CCNA vs Network+ for beginner

Hello Everyone!

I have almost no networking knowledge at all and I am thinking about Networking as a career. So in the summer this year I plan to tackle atleast one IT related certificate, probably Networking related. I am a total beginner so which one would you recommend to me: the CCNA or Network+

As far as my research and knowledge, which are both limited, the CCNA and Network+ have their advantages which I will list out:

The CCNA is more prestigious and reputable with 'seriousness' in it.
CCNA covers 3 times more than what Network+ does and the CCNA also covers 75% of Network+ knowledge.
Network+ is vendor neutral while the CCNA is more towards Cisco.
Network+ is more beginner friendly.

Maybe there are more advantages but I cant remember them.

So can you please suggest which one to go for?

Thank You

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Comments

Non-Profit Techie

I would go for the Net+. I havent done CCNA but i would image you would need to know the basics and the basic terminology before you want to get that into subnetting ext...

BookFella

Since you're new to the networking field, I suggest you work on Network+ since It shows you the concepts and fundamentals of networking. CCNA is more of a intermidiate certification; It's possible for a beginner to obtain it but with Network+ under your belt you'll have a much better understanding of it.

shednik

Hello,

Being that you said you have zero networking experience my recommendation would be to go for Network+, this will gve you a good foundation for CCNA. The INTRO of CCNA and Network+ do overlap, and the knowledge can help you understand the topics much better. I would recommend starting with Network+ as it is a good way to get our feet wet in networking...hope this helps!

Paul Boz

I don't agree. If you get a good book and read it slowly you can get the CCNA material and learn a whole lot more. It'll take you a lot longer but it's not about how long it takes you, it's about how quality your cert is.

boyles23

For a complete beginner, I would recommend the Net+ first and then the CCNA. I am working on my CCNA now and it is harder than the Net+ material. Net+ is kind of a stepping stone to familiarize you with networking since you have no real experience.

james_

Speaking from experience, running with the Net+ first gave me a good introduction into the CCNA.

candycorn

any good Net+ training materials you guys can recommend?

Pash

Network + gives you a good understanding of the networking basics, and id say more useful for learning about things like cabling, connectors etc. Ultimately I would say it depends on your learning style also, if you wan't to know the very basics before moving on then N+ certantly wont hurt and will cost next to nothing to study for. If you grasp the basics quickly just go for the CCNA, because although it moves through the content quickly, it covers a little of everything.

boyles23

I used the Mike Meyers All in One book, practice tests from the book, this site and mcmcse.com. It isn't really to difficult and I have noticed it will introduce you to topics you will cover in your Intro studies.

kafifi13

You could seriously just read networking for dummies in a week and then start on the CCNA.

dynamik

It's also worth noting that the Network+ is a lifetime cert while the CCNA will expire in 3 years. If you're not planning on actually using the CCNA for awhile, you might want to wait a bit.

As mentioned earlier Network+ requires next to nothing for learning materials while the CCNA will ideally use a home lab or, at the very minimum, some kind of software simulation.

Daniel333

I just did my Net+ and I'd say skip to CCNA. So much trivia in the Net+, and it's not very valuable to employeers. Just do a search at hotjobs.

CCNA is just as easy to learn, actually in many ways easier as it's focused on just a few areas. Compared to Net+ which is boucing off the walls between Novell, Linux, Apple and Windows.

I'd focus on CCNA and the move on to Linux+ or MSCA. Although A+ and Net+ help you earn your MSCA.

Let us know what you decide?

milliamp

Seriously, what is it exactly that the CCNA has to offer a beginner?

It is a vendor specific certification to configure Cisco routers (and falls short of even that).

Even the Network+ reads more like a history lesson in technologies like Token Ring, NetBUI, IPX/SPX, and cable types.

Honestly, the I-Net+ is really the most correct answer to the question "What is a good place to start for a "total beginner"?

If the question was "What certification is most recognizable on my resume?" then I'd say there are no prerequisites to sit the CCIE.

if you can't do things like build a simple web page, troubleshoot a connection problem with tools like ping and traceroute, understand what an MX record is used for, troubleshoot an email clients connection to a pop server by checking to see if you can telnet into the it, know the difference between java and javascript, or what a DHCP server does, then you really have no business bothering to memorize how to set up authentication on a VTP domain or the maximum cable length of ThickNet in feet (1640).

Take for example a user mentions that homepage.com is loading slowly, and you perform a traceroute to the website from his PC and see.

