By Francis Teo

It's crucial that you learn how to configure routers and switches if you want to become a good network engineer. This applies whether you are just beginning your networking career and trying to obtain the CCNA certification or have already got your certification. Improving your knowledge of the Cisco IOS command line is an important step to becoming an effective CCNA network engineer.

Here are 3 reasons why you need to hone your network configuration and troubleshooting skills:

1. To Become Certified (CCNA) - Cisco introduced simulation type questions into the CCNA exam a few years back. This was partly due to the demands of the employers, who were calling for certified individuals with more practical Cisco IOS CLI configuration experience instead of just theoretical knowledge. These questions test the ability of the candidate to either configure the network according to the prescribed requirements, or to troubleshoot an issue. The weight of the simulation questions is generally agreed to be quite high, and it would be difficult to pass the exam without doing well on these questions. For this reason, you should definitely make sure you are confident of answering them before going for the CCNA.

2. Employer Requirement - It's a well known fact that companies prefer candidates who have hands-on configuration and troubleshooting experience, when compared to those without. If you demonstrate that you have the relevant skills, some corporations might hire you, and may look past the fact that you are not certified. It is also getting more common for corporations to conduct their own practical test to make sure that the candidate has the relevant technical skills to take on the job. If you want to improve your chances of landing that networking job, it is important that you brush up your Cisco IOS troubleshooting and configuration skills.

3. Memory Retention - Repetition is key if you want to remember all the common commands used by network engineers on a day-to-day basis. The best way to improve your recall of the commands is to practice consistently on a regular basis until you simply can't forget them anymore. This ease of recall is extremely important in critical network situations where you are called upon to troubleshoot and resolve the issue. There is very little time to consult reference books and you definitely need to be able to recall the commands in a snap if you want to solve the problem quickly.

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