I am a Network Administrator for a medium-sized organization in Oregon.  In 2006, I earned my CCNA certification after attending the Cisco Academy at Portland Community College.  If you can attend a Cisco Academy class, I highly recommend it.  That was the primary reason I am as successful as I am today.  The Academy experience, while not perfect, gave me a solid foundation in networking.  In 2009, I passed the Cisco IINS exam, thereby renewing my CCNA certification and earning the CCNA Security certification.

Another fantastic opportunity that network engineers, technicians, and administrators should not miss is the Cisco Live! event.  I have been fortunate enough to attend in 2009 and 2010.  What a fantastic experience for me, too!  In my first trip, I was rather starry-eyed at what the event was.  In 2010, I had more focus on networking with peers and learning about specific technologies.  The bonus for me in 2010 was that some of the engineers (seminar presenters) in 2009 remembered me and had actually updated their seminars based on my input!  Also, to have remembered and recognized me from a year earlier was a real treat.

Fortunately, my employer is very generous and believes in training.  Because of that, I hope to return for the Cisco Live! 2011 event in Las Vegas, NV.