I am 27 years old with a 4 yr B.S in business and have been working in Management and Sales for a large corporation for the past 5 years. I am getting bored with the company and do not really like sales. I am thinking about trying my hand in the IT feild but have some reservations. I have a few friends that own a small company, they are both CCIE(Switching and Routers) and said they would be willing to give me a job if I got my Ciso Certs(CCNA and CCNP) I am looking for advice on the following questions.
I have been researching the Cisco Cert.(CCNA and CCNP) What is the time peroid it normally takes to complete each Certs?
I have ZERO experience in this feild besides a few basic computer classes in college. What would be a good way to gain real world experience while becoming certified?
My wife is very successful in business with Johnson and Johnson and has the ability to get promoted to different regions. How difficult is it to find jobs in this feild once you have the proper certifications?
Options for studying for Exams. I researched few options but they seemed pretty expensive espcially for classroom courses. What recommendations does anyone have for studying for the exams.
Can I work on my CCNA while working full time or do I need to give my entire day to learn what is nessecary to pass the exam?
Any other advise or recommendations would be great (bad or good) just want honest answers!