Get Started! Your Top 5 Certification Questions Answered
Get Started! Your Top 5 Certification Questions Answered
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Your Top Five Cisco Career Certification Questions Answered
By Cisco Roadshow Manager, Pat Ma
Q: What are certifications? Why should I get one?
A: A certification on your resume or business card lets the world know that you have practical knowledge in networking. If an employer looks at your resume and sees a CCNA® certification, for instance, that employer knows automatically that you know how to configure, operate, troubleshoot, and manage a Cisco® network.
Certifications will be good for your career because they will 1) distinguish your skills from other IT networking professionals, 2) help you find more networking jobs, and 3) help you make more money at those jobs.
When applying for jobs, you’ll find that some jobs will require you to have a certification, and most networking jobs will pay you more salary if you have a certification.
Q: How many different types of Cisco certifications are there?
A: There are many certifications available, so don’t be overwhelmed. The most popular certification path starts with a CCENT™ certification if you’re in high school or college, then going to a CCNA if you’re just beginning your career with 0-2 years of experience, a CCNP® if you have 2-5 years of experience, and a CCIE® if you have 5+ years of experience.
We have four levels of certifications (entry level, associate level, professional level, and expert level) that correspond to how many years of experience you have in your career.
We also have seven tracks (routing and switching, design, security, voice, wireless, service provider, and storage) that correspond to the concentration you want to pursue.
For instance, if you are just beginning your career and want to specialize in network security, you would get a CCENT certification, then CCNA, CCNA Wireless, CCSP®, then CCIE Security. As mentioned above, the most general and popular path is routing and switching (CCENT, CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE Routing and Switching).
Q: Which certification should I get?
A: That depends on 1) how many years of experience you have in networking and 2) what area you want to specialize in. Our most popular certification path is routing and switching. For this path, if you’re in high school or college, get a CCENT. If you’re just beginning your career, get a CCNA. A CCNP comes in 2-5 years into your career. If you have 5+ years of experience, get a CCIE.
We also have a certification path for seven concentrations (routing and switching, design, security, voice, wireless, service provider, and storage). So determine how many years of experience you have, where you want to concentrate, and then go to the Cisco Learning Network to choose a certification for your level of experience and concentration.
Note that if you have 5+ years of networking experience and want a CCIE, you should take the associate and professional level certifications first as good practice for the CCIE.
Q: How do I get a certification?
A: To get a certification, you have to:
1) determine which certification to get
2) study for the certification exam
3) take the exam
4) pass the exam
Determine which certification to get. If you don’t have any certification at all, then get a CCENT if you are in high school or college, or a CCNA if you are a working professional. The CCNA certification is a good “jumping off” point and a prerequisite for most associate level and professional level certifications.
If you already have a CCENT or a CCNA, it’s time to figure out where you want to move your career. Do you want to be networking generalist (go to a CCNP, then CCIE), or do you want to concentrate on an area (security, voice, wireless, etc)? Go to the Certifications section of the Cisco Learning Network for your certification options at this point.
Study for the examination. You can take a class on Cisco networking, purchase a self-study guide, or both.
As far as classes are concerned, you can take a college class in Cisco networking through the Cisco Networking Academy®. To locate a class near you, visit: http://netacad.cisco.com.
Or, you might choose to take a quick Cisco networking training course through a Cisco Learning Partner. To find a training course near you, visit: www.cisco.com/web/learning.
Finally, you can pick up a study guide and study on your own. You can find study guides for the certification exam you are taking at your college or town bookstore, or you can order Cisco Press® study guides at: www.ciscopress.com.
Take the exam. You’ll have to sign up and take the exam at a Pearson VUE Testing Center. To find a testing center near you and make an appointment to take the test, visit: www.vue.com/cisco.
Pass the exam. After taking the exam and passing, you will be certified and can then list the certification on your resume.
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Cisco 642-446: Implementing Cisco Unified Communications IP Telephony Part 1, these are some exam study guides which you will cover every field and category in CCVP helping to ready you for your successful Cisco Certification.
Cisco 642-456: Implementing Cisco Unified Communications Manager Part 2 (CIPT2 v6.0), these are some exam study guides which you will cover every field and category in CCVP helping to ready you for your success.
Q: How do I contact you?
A: The best way to contact me is to post a question or comment in the discussion section of this web page. That way, our community hears your input, and I get to answer questions that someone else may be wondering about also.