CCDA before CCDP, why?

mzinz

I'm studying for my CCNP now.

After I finish, I'm debating whether I should take the CCDA or jump straight to the CCDP.

Will I be able to pass ARCH without prior CCDA studies?

networker050184

You have to have the CCDA to get the CCDP.

CCDP - Career Certifications & Paths - Cisco Systems

dynamik

You wouldn't get the certification without the DA, so I'm not sure what the advantage of doing things backwards like that would be.

Edit: Blast!

Forsaken_GA

to, answer your questions, yes. The CCDA is very basic.

but as others have said, Cisco will have their pound of flesh

ColbyG

IMO, focus on one step at a time. If you're just starting the CCNP, don't worry too much about the DA or DP, you never know what might change by the time you finish the NP.

Forsaken_GA

studying in tandem for the CCDA and CCNP, particularly the switching topics, isn't a bad idea, since there's so much overlap.

the bottom line is that you're going to have to take the CCDA one way or another, unless you feel like giving cisco money for the privilege of taking ARCH and not being able to get anything out of it. the CCDA should be trivial for anyone with a CCNP. ARCH does cover a few new things, but it's not so expansively beyond the CCNP material that you'll need to invest a very large amount of time in it. Basically, the CCNP tells you how to do stuff, the CCD(x) attempts to tell you why (while at the same time doing some cheerleading for Cisco solutions).

The hardest part of dealing with ARCH for me was keeping the damn security suite software straight in my head since I don't actually use it. I remember studying a **** sheet of what each software's full name was, it's acronym, and what it's function was before I went into the exam so I wouldn't get tripped up on any of it, and I'll be damned if I can remember any of it now

Paul Boz

CCDA is a joke. Study for the CCDP then read the CCDA book and you can take it in a few days of prep.