Should I go for a CCNA?

Hi All,

I am trying to improve my resume/experience in order to obtain a higher salary.

I have been working for a school district as an IS Specialist in charge of about 50 servers for 2 years. Prior to this I worked as a product support specialist for a small software company for 5 years.

During the last year I have been pursuing the MCSE track and am nearing completion. My current thoughts are that I should next pursue a CCNA; afterwhich I would seek greater compensation.

I should mention that in my current job I have little to no contact with the switches and routers (this may change as I start along the CCNA track).

So, what does everyone think? Am I on the right track? Should I be looking at something else?

Thanks,

Michael

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Comments

Pash

az_golfer wrote:

Hi All,

I am trying to improve my resume/experience in order to obtain a higher salary.

I have been working for a school district as an IS Specialist in charge of about 50 servers for 2 years. Prior to this I worked as a product support specialist for a small software company for 5 years.

During the last year I have been pursuing the MCSE track and am nearing completion. My current thoughts are that I should next pursue a CCNA; afterwhich I would seek greater compensation.

I should mention that in my current job I have little to no contact with the switches and routers (this may change as I start along the CCNA track).

So, what does everyone think? Am I on the right track? Should I be looking at something else?

Thanks,

Michael

If your nearing completetion on your MCSE you already have a good grasp of networking fundamentals. CCNA will take you into the world of cisco devices and specific commands. If you wanna increase your salary maybe swing to security??? CCNA won't increase your sallary by itself, but it will help you do a broad range of things with Cisco devices

Daniel333

az_golfer,

If you are about to complete your MCSE then you already have a good grasp of many of the networking concepts. You should be able, with labs, to get your CCNA done in no time. 3 months maybe without sacrificing too much.

No, CCNA won't increase your salary itself, but it's a great starting point to add more responsibility at your current job which builds experience, which will in turn increase your marketability. MCSE and CCNA look great on a resume.

It sounds like you are a talented guy. Think a little bigger, if you can get your MCSE then you should certainly be thinking about CCNP or maybe CCDA.

sthomas

I think you should go for the CCNA like the others have said. I also think it could help in a salary increase but it really depends on your employer. I would recommend finishing your MCSE first though since you are close.

Mrock4

Finish your MCSE, get CCNA. Although you're definitely more of a server-oriented person, the CCNA is great for getting at least some basis of knowledge, so if you do need to take care of an issue with a router or switch, you can. It will help you become more of a well-rounded IT specialist.

az_golfer

Thanks for the feedback. CCNA here we come.