, DHCP, IPv6, QoS… the list just kept growing. Every time I ticked off one topic, Cisco seemed to have another surprise waiting for me.
I also discovered that my learning speed is… let’s say, not exactly Formula 1. I like to take my time, understand things properly, revisit concepts and occasionally explain them to myself like I’m teaching a 12-year-old.
And slowly, things started falling into place.
Quizzes became easier. Concepts started connecting. I began enjoying the process instead of just chasing the syllabus.
And just like that, I CLEARED CCNA! 🎉
I had gone back to being a student, struggled with fundamentals, taken countless quizzes, and actually finished what I started.
And now? I’m feeling pretty unstoppable. 😂 And humbled too !
PS: Turns out, experience doesn’t exempt us from getting humbled by a subnetting question !!!
& Of course, I’ve already started looking at the next certification. Here I come !! Apparently, I haven’t suffered enough ! 😛
