Which Cisco Certification is Correct for Me?

Looking in the Cisco catalog might be daunting: they supply a terrific deal of different certifications, each of which might have numerous different subsets of certifications beneath them! The distinction between them all might be tough; let's take a look in the large ones and see which certification is proper for you!

CCNA

The CCNA could be the entry-level certification for Cisco. Who ought to take it? Well, just about anyone considering furthering his or her career within the network / method administration field (developers need not apply). The CCNA is just not only a extremely solid test for studying the nitty-gritty of networking, but it is also a stepping stone for any of the greater level Cisco certificates; as per Cisco's own guidelines, you'll need an active CCNA to acquire or sustain any of the greater Cisco certifications. As a result, the CCNA ought to be on everyone's list, regardless of whether you might be a desktop support analyst or perhaps a junior method administrator!

When you are curious about which specialized track to take, that depends upon your particular scenario: in general, nevertheless, those seeking to score sysadmin or network admin jobs ought to take either CCNA-Security or CCNA-Switching and Routing!

CCNP

The CCNP could be the subsequent step up the Cisco ladder, after you've got gotten your CCNA. The CCNP is much higher-level than the CCNA, and for anyone who is pleased as a desktop support analyst or small-time, junior method administrator, a CCNA could possibly be enough for you (though a CCNP would entirely support your knowledge base, given the wide depth of knowledge it needs). For anyone seeking to advance further up the ladder, nevertheless, the CCNP is one of the initially actions on the path to senior method or network administrator position!

You will discover other professional-level certifications besides the CCNP, such as the CCNP-Security, CCDP, CCIP, and others. None of them, nevertheless, have very the general appeal the CCNP has; unless your job needs a certain application of 1 of the other certifications, the CCNP will almost certainly be the most beneficial for you!

CCIE

Here it's: the large Kahuna of Cisco certification. the CCIE is considered to be 1 of the most complicated certifications within the globe, and extremely couple of networking professionals have it. In fact, it's most likely complete overkill for the vast majority of networking professionals on the market, and it's doable that, within the course of an IT career, you might never ever have a must acquire a ccie real labs.

The true reason to get a CCIE, nevertheless, is career advancement and knowledge. ccie real lab certificate holders consistently rank extremely high in salary lists for the IT sector, and getting a CCIE on your resume is extremely appealing to employers seeking to fill their high-level, well-paying positions!

Conclusion

Cisco certifications and their specialties might be a tough nut to crack; hopefully this guide has helped you understand which Cisco cert is proper for you, and how far up the chain of certification you actually must go. Usually keep in mind, nevertheless, that training and studying for a certification provides you knowledge and insight you might not have had just before, which is one thing that's often worth it!