How a Slow Learning Former Police Officer Passed His Cisco Exams...(and how you can too!)

Anybody can pass their Cisco Exam and have a successful IT career...if they know how...

My name is Paul Browning and I am the CEO of Reality Press, the company behind HowToNetwork.Net. I worked as a police officer in the UK for 12 years before making a career change into IT. Passing the Cisco CCNA was what did it for me because with that qualification, even though I had no experience, employers could see that I was motivated. When I started out in my studies I bought every Cisco book out there. They all confused me with useless jargon and nothing I learned was applied to the real world of Cisco networking. I somehow landed a job with the Cisco tech support department in the UK and then really learned how to install and maintain Cisco networks. To tell you the truth, I am a very slow learner and I have to have things explained to me in very simple language and a few times over before they start to sink in.

While others at Cisco were flying through exams every few weeks it took me a long time to study for and pass my CCNP. I tell you that because if I can pass my Cisco exams then I can say with confidence that anyone can!

Most of what I learned at Cisco I have never read in any books! It was as if the authors of every Cisco book presumed the readers were already a Cisco engineer and didn't need to know the basics or how to actually apply what you learn to a live network.

Cisco made my entire team redundant in 2002 but while I was there I had started to do some freelance teaching and I had written the first draft of 'CCNA Simplified - Your Complete Guide to Passing the CCNA' which many say is the best CCNA book they have ever read. To tell the truth, if you had told me in 2001 that I would have been writing my own Cisco manual and selling it all over the world I would have laughed.

In order to teach Cisco courses I had to go over the material again and again and then work on the equipment in the labs long after everyone else had gone home. The good news is that when I came to write about Cisco networking I could do it in a way which pretty much anyone can understand, even a complete novice. I don't even presume you have even seen a router before.

How the Site Started

Many students began writing to me saying that they needed a really easy to understand resource with lots of videos, labs with walk throughs and somebody on hand to ask if they were stuck or just needed some advice.

Armed with that information I began work on howtonetwork.net and a year later it was ready to launch. The site has helped a large number of people just like you to pass their Cisco exams and make a success of their IT careers. CCNP and security modules are being written at the moment and will all be going live during 2009.

The Real Cost of Cisco Training

Cisco training is big business and over the past few years several companies have sprung up offering you all sorts of products and services. You can throw your money away on a classroom course, buy a video course, waste your hard earned cash on practise exams (with no support if you get stuck). You can buy books, flash cards or sign up to an expensive correspondence course but you will usually be left high and dry if have any questions.

Here is what you can expect to pay compared to membership to howtonetwork.net

	Study Costs for a typical CCNA		HowtoNetwork
	Study guides and manuals - $97 and upwards		Included
	Home rack - $400 upwards		10 hours live rack access FREE
	Router Simulators - $200 upwards		Access LIVE equipment FREE
	Training Videos e.g CBT Nuggets - $399		Over 30 hours and growing FREE
	Practise Exam e.g Boson - $149 each!!		Over 11 exams FREE
	Flash Study Cards - from $50		All decks FREE
	TOTAL = $1300 upwards!!		FROM only $9.97 per month

What's more - with web based training, the notes and materials can be updated in a few hours. Once you buy books or software, it is usually out of date a few months later when Cisco change their exam emphasis or bank of questions.

The typical howtonetwork.net student takes 3 months to pass your Cisco CCNA. Three months basic membership will set you back $29.91. When you pass you can choose to stick around for your CCNP or any of the other speciality exams we are in the process of adding or even leave the site altogether owing nothing.

Can anybody pass their CCNA?

Soon after howtonetwork.net launched I read a desperate e-mail from a member of Cisco's forum. Brian Jonson had failed his CCNA exam 4 TIMES. What's worse was that every time his score was lower! Talk about feeling depressed. He had thrown his money away on all the famous CCNA books and bought all the glossy DVD sets and had nothing to show for it apart from a big credit card bill.

I gave Brian free membership to howtonetwork saying that if he can pass using only the materials on the site it will prove beyond doubt that anybody can pass their CCNA using howtonetwork.net only.

Brian and I set a goal for him to re-sit his exam a month after joining. Two weeks later Brian sneakily retook his CCNA. Here is what he wrote me:

"Hi Paul, I kind of tricked you...I decided to move my CCNA exam date up to today. And it worked! I passed with a 989! Thank you for your help and please let me know if I can help with a testimonial. Brian Jonson - CCNA"

You can imagine how pleased Brian felt can't you?

Brian wasn't the only one e-mailing us soon after the site launched. Every week we receive 3 or 4 e-mails from delighted students who never thought they would pass their CCNA exam until, like you, they found howtonetwork.net. People like Jill Miller:

"Thank You - I Passed!

My heartfelt thanks to you and your materials! I passed my CCNA yesterday with a score of 910.... it was not my first attempt, but I was determined! You Subnetting Secrets book and video made all of the difference for me.

My instructor's "lecture" about variable length subnetting consisted of "You'll need to know how to do this, make sure you learn it.
 

