Take courses online, on your schedule to prepare for a new career in a technology field or brush up on your digital literacy skills
Howard County Library System and Cisco Networking Academy are partnering to offer a series of IT skill and career development classes. Take courses online, on your schedule, via HCLS Now! Available classes cover topics of Digital Literacy, Entrepreneurship, Cybersecurity, the Internet of Things (IoT), and the Linux Operating System.
The Cisco Networking Academy learning experience incorporates online class modules, interactive games and simulations, learning assessments, and other learning techniques. Prepare for a new career in a technology field or brush up on your digital literacy skills.
- Read the class descriptions below.
- Click on the class title link of your choice and then enter your email to enroll in one or more of these free, self-paced online courses.
- You will receive an email with instructions on how to create a Cisco Networking Academy account and access your course.
- Once you receive your account information, log in on the course’s information page (links included in description below) to find system requirements and additional information specific to each course.
Online Self-Paced Courses
Cloud Security : Recommended preparation: Introduction to Cybersecurity and Cybersecurity Essentials. In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of cloud computing and prepare for the Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK). Please visit the Cloud Security course information page to find more information and additional resources. (Duration: 35 hours)
Cybersecurity Essentials : Develop an understanding of cybercrime, security principles, technologies, and procedures used to defend networks. This is a self-paced, intermediate level course. Introduction to Cybersecurity is recommended for beginners. Please visit the Cybersecurity Essentials course information page to find more information and additional resources. (Duration: 30 hours)
Get Connected : Learn basic computer skills such as social media, Internet navigation & simple networking. This is a self-paced, online only class. Suitable for beginners. Please visit the Get Connected course information page to find more information and additional resources. (Duration: 30 hours)
Introduction to Cybersecurity : This is an introductory course for those who want to learn the basics of cybersecurity. This is a self-paced, online only course. Suitable for beginners. Please visit the Introduction to Cybersecurity course information page to find more information and additional resources. (Duration: 15 hours)
Introduction to Packet Tracer : Learn the basics of Cisco Packet Tracer software. This is a self-paced, online only course. Suitable for beginners. Please visit the Introduction to Packet Tracer course information page for additional information, system requirements, and additional resources.
(Duration: 10 hours)
NOTE: This course requires the installation of additional free software. Before enrolling in this course, please make sure that your computer meets the system requirements to run this software. This software is not available on HCLS computers and you may not be able to complete all course work on an HCLS computer.
JavaScript Essentials 1 (JSE) : The JavaScript Essentials 1 course introduces the student to some universal computer programming concepts, such as data types, type casting, containers, comments, operators, conditional execution, loops, functions, errors, and exceptions. Please visit the JavaScript Essentials 1 course information page to find more information and additional resources. (Duration: 40 hours)
NDG Linux Unhatched : This course is an introduction to the popular operating system Linux. This is a self-paced, online only course. Suitable for beginners. Please visit the NDG Linux Unhatched FAQ for more information on this course. (Duration: 8 hours)
MORE… HCLS instructor led HiTech Cisco Classes
For more CISCO courses, click NetAcad
Howard County Library System partners with Cisco Networking Academy to offer use of this service to all HCLS customers. Cisco Networking Academy is a third party vendor. HCLS encourages customers to read the Cisco Networking Academy Terms of Use and Privacy Policy when registering for a class.
