I passed CCNA on April 22 what next

I passed CCNA (640-801) on April 22. Now I am Cisco Certified Network Associate.
I want to ask experts here what should I do next. I means what is hot in the job market CCNP or CCDP.

Last year I have completed my A+ Net+ and MCSE 2003. please advice what next Cisco Certification will help me get good job and salary.

Thank you webmaster for all help.

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Ricka182

I believe the only thing that will get a good job with a good salary is experience. Having a ton of certs without realworld practical hands-on is worthless.

keenon

go get a job

yang11

you already got lots of certs.

yes, to be a big network admin. CCIE + MCSE2003 is better.

orissa

yang11 wrote:

you already got lots of certs.

yes, to be a big network admin. CCIE + MCSE2003 is better.

how many exam in CCIE. Could you pls let me know the exam number and title.

Thank you

shadown7

I believe CCIE is one written test and one hands on lab. But, I think you have to have your CCNP before you can go for it.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/learning/le3/ccie/

sunny_evander

shadown7 wrote:

I believe CCIE is one written test and one hands on lab. But, I think you have to have your CCNP before you can go for it.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/learning/le3/ccie/

For giving a CCIE even CCNA is not is not required. Anyone can sit for CCIE exam. The exam is whole day long, costs around US$1200 and anything a router or switch can do may be asked..... i mean anything... as per definition CCIE(Expert

)

Routing and Switching Exam

General routing concepts, such as the OSI model, internetworking devices, and routing protocol characteristics
Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and wireless LANs
Transparent bridging, VLANs, and VLAN trunking
Frame Relay, ATM, and SONET/SDH
RIP, IGRP, and EIGRP
OSPF and IS-IS
BGP, route reflectors, and confederations
Queuing, MPLS, CAR, and traffic shaping
IP multicast, IP precedence, and multiservice networks
Firewalls, encryption, and other security topics

johnnynodough

I gotta agree with the get a job opinion.

Be humble, you have to start somewhere. All of my pretty certifications dont mean squat compared to experience. I have been in the IT field for 10 years and I am still underpayed and not where I want to be, even with my "all mighty" MCSE. Thats why for starters I wil never to a Microsoft test again in my life.

Fu Loser

If your deciding between CCNP and CCDP you might as well do both. CCNP and CCDP test overlap eachother. Pass the ARCH test and you will have both completed.

You do need to have your CCDA before you can complete CCDP.

I would get your CCNP first, then go for CCDA and then CCDP. Also consider CCIP which is close to CCNP but on the service provider side.

YOu can also start looking for entry level jobs. People are right inless you have a CCIE and or CCNP/CCIP/CCDP it will be hard to find a job.

Once you have your foot in the door every year of experience you obtain more and more doors keep opening for you.

If you look at most help wanted ads almost all companies seeem to want a miracle worker with 10yrs exp in about 30 different fields.

To offset this start applying at big companies like ATT or SBC, they will like you because of the career path you are taking and larger companies will train you anyways versus smaller companies who cannot afford to