Getting a job with CCENTs

mitchellislearning

Hey all ive been reading through some posts here and was wondering if i could get a job with a CCENT? i would like to do it one test at a time and gain some exp before going for my full ccnas.

networker050184

Getting a job would have a lot more to do with your experience and people skills rather than the CCENT. A lot of people still don't even know what the CCENT is.

Paul Boz

I'd say that the CCENT isn't really enough to get a decent job. I had trouble finding a job just with my CCNA. I didn't start getting real job offers until I finished the CCNP.

mitchellislearning

well im not expecting a 40k job. i just would like to know if i could get any kind of job in the networking field. hell id settle for a geek squad job

networker050184

You wouldn't need any kind of networking certifications for a job like geek squad.

jbaello

Credentials are just papers, you need to supplement it with expertise...

mitchellislearning

this is off subject but i dont want to have to start a new thread. Should i be hitting the books hard every day or is it ok to take weekends off or maybe just do casual reading some days?

Essendon

Depends on how quickly you want the cert. Study more, get it quicker, simlpe. But dont burn yourself out.

Pace yourself by let's say, doing a lesson and a few practice questions in a single sitting. Labbing it up is the real way to go, you work with real gear, just like you would in a company. Gives you a more at-home feeling when you get a job and your surrounded by hissing switches and routers!

BTW, I took 6 months for my CCNA studying for a couple of hours each weekday and revising what I studied during the week.

Lab, lab, lab. Cant say enough about the benefits of a real lab!

Jammywanks

Paul Boz wrote:

I'd say that the CCENT isn't really enough to get a decent job. I had trouble finding a job just with my CCNA. I didn't start getting real job offers until I finished the CCNP.

AMEN. The job market is competitive as hell right now. I don't even know if most employers even recognize the CCENT at a time like this.

jbaello

I would go for CCNP if you want to succeed in the network field, not that I am expert with networking, but my last company requires this...

mamono

CCNP seems to be the route that everyone points toward unless you have CCNA with impressive background and experience.

nicklauscombs

MobilOne wrote:

But dont burn yourself out.

This is great advice, hitting the books hard everyday is great if you can, however the material will still take plenty of time and reading the material over and over to really sink in, don't get discouraged the CCNA is no small task.

mike3

That's for sure!

Tech109

I would expect that if you are interviewing for a job, you are going to have to back up your certification, whether it's CCENT, CCNA, with some real-world experience, otherwise the interviewer will be able to tell that you don't know your stuff.

I've had interviews like this before, where I wasn't able to BS my way through anything - of course at "lower" levels of tech work, such as help desk, it is usually okay to have more training than experience, because turnover is so high, and they need to hire a bunch of people at once, etc.

Darthn3ss

mamono wrote:

CCNP seems to be the route that everyone points toward unless you have CCNA with impressive background and experience.

... wouldn't it be somewhat smart to get some actual experience before going on to CCNP?

shednik

Darthn3ss wrote:

mamono wrote:

CCNP seems to be the route that everyone points toward unless you have CCNA with impressive background and experience.

... wouldn't it be somewhat smart to get some actual experience before going on to CCNP?

Yes to put it simply...If I wasn't working with cisco gear now I wouldn't even think of working on my NP. You can learn the material and continue your studies but real world experience has helped my understanding so much more then in a lab. There's nothing wrong with being a lab rat as well though

127.0.0.1

I would have to agree with shednik. Hands on experience is very important in order to move on from CCNA to CCNP! You must be familiar with the Cisco Routers/Switches and programming the IOS commands, with real equipment, not just simulators. If you can, you should try to find a job after your CCNA. Once you've started that job and you get enough experience, start working on your CCNP. I would also recommend getting your CCNA first and then searching for a job, most companies don't even know what a CCENT is, and a CCENT won't really have all the job skills that a company would be looking for.

ITdude

MobilOne wrote:

Labbing it up is the real way to go, you work with real gear, just like you would in a company. Gives you a more at-home feeling when you get a job and your surrounded by hissing switches and routers!

I'll second that. It gives you that warm fuzzy feeling all over!:)

Wow, I just noticed my post number. Scary.

Daniel333

CCENT isn't gonna help you find a job. Most places consider the full CCNA the requirement for entry level.

Essendon

ITdude wrote:

MobilOne wrote:

Labbing it up is the real way to go, you work with real gear, just like you would in a company. Gives you a more at-home feeling when you get a job and your surrounded by hissing switches and routers!

I'll second that. It gives you that warm fuzzy feeling all over!:)

Wow, I just noticed my post number. Scary.

666...!!

The number 666 is cool. Made famous by the Book of Revelation (Chapter 13, verse 18

Is it called the devil's number or something?

mamono

mamono wrote:
CCNP seems to be the route that everyone points toward unless you have CCNA with impressive background and experience.

Darthn3ss wrote:
... wouldn't it be somewhat smart to get some actual experience before going on to CCNP?

I meant what most network engineering positions are listing as prerequisites here in LA. Difficult to get anything specifically Network related on CCNA unless with extensive experience that is on par with CCNP as a bare minimum. I should have been more clear.

Paul Boz

You don't have to have real-world experience to get a CCNP, it just helps. You can spend about a grand on a home lab that is suitable enough to get you through the CCIE lab and is more than enough to get your hands on. The only hands on experience that a rack can't give you is bosses / co workers sucking and a bad pay check

A lot of people go from their CCNA to their CCNP while doing entry level work. These people generally don't get to get to get their hands on the hardware or into the IOS in their entry level work and work up to the CCNP in their spare time to show they have the capabilities to move up in the company and get access to the equipment. I've had friends who are brilliant engineers who earned their CCNP while doing internet tech support or NOC work (I got my CCNP while working in a NOC). Guess how much actual work in routers you have to do in a service provider network? If your answer is between "none" and "hardly any" you're right.

Besides, the CCNP is so deep in technology that it's almost impossible to assume someone will have used all of the technologies in a production network. More often than not the CCNP represents a deep interest and knowledge of networking technologies and a proficiency with sourcing answers. A CCNP should be able to answer most questions but should be able to quickly find answers elsewhere if they're not known. CCNP to me just means "resourceful."

Experience is valuable but actually knowing the material is too. Plenty of people are capable engineers that are very good and experienced at doing things the wrong way. A lot of employers are starting to hire newly certified people so that they can mold them however they wish, rather than picking up people with hardened skillsets.

Getting a job isn't all about experience and what you know. Most of it is how you present yourself and how you present what you know. If you're confident and you are knowledgeable to back it up you can get hired with minimal experience. Experience is a state of mind anyway. Until someone does something they're inexperienced at it. Everyone starts at "no experience." You have to show potential employers that you may be inexperienced on paper but that you're more than experienced with finding answers quickly. That's what it's all about, after all.

ITdude

Paul Boz wrote:

CCNP to me just means "resourceful."

Everyone starts at "no experience." You have to show potential employers that you may be inexperienced on paper but that you're more than experienced with finding answers quickly. That's what it's all about, after all.

CCIE=Very resourceful!

A friend of mine who is a double CCIE, always tells me that there is no way he can remember/know everything, but he sures knows where to look to find it!