New to CCVP, looking for some advice

binarysoul

I'm looking for some advice about getting my CCVP.

How releavent is the material in real-world and production envrionments? Are there any pre-requistes such as CCNA. Second, can I pass the exam without setting up a lab. Given that this is a Cisco certification, is the knowledge transferable to other VoIP standards. How would you rate the exam/material complexity?

Finally, show me the money Is it high in demand?

dtlokee

The CCNA is a prerequsite to earning a CCVP, but you don't need it to begin your studies. Most of the protocols and technologies will apply to any VoIP system, but there is a lot of information that is specific to Cisco. Like most things Cisco has their own way of doing things, sometimes because they developed protocols and applications before there was a standard.

I don't know that it is very practical to study for the exams without access to some type of lab. You don't need the latest and greatest but you will need access to some equipment. If you don't want to put one together, you should consider renting rack time, many CCIE voice rack vendors are available. I prefer having the equipment available when I want it, so I think it's worth the investment to pick up some equipment, even if you resell it when you're done.

As far as the money goes, it's good. Obviously a salary will be dependant on the cert, but more importantly the experience. VoIP is hot, in my area there are many job openings for voice professionals, but not everyone is looking for Cisco so try to learn how other vendors do the same things.

I would say the QoS exam was the most difficult Cisco exam I have taken (aside from the R&S lab). I didn't find the other exams to be too difficult, but there are a lot of new terms and telecom theory in there that can take some time getting down.