Lexluethar wrote: » I would avoid AWS simply because it pigeon holes you to do a specific thing. I would also avoid vmware networking as there are not a lot of companies using nsx. CCNA imo would be a solid start for networking. It's widely known and respected and should help you land a job at any cisco shop. There is juniper but the majority of companies right now are cisco. Vmware is a close second buy not every company uses vmware for virtualization. Do what interests you the most, but for a pure market play to get into IT CCNA will give you a better chance. Not because of the certification but because more companies are cisco compared to juniper. I think vmware is still the market majority but not by much. Oh and to be vmware certified you have to take a $3,000 class.