Dilemma, go for CCNP?

wallpaper_01

Hi all, just looking for some advice.

I just got a new job Support Engineer for a small ISP, my role will be firstly 1st/2nd line support then moving onto 3rd line, network planning. I have not started there yet, but as far as im aware they do not use Cisco hardware.

I have a CCNA, I wanted to start CCNP, would this be worth doing still, even though they will not have Cisco hardware? I already have a lab at home and would add to this. With CCNA I learnt a ton about networking and obviously using IOS.

Thanks!

tl;dr: Is it ok to do CCNP working as a network engineer when not with Cisco hardware? (mikrotik)

gorebrush

Yep, go ahead!

OSPF is still OSPF for example so you would not be wasting your time. Think of it as a gig that'll help you get a Cisco one.

wallpaper_01

Thanks, thats what I was thinking. My CCNA got me this job based on what I knew of networking from learning it. I have a pretty decent home lab and would take my time with it. Is it fine to buy the books or should I wait until after the refresh do you think?

gorebrush

Well if you buy the books now, you'll probably end up buying the new ones as well?

Personally I'd say there's plenty online you can use to read up for the time being, though I am a CCIE candidate so I do a fair amount of reading anyways - Cisco DocCD is where its all at

wallpaper_01

Yeah cool, will just save the money. Nice one thanks!

her.yang

It depends on which vendor you're working with. Most of them have CLIs that are very similar to the Cisco IOS. For example, I've worked with Brocade equipment in the past and going from Cisco to Brocade is pretty easy. If you're working with Juniper on the other hand, I would recommend at least getting their entry-level certification since the CLI is very different. However, in the end, networking is networking and Cisco does a great job of teaching it.