I started out using Ruckus Wireless' (Name they were called back then) equipment just over 10 years ago. I have seen the company change names & owners quite a few times and have grown to one of the top 3 Wireless vendors.
But one thing that always bugged me about Ruckus was their lack of certifications. I have what some would say weird boarding on perverse enjoyment in learning new things and certifications are a great way to harness this passion for learning into good achievements. So when one of my favourite vendors does have a way for me to study and learn their equipment and the technology. I never feel comfortable that I truly understand the vendor and their tech.
I have gone through the Cisco certification route like most budding network engineers and while certs don't make up for the experience. It was a great way for me to gain a far better understanding of the theory and the Why we do it in certain ways. rather then on job training gives more of a short cut to the end goal. So guess it comes down to whether you are an outcome-based or process-based kind of person. Both are good and there is nothing wrong with either outlook on life. If you care about the Why the process then certifications are a great way to give you that context. But if you prefer to just know how to get the job done then Experience is the way you tend to learn.
So coming back to the point of this blog post. I was very fortunate to be selected by Commscope Ruckus to participate in their beta exam program for the Ruckus Certified Wi-Fi Associate. I am also grateful that I actually passed it as well. Those 10 years of using the kit came in handy.
The Exam was good it was it tested you on some basic Wi-Fi fundamentals and made sure you had a good grasp of the basics of Wi-Fi. It also went into the controllers and the questions were at the right level for the target audience. As this exam is designed for people starting out on the career and want to learn more about the way Ruckus does Wi-FI.