Finish MCSA or take CCENT Exam.

ULWiz

Well for some reason i am tossed between which exam to take. I currently only have the 291 left for my MCSA but am also extremely interested in taking my CCENT Cert. Both are of pretty equal value in my opinion but for some reason i am just not sure. I have plenty of cisco gear downstairs and have been using it for a while. I have all the study material i need from books to CBT Nuggets for both exams.

Personally i feel that i could pass the CCENT before the 291 but am just not sure at this point which exam i should go for. I have a solid month of study time and really could knock out either or in that time. Dont be funny either and tell me to do both.


Looking to hear what the fellow board members think about my current issue. Let me know which cert you guys think i should go for.


Thanks Again,
Lars

blargoe

My opinion - you should finish what you started, especially since you're so close.

Daniel333

It's win win! If you think you can handle the 70-291, do it. Best to get that MCSA on your resume asap.

But if you are hesitant, then the CCENT is the better move. It rehashes many fundamentals that you are required on the 70-291. I can honestly say the CCNA itself did more for my 70-291 than the Microsoft books.

Conepts like...
- Subnetting
- Super Netting
- Gateways
- VPN
- IP addressing
- networking equipment
- RIP/OSPF
... are all cover on the CCENT/CCNA and are also on the 70-291. There is a lot of cross over.

jbaello

If I can redo it again I would have a stronger fundamentals doing CCENT or CCNA in my opinion Windows networking becomes easier when you study it.

impelse

I know what you feel about if go to Cisco because it looks very interesting, but if you complete your MCSA with peace of mind you'll attack CCNA.

jbaello

Which one is it going to be :P

Microsoft + Cisco
Linux + Microsoft
Cisco + Linux

All of the 3 it seems employer kinda want a well rounded all around super admin nowadays...

blargoe

Daniel333 wrote:

It's win win! If you think you can handle the 70-291, do it. Best to get that MCSA on your resume asap.

But if you are hesitant, then the CCENT is the better move. It rehashes many fundamentals that you are required on the 70-291. I can honestly say the CCNA itself did more for my 70-291 than the Microsoft books.

Conepts like...
- Subnetting
- Super Netting
- Gateways
- VPN
- IP addressing
- networking equipment
- RIP/OSPF
... are all cover on the CCENT/CCNA and are also on the 70-291. There is a lot of cross over.

I will admit, the entry level Cisco stuff (plus some field experience) did help me to breeze through the networking parts of the Windows 2000 MCSE years ago.

nel

Finish MCSA then go cisco.

darkerosxx

CCENT is going to take you more than a month to study for if you want to pass, unless you've been studying for it already.

It's a different vendor and if you haven't already started on it, I'd finish the MCSA, then move to Cisco.

dynamik

darkerosxx wrote:

CCENT is going to take you more than a month to study for if you want to pass, unless you've been studying for it already.

That applies to 291 as well though.

Just go with whatever interests you. If you want a break from MS (which is nice, I did something else before hopping into 291), work on some Cisco stuff. There is a decent amount of overlap, as Daniel stated, so whichever one you go with is going to help you with the other.

You could also study for them simultaneously and take them the same day

amp2030

ULWiz wrote:

Personally i feel that i could pass the CCENT before the 291 but am just not sure at this point which exam i should go for. I have a solid month of study time and really could knock out either or in that time. Dont be funny either and tell me to do both.

As you know, I was in a similar boat. I chose to finish up MCSA, and will move on to CCENT next. I feel if you choose CCENT over 291, you're just setting yourself up for the same dilemma once you pass it: should I finish CCNA or MCSA? It feels good to be done with the MCSA, honestly, so I can focus on the next vendor for a while, so I'll recommend this path. Also, you still have some overlapping material fresh in your mind from 290 (ex: WSUS, some AD stuff) that will help you fight the beast.

kmfinegan1

amp2030 wrote:

As you know, I was in a similar boat. I chose to finish up MCSA, and will move on to CCENT next. I feel if you choose CCENT over 291, you're just setting yourself up for the same dilemma once you pass it: should I finish CCNA or MCSA?

Great point.

I have read the cisco material several times over the past 8 years, even completing the Cisco Networking Academy back in 2000. 8, almost 9 years later I have yet to take the CCNA. Mostly in part because i do not live in the cisco world day in and out. That, and I always seem to study right on the cusp on them retiring the exam I have the materials on.

You do not need Cisco knowledge to pass the 291, just basic Network technology knowledge. Trust me, M$ is NOT going to test you on IOS commands. They will rather test you on their sales pitch of why to use a Windows 2003 box over a router appliance.

If it where me, I would bang out the 291 for the MCSA, then attack Cisco head on to do the 640-802 get the CCNA in one shot and save a few bucks.

JavonR

kmfinegan1 wrote:

If it where me, I would bang out the 291 for the MCSA, then attack Cisco head on to do the 640-802 get the CCNA in one shot and save a few bucks.

They have actually changed this, it is the same cost to go the two test route. 125 for each ICND exam, or 250 for the 640-802.

kmfinegan1

JavonR wrote:

kmfinegan1 wrote:

If it where me, I would bang out the 291 for the MCSA, then attack Cisco head on to do the 640-802 get the CCNA in one shot and save a few bucks.

They have actually changed this, it is the same cost to go the two test route. 125 for each ICND exam, or 250 for the 640-802.

Goes to show how long ago I looked at the CCNA

pcfinder

OK, which is going to give you the highest completion ratio, finish the 291 exam and have your MCSA, then do not waste your time on just the CCent exam, go for the CCNA in a sweep, then go back to the MCITP Enterprize Ver.

Bob

ULWiz wrote:

Well for some reason i am tossed between which exam to take. I currently only have the 291 left for my MCSA but am also extremely interested in taking my CCENT Cert. Both are of pretty equal value in my opinion but for some reason i am just not sure. I have plenty of cisco gear downstairs and have been using it for a while. I have all the study material i need from books to CBT Nuggets for both exams.

Personally i feel that i could pass the CCENT before the 291 but am just not sure at this point which exam i should go for. I have a solid month of study time and really could knock out either or in that time. Dont be funny either and tell me to do both.


Looking to hear what the fellow board members think about my current issue. Let me know which cert you guys think i should go for.


Thanks Again,
Lars

_maurice

Cet the CCNA if you can. I found that the MCSE and MCSA assumed that you already knew how a network works.

Aside from the actual config questions, the CCNA seemed vendor independent.

mikej412

I think the MCSA on a resume is more impressive than a CCENT.

Now if you were asking about the CCNA instead of the CCENT, I'd suggest either flipping a coin, checking out your local job market and going for whichever opens the most doors, or just picking the one you like better.

Kasor

Is CCNET really need it?

Daniel333

Kasor wrote:

Is CCNET really need it?

You can skip the CCENT and go straight for the CCNA if you want. But if you don't have a strong subnetting background I wouldn't.

ULWiz

Just wanted to touch base on my thread here. I do agree that the MCSA would look better on the resume over the CCENT. Unfortunately the 291 exam is a little out of my grasp right now and would take longer to finish that the CCENT. Been using Cisco equipnment for a while and feel extremely good about the topics i saw in the objectives for this exam. I would also just love to have a cisco certification on the resume even though its only the stepping stone to the CCNA.

You can skip the CCENT and go straight for the CCNA if you want. But if you don't have a strong subnetting background I wouldn't.

Daniel thanks for the info but was already aware of this option. Unfortunately i am not ready for the CCNA exam but could pass the CCENT at this point.

So at this point i have been reading two books for the CCENT and listining to CBT Nuggets. Will keep you posted when i finally schedule my exam date.