Close to completing my CCNA....

Hey everyone and while I'm sure that this particular type of question is probably irriting to some extent I have to ask.

I have been a Comcast Comm Tech for 2 years now, I am what they call a CT4 which means I work on resi/commercial subscribers.... yada yada yada.... Here's my question.

An instructor who trained me put the idea into my head a while back to get my CCNA because that would be the likely future direction of the industry. So I have been working on it without really thinking about the direction I would take after it. Now I will likely start the CCNA:Sec almost immediately after but Im curious.

Would my current position count as industry experience? Unfortunately for myself I'm in the precarious position of not having a degree but from everything Ive read over the past 5 months degrees are silver and experience is gold.

Just in your opinion will my two years of technical experience, plus the ccna provide me any sort of chance at making headway into this industry? Or will it not really do much for me, what does everyone think?

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Comments

TechGuru80

A lot of the entry level jobs are tech/help desk type jobs but it depends on what you specifically do day-to-day for it to count or not. Many companies will not consider you without a college degree but that does not mean all. If you are young...get the degree ASAP. I know people close to the retiring generation and they are starting to feel the hurt...younger generations are going to be further scrutinized about having or not having a degree. Without a degree you do have an eventual ceiling lower than with a degree and do you really want to take a chance on being passed up for jobs?

The above advice assumes you are younger around your 20s...if you are 40s it can be a way different discussion. All in all certifications give you the actual skills to complete tasks...especially Cisco exams...but some education is better than none. That is how the world works and will continue to progress with trying to hire candidates with the best skills and most potential.

Rusty_York

First off thank you I appreciate the advice.

Which type of degree would I go for to best get a job in this field? Would I want to go to a technical college or a normal institution/ Community college? Unfortunately my transcripts are less than outstanding if you catch my drift there....

I'm 25, I probably sound awfully naive but no one in my family has gone to college so it was never really a point of emphasis for me.

Wolvendeer

Rusty_York wrote: »

Which type of degree would I go for to best get a job in this field? Would I want to go to a technical college or a normal institution/ Community college? Unfortunately my transcripts are less than outstanding if you catch my drift there....

Most job postings that I see in the IT industry (US) these days have wording similar to "B.S. degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, or a related field". Any IT degree would do you well if you are only using it to get past the applicant tracking systems filtering out people who don't have a degree. What I would recommend is getting a degree that will help you out in the field you're looking to get into. If you want to get into networking, see if any local colleges have any degrees with networking emphasis (especially ones that will let you get hands on experience). Otherwise, if you're in the US, WGU has some networking related degrees as well, and it's online. The IT Security degree includes both the CCNA and CCNA:S as part of its curriculum, so if you have one or more of those, you will be able to exempt the classes that require those tests as the final exam.

--chris--

Rusty_York wrote: »

First off thank you I appreciate the advice.

Which type of degree would I go for to best get a job in this field? Would I want to go to a technical college or a normal institution/ Community college? Unfortunately my transcripts are less than outstanding if you catch my drift there....

I'm 25, I probably sound awfully naive but no one in my family has gone to college so it was never really a point of emphasis for me.

With the CCNA under your belt, you would be a good candidate for WGU. Someone else would need to step in as I have only read a little on it, but I believe a CCNA would get you "in" plus take care of a class or two. If you are not familiar with WGU's model, research it. Its a very popular option for a tech degree and very affordable and accredited.

Now back to the original question, do you need a degree? I cant say with certainty... but it wont hurt and I think you would be pretty proud to claim #1 in your family with a BS!

Its a gamble, it will cost you money up front. But if this field is what you really want to do, then its almost a sure thing.