Will a CCNA get me a job or what?

I am about to get the Security+ but I am thinking about going strait to the CCNA next. Will that land me a job in tech or what?

Find more posts tagged with

Save $250 on 2025 certification boot camps from Infosec!

Book now with code EOY2025

Button

Comments

joshuamurphy75

I think it all depends on where you are looking. I started getting job offers after the CCNA, but most were far from home, and not really enough money to be worth moving. I didn't start getting good offers until I had 10 certifications. I'm guessing part of that was my lack of experience and no degree. I am working as a tech now, and I love it, but I was hired as a customer service rep before studying any of those certs, and my position evolved to be more and more technical until the promotion. If you enjoy it, go for it. Learn as much as you can, and something will open up. The CCNA is a lot cheaper than university degrees.

Ismaeljrp

boxerboy1168 wrote: »

I am about to get the Security+ but I am thinking about going strait to the CCNA next. Will that land me a job in tech or what?

No it won't.

Only you and circumstance will land you a job. Good combo of experience/skill/personality/education/training will improve your odds though. IT certs help validate skills.

scaredoftests

Experience as well.....

labscloud

The CCNA is one very legit certification though, will it get you the job alone, no. What it will do is give you the opportunity to sell yourself. If you have several years experience and a CCNA, you can definitely secure yourself a nice job. I'm preparing for mine now and I'm prepared to move to a new location.

Queue

I'm beginning to realize the issue I personally experience with certifications.

-If you don't use it, you'll lose it.

I had my CCNA for almost a year before I was internally promoted to a networking position, after being with the organization for 3 years. I have had to review quite a bit and there is still stuff I come across where I go "I've seen this before, but can't remember." This is definitely happening right now with my Linux certification.

The easiest way, and I may be biased as it's what I've done, to get a job in tech is to start from the bottom and work your way up.
1. So you must find an organization with a large department with upward opportunity.
2. Start at the ground level and treat everyday like it's an interview, always go above and beyond. (Ground level= workstation deployment, Layer 1 cabling, imaging, etc.) Really things an A+/N+ expose you to.
3. Continue to improve your education, drop hints to superiors you're achieving things.
4. Network socially with people in the organization, never give people a reason to think you're lazy or not interested in IT. Be a rockstar!
5. After networking socially let it be know you're willing to volunteer or help other departments anyway you can.
6. Ask about promotion opportunities once all the above is accomplished, could be 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, it's hard to say.

CryptoQue

Becoming CCNA certified will not get you your dream IT job, but it does make you more marketable. You will need to have some type of experience if you're trying to become a network engineer, specialist, or technician. The only jobs that allow for a CCNA without experience are entry level positions. Some questions to think about: Do you have any IT experience? If not, what type of IT job are you aspiring to land? What certification path best fits your career goals (i.e. CCNA-->CCNP-->CCIE, CCNA-->SEC+-->CISSP, etc.)? Overall, I believe that in technical IT roles (technician, specialist, engineer, architect) a degree and certifications hold the same weight. However, when it comes to IT management, a degree will always hold more weight than a certification. For example, most CIOs do not hold a technical certification because their job is more focused on the strategy of meeting business needs with technology versus knowing how to operate the technology. It's not a bad thing to be a triple threat in the IT field: Degree(s), professional experience, and technical/non-technical certifications. Hope my input shines light on your question. Good luck!

alan2308

As others have said, no cert will get you a job on it's own. Having the CCNA, however, did get me a number of interviews that I probably would not have gotten when I was looking to break into the field. After that, it's all up to your knowledge and how well you interview.

boxerboy1168

The interview is the easiest part.

liqsh0t

My two cents are to keep applying to low level jobs. I doubt any company will hire someone that has a CCNA but no experience into a Network Engineer/analyst position. Jump into a helpdesk or NOC job and put the time in to learn ground up. Trust me in saying that it will help your overall career.

scaredoftests

boxerboy1168 wrote: »

The interview is the easiest part.

Hmmm..sometimes. Or maybe 'waiting is the hardest part'. Hey that could be a song.:D

Mr.Robot255

i'm in same boat i cant even get a interview yet. Im hoping to the CCNA at least gets me noticed in CV submission stage. I'm actually in process of sending out speculative CVs with a cover letter attached saying i will even do voluntary role for a set period of time (days etc) if they wil give me the opportunity to get some experience to put on my CV

its not easy

Sweece

Only YOU will get YOU a job.

Don't rely on your fancy certs and neatly trimmed Resume to get you a job. Sure, they will probably get you an interview, but if you're technical knowledge is lacking and your personality is just sucky, you'll never be hired. Think of certs as a way into the door, but make sure you really know what you're talking about and have GREAT interpersonal skills.

datacomboss

I have a Master's degree and many technical and management certs and I've seen people rise to the same level (IT Director) as me without either. It's about networking and knowing your stuff.

jac621

The CCNA, combined with a little networking, can get you an IT job with minimal or no previous experience. I know this because that's what happened to me.

I was unsatisfied with my construction project management job and jaded by the construction industry in general. I spoke with my friend who is a platform engineer for a major banking corporation about this and he said I should give IT a try. He then handed my Odom's ICND 1 book - I studied that for about 2 months, passed the exam, immediately registered for the ICND 2, and passed that 2 months later, making me a CCNA.

About a month after I got my CCNA I got recruited by an IT staffing company for a tier 2 NOC position at UPMC, the biggest healthcare system in the state of PA. This is where the networking comes into play, because it was my same friend who handed me the ICND 1 book that recommended me for the position to the IT staffing company. I went into the interview and explained how I was making a career switch, so I had no experience but I did study and pass the CCNA on my own in a 4 month span. They literally hired me the next day, which is not typical for an 80,000 employee company.

I never even applied for a job or submitted a resume to anyone and I still got hired in an IT job with no IT experience. If anyone tells you Cisco certs are worthless without experience or a waste of time, they simply do not know what they are talking about. If you work hard enough and you want it bad enough you will get an IT job with a CCNA.

BrandonT2610

personally i think it depends on your market, efforts, and how you sell yourself. In the last 8 months i have gone from a cable puller, to a midnight shift data center tech, to now a day shift data center engineer. I have been willing to take the night shift, take the contracts, do the dirty work, and have advanced pretty well. I'm even having people call me for jr net eng positions now. With that being said, i have to get this ccna done to be taken more seriously. i feel its the last thing holding me back from where i want to be.

My father started as a cable puller, had a company give him a chance, worked hard, and is now the Sr. manager of networking for a major stock broker. He has no certs at all as far as i know.

All in all, there's many ways to skin a cat. Get the certs, take what you can get, and get after it.

mbarrett

Depending on where you are in you career, CCNA can show initiative and that you have a basic understanding of things - these days, CCNA is a more advanced test but that's the perception in most places. It's probably not enough to get a job, though, You need to show some real-world background in most cases, as well.