Reddit reviews Internetworking with TCP/IP Volume One (6th Edition)

I would also like to take the time to plug a few resources, if I may, that have greatly assisted me throughout my career.

1. Of course, Cisco Press. Wendell Odom especially.
   
2. Non-Cisco Press, Todd Lamlle's CCNA book is great!
   
3. CBT Nuggets!! Jeremy Cioara and Keith Barker.
   
4. Tech Exams Forums!! For answers to your questions regarding certification, study material, etc, from a variety of vendor certs. Or, to just read motivating success stories!!
   
5. Internetworking Experts (INE!) That link should direct you to their free CCNA video course. If that doesn't work for you, simply register an account with them and search for the CCNA video course.
   
6. Thomas Limoncelli's The Practice of Systems and Network Administration
   
7. Gary A Donahue's Network Warrior
   
8. Jeff Doyle's CCIE Professional Development Routing TCP/IP Vol. 1 or 2
   
9. Douglas E. Comer's Internetworking with TCP/IP
   
10. GNS3!! Free Cisco Router and ASA Emulation!! Just make sure you have access to Cisco IOS software!
    
11. Andrew S. Tanenbaum's Computer Networks.
    
12. Jeremy Stretch and PacketLife!! Also, Jeremy's network Cheat Sheets!
    
13. Firewall.cx!!
    
14. Cisco's Command Lookup Tool! Requires login, but nonetheless, a great resource for your Cisco engineers when you just NEED to know how the hell a particular command works.
    
15. Priscilla Oppenheimer's Top-Down Network Design
    
16. I've heard the folks at /r/networking are pretty legit.

I used to take things apart as a kid; VCRs, RC cars, TVs, PCs, etc.. just to see how they worked. Went to school for 2.5 years learning programming (C++, Java, HTML (if you can call that programming)), hated that and the personalities (I;m introverted but programmers / devs are next level introverts). Transferred to a music track at another school and finished with my BA. Got a job in music, but missed IT so I applied for a business analyst role at the same company - worked with devs doing light SQL work and end users assisting in the deployment of an internal CRM. Moved on from there to an internal IT spot, then after that an MSP - another MSP, which is what I'm doing now.

Got experience in VMware (and VDI), a bit of Azure, lots of onsite support and have done work for high profile clients, celebrities, CEOs, etc.. basically do what you need to do to get the job done. I'm constantly learning, the next stuff I want to learn is networking - as in high level network - using the TCP/IP Guide (https://www.amazon.com/TCP-Guide-Comprehensive-Illustrated-Protocols/dp/159327047X/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=tcpip+guide&qid=1573236473&s=books&sr=1-3) and Internetworking (https://www.amazon.com/Internetworking-TCP-IP-One-6th/dp/013608530X)

Also need a lot of Linux experience since VMware and Cisco products are based off that. Start with the fundamentals and go from there.

I fucking love what I do. I have an A+ cert from years ago, but haven't bother with anything since. I do a lot of work for hedge funds now so it's more who you know than what you know - I'd like to get a cert in the future but don't really have the time. If you have any questions or want me to take a glance at your resume just send me a message and I'll shoot over my email.

And full disclosure, IT has a lot of bullshit you need to deal with, if you can't handle that or deal with it the correct way (read: just deal with it) then you're gonna have a bad time - shit will break, things will fail, backups will take huge dumps, but you just have to have the mindset that you can fix it or know where and how to find the answer (vendor support tickets are your best friend - specific to Cisco TAC. lol)

Stevens. Along with the Douglass Comer book it’s considered the de-facto standard of networking texts.

Stevens:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP/IP_Illustrated

Comer:
https://www.amazon.com/Internetworking-TCP-IP-One-6th/dp/013608530X

Douglas Comer.

https://www.amazon.com/Internetworking-TCP-IP-One-6th/dp/013608530X

It's very complicated.

Read: http://www.amazon.com/Internetworking-TCP-Volume-One-Edition/dp/013608530X

The author was one of the people involved with the creation of the internet.

Internetworking with TCP/IP by Comer. Three volumes, but volume I is sufficient for what you want.

http://www.amazon.com/Internetworking-TCP-Volume-One-Edition/dp/013608530X