Finding your web-site was truly a gift from God, because I  could not figure it out on my own. I spent one afternoon with your materials, and understood the entire concept, and with practice I've gotten faster and faster. I genuinely don't believe that I would have passed without your help! God Bless! Jill Miller -  CCNA"

What's In it For You?

Please don't decide to join the site until you have read the below list of just a few of the resources available to you as a new member:

	Cisco exam flash study cards - download study cards to your laptop or desktop and read questions and answers over and over again until you master the subject. Your software allows you to mix up decks and questions which means you will be ready for the exam in no time.
	Over 30 hours of streaming video - watch a Cisco expert configure routing protocols, security, switching and WAN connections. Learn how to tackle the tough troubleshooting scenarios which catch many students out. More videos are being added every week. This is worth over $399 alone!
	Live racks of Cisco routers and switches - log into a live rack of Cisco equipment and get some valuable hands on practise (you can even add it to your résumé). We even give you the labs to practise as well as the solutions. Here is the demo of your racks on YouTube (opens in new window)
	Cisco Discussion Forum - a friendly team of Cisco students and experts are on hand to answer your study questions. No question is too hard for us and we love to hear from complete beginners or experts. You can be sure of a prompt and friendly response on your discussion forum.
	Subnetting Secrets - this home study system has become legendary on the internet. Used by over a thousand students to help them pass exams and technical interviews. With a mix of lectures, videos and software tools you will quickly become a subnetting master. I charge $27 for this on www.subnetting-secrets.com but you pay $0
	Cisco Practise Exams - why throw away $140 per exam when you can have your own bank of over 500 questions? All certified braindump free. You can practise for the real exam or hone your security, wireless, switching, routing or any other area of your Cisco exam syllabus. All this is included in your site membership.
	Software Download Library - over 100 tools to help you study for your Cisco exams. Podcasts, cram cards, utilities, cram guides, subnetting cheat sheets and lots more. You get access to over $2000 worth of software for a measly $9.97 per month!
	Cisco Practise Labs - you are going to be drilled on your hands on skills during your Cisco exam. Every subject area has been broken down for you with user friendly labs chock full of friendly explanations and walkthrough guides. You even get the configuration for every router in case you want to practise on your own equipment at home.
	Cisco CCNA Simplified Manual - I was so frustrated with the poor quality of Cisco CCNA manuals out there that I wrote my own! You get full access to the online version of the manual. Written in easy to understand language with countless real world examples and exam tips. This is the only manual you will ever need to pass your Cisco CCNA.

Your Trusted Partner

HowtoNetwork.net is owed by Reality Press which is owned by Paul Browning. Paul worked as a police officer in the UK before moving into a career in IT. He worked for Cisco for 2 years before starting his own Cisco consultancy.

Since launching in 2007, howtonetwork has been accredited by the following companies:

	We have been certified as a quality training provider by industry watchdog CertGuard who certify that we are braindump free.
	For your peace of mind, HowtoNetwork.net is a registered partner with Cisco which means we a registered company and permitted to use their logo on our training site.
	All transactions on the site are secured by the internets leading SSL certification site - Geotrust. You can be sure that all your payment information is dealt with in the most secure manner available.
	Your data is treated with the highest standards of privacy and we never ever rent or sell your details. In fact, we have been awarded the prestigious privacy verified seal from Trust Guard.
	HowtoNetwork.net has passed Trust Guards stringent security tests which include 128-Bit SSL security wherever a member has to enter their personal details.

You Can Join NOW - Risk Free
 

I'm so confident that you are going to be delighted with your decision to join the HowtoNetwork team that I am going to make you an offer you can't refuse. Join now and if you are not 100% delighted with the quality of your site in the first two months, you can have your money back in full. No quibbles and no complaints! You can even keep all the software you have downloaded including exams, videos, flash cards and Cisco utilities. So you have nothing to lose and there is no risk at all.

Joining is Easy

Just choose the level of membership which suits you best and then click on the join now button. You will join using a secure SSL server and be able to access your materials IMMEDIATELY. You can cancel anytime by logging in and changing your account settings.

Access Level and Monthly Fee	Silver** $9.97	Gold $19.97	Platinum $29.97
Full Access to site
Members only forum
Rack access	10 hours	100 hours	Unlimited
Monthly coaching tele calls
Monthly exams by e-mail
Private e-mail coaching from Paul (worth $200 per hour)
Pass the exam or I pay!*

If you have already joined the site and want to renew, simply choose which membership level you wish to renew at and click the 2nd from bottom box ' Is this a Renewal?'

* I will personally ensure you are prepared and more than ready for your exam. I will make sure you understand all the topics and then get you to sit my pre-exam test. Once you are through that you can go ahead and take the real thing. If you don't pass I will pay your exam fees back in full. This is for the CCNA, CCNP or any other Cisco exam we cover.

** There is a one off $10 joining fee for silver membership. In return you are given access to over $900 worth of study software via the download library.