Thanks for your input anyway BG

- like yourself much of my skills have been obtained through practical experience but when I was in industry there was a move to various 'standards' (like ISO9001/2 in particular) where the paper-trail was paramount therefore working on systems that I knew 'inside out' had to be via a properly certifiable qualification.
I'd already designed and installed a data acquisition system for a marine research vessel that also incorporated a ship-wide M$ network/server but, whilst I did it sans-qualifications, the vessel owners were antsy enough that I had to put myself through the CCNA cert just to keep them happy!
I've not used those skills for many years now and have itchy fingers to renew them - dunno why, it's not like I have plans or a use for them

, probably coz I've got too much time on my hands
That's why I'm known as being a geek!

Don't take it personally......