A little problem with the new CCNP track

mfieldhouse

The new track is more focused on real world skills and routing and switching, which is good. But the new track is no doubt a lot easier than the old, with a lot less material to cover.

If an employer needs someone with knowledge of QoS for VoIP, as well as PPPoE, IPSec, Multicast and IOS firewall, then the new CCNP guys are gonna be pretty screwed. They're gonna go for the old skool CCNPs with all the required knowledge.

You might have experience of each of those areas in a real world environment. In that case, my argument is invalid.

For the guys who are on the new CCNP track and don't have experience working with each of those, I recommend picking up the ONT and ISCW certification guides and reading through them as if they were still on the exam.

tomaifauchai

You are right! The old track was more packed, but at the same time, Cisco doing his best to have his certification paths more reliable and precise about what you're really studying.

Is it missing some QoS content in the SWITCH certification? Yes i would say but at the same time QoS was already integrated into the CCIP and the CCVP so maybe it wasn't a good thing to put it elsewhere.
I won't be surprised the exam being revamped with QoS integrated a bit more since now the CCVP has been striped down from most of the content it included.

Cisco is awesome at marketing! They forced me to study both the CCNP and CCIP and probably the NP voice after them

stuh84

I do agree with this mostly. To me, the dropping of ISIS and the multicast sections for ROUTE is a shame, as both were ones I enjoyed in the BSCI.

Also, the BSCI/BCMSN/TSHOOT route that I took influenced my decision as to which exam to take first for the CCIP (QoS) as I wanted to fill gaps in my knowledge which QoS definitely was. I'm also going over some of the ISCW material in my exam studying break at the moment.

I guess the only good thing to it is it means that it means its easier to specialise. You get CCNA as the R&S cert, then CCNP as the R&S and then CCIE as the R&S. The inclusion of VPN material and the like would come under the security side of things, QoS in the IP track etc. In a sense it means you become less of a jack of all trades, you'd be someone REALLY good with routing and switching, rather than pretty good at routing and switching, with a bit of QoS here and some bits and pieces of VPNs there so you can cobble together some info, but not enough to provide the best solution.

However, I'm mostly in agreement with you, if nothing else studying for ONT would have made the QoS exam MUCH easier

QHalo

Why not just go back through those texts and learn the technologies? You may not get a cert out of it, but you'll have the knowledge.

chrisone

I like the change, i hated it at first because I had the older CCNP version (bsci , iscw, bcmsn, etc) and felt like all my hard work got flush down the toilet with the CCNP recognition. Now i dont mind it that much since i am going for other professional level certs. It makes the journey more unique and my security skills more valuable.

Not to be mean but i like that the CCNP focuses on R&S. I think it is too easy for someone to just get a CCNP and claim they have expertise in not only R&S , but in Wifi, Security, and VOIP Support as well? without obtaining another professional level cert.

In reality there is just so much to Wifi, security, VOIP that it doesnt make any sense to cover a quarter of it in a CCNP track , when you should be focusing on R&S topics.

Just my $0.02

chmorin

chrisone wrote: »

I like the change, i hated it at first because I had the older CCNP version (bsci , iscw, bcmsn, etc) and felt like all my hard work got flush down the toilet with the CCNP recognition. Now i dont mind it that much since i am going for other professional level certs. It makes the journey more unique and my security skills more valuable.

Not to be mean but i like that the CCNP focuses on R&S. I think it is too easy for someone to just get a CCNP and claim they have expertise in not only R&S , but in Wifi, Security, and VOIP Support as well? without obtaining another professional level cert.

In reality there is just so much to Wifi, security, VOIP that it doesnt make any sense to cover a quarter of it in a CCNP track , when you should be focusing on R&S topics.

Just my $0.02

I agree with this. It is not like the material, as long as it is currently supported (sorry ISIS), is not out there for you to learn. If you are passionate about the subject, the pursue the associate or professional exams/path for it. Focusing on a more concentrated subject matter for an exam gives you a specialty. Which, at the professional level, is exactly what you should go for IMO.