KCC offering CCNA course in Coldwater in Spring 2013

Kellogg Community College will offer a class at the Branch Area Careers Center in 2013 to help students develop skills in the growing field of computer networking and architecture.

The class, CET 235, called Cisco Networking I, is the first of four classes that prepare students to take the Cisco Certified Network Administrator (CCNA) certification test. CCNA certification is an important step toward employment and expertise in this career.

CET 235 will immerse students in the fundamental aspects of Local Area Network topologies by applying basic principles of cabling, performing basic configurations of network devices such as routers and switches and implementing IP addressing schemes.

The principles and structure of IP addressing and the fundamentals of ethernet concepts, media and operations are introduced to provide a foundation for the curriculum. Labs use a “model Internet” to allow students to analyze real data without affecting production networks. Packet Tracer activities help students analyze protocol and network operations and build small networks in a simulated environment.

Jobs in network and computer system administration are in high demand and expected to grow rapidly over the next decade nationwide. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary in 2010 for administrators in this field was $69,160.

CET 235 will be offered in the Spring 2013 semester from 5:30 to 9:50 p.m. on Wednesdays, Feb. 6 through April 24, at the Branch Area Careers Center, 366 Morse St., Coldwater.

For more information, visit Kellogg.edu and click on “Class Schedules.”

Pictured above, CET student Dawn Elliot works with wire during her Introduction to Networking class on Kellogg Community College’s North Avenue campus this summer.