Tracing route to homepage.com [204.74.99.100]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  192.168.1.1
  2    12 ms     8 ms    14 ms  4.2.1.1
  3    10 ms    14 ms    14 ms  4.8.60.129
  4     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  5    26 ms    26 ms    25 ms  9.30.22.97
  6    27 ms    39 ms    32 ms  9.23.16.105
  7    31 ms    31 ms    33 ms  2.23.20.111
  8    29 ms    30 ms    33 ms  2.23.20.12
  9    36 ms    35 ms    35 ms  12.2.20.134
 10     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 11     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 12     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 13     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 14     *     ^C

Based on that information, as the Sr. Network Engineer on staff what does that traceroute mean? And what might be your next steps to troubleshoot the problem?

I see problems like this all the time escalated to me from Junior technicians. Some of them are like "time outs on hop 4 causing latency" and the ones that can subnet and want to impress people with it are like "Customer IP address on upper /24 of the /23, please ensure host after 12.2.20.134 is accepting route as /23 and not /24"

Both of these technicians spent too much time showing off their l33t networking sk1llz to bother to learn how to read a simple traceroute. Since the transit traffic after 4 seems fine, that is unlikely a problem (does not reply because of policy) and since the user mentioned that the page was loading slowly (he didn't say not at all) then all the time outs at the end are likely also not the problem.

Obviously if you complete CCNA and Network+ you are going to learn some things, but the I-Net+ is really a better start for a "total beginner" and will give you a foundation to build on.

Some of you people have probably called tech support for your ISP and said "wow, this guy is a freakin idiot!"

I have seen things from the other side of the fence and I can tell you there is probably a CCNA book on that guy/girls desk.

Start at the beginning, then go the middle. You will be better for it in the long run.

Rearden

If you think you pick up I-Net+ fast, you might want to consider studying for, but not sitting the exam. It is $225, after all.

Dingdongbubble

Well all of you have given me your suggestions and i am still undecided. I read on cisco.com that a 13 year old did a CCNA. Maybe I should read a book like Neting for Dummies on my own to get the bare basics of Neting and then study for the CCNa at a proper institute. I want to get a proper neting cert in the summers this year as I will be toooo busy next year and I want to get as much technical knowledge and experience as possible before I go to University. I am most probably not looking for a job for the time being unless some part time summer job pops up. Secondly I might be able to work at my dad's office and do some basic networking for experience. But I dont think he will not like the idea as he thinks that I mess up just about everything on computers.

I downloaded the CCNa Cisco Neting Academy material and started the first module and got through it at a snails pace. I think if I join a proper institute, i will be able to pick up much more quickly. I just dont want to waste my time at an institute learning for a low end certificate which I can not bring into practical use and practice for experience while still at school. I dont want to waste my summer holidays doin this and then realizing that most of the N+ stuff is too low end and I cant 'practice' it. Whereas I have a feeling that with the CCNa I will have lots to practice over the year until the next summer. The CCNA is more prestigious and mainstream. This might help in my dad considering me to Net at his office. I might also get a low end router for my birthday to practice. My path to more certs will be more open.

I can according to the institute get a CCNA in 2-3 months including an online exam. If I fail, I can start my own self study over the year and give another exam when I am ready or at the beginning of the next summer. Then I can go for a higher certificate.

A person replied to me that I should go for a CCNA as he himself went thru the N+ route and he thinks its a mistake. That peron has gone thru comptia and must know about it.

I am waiting for more replies. Thank You

kafifi13

If your going to school next year try contacting your university and ask if they have a telecommunications department. If they do see if they have jobs as for student works. that's a great foot in the door and will get you the experiance you need. That's the reason why i didn't need the Net + and went straight to CCNA.

sthomas

It depends on what you want to do in IT. If you want to configure Network devices then going for CCNA would benefit you greatly. If you want to be a Server Admin then CCNA may not help a lot in getting those kinds of jobs. Be warned however that if you have little or no experience in IT it will be difficult to find a job where you get to configure Cisco equipment. Most employers won't want someone who has never done that before on a live network to configure there routers and switches.

I took the classes for CCNA but I never sat for the exam. I did take the Network+ however, and it has helped me throughout my career. I would recommend taking the Net+ now and doing CCNA later when you get some experience. Most people start out doing Tech Support so getting a Microsoft cert would be more helpful in getting your first IT job than a CCNA would in my opinion. You would learn more by taking CCNA though but you have to renew it every 3 years and Network+ is for life. Anyway, good luck on whatever you decide to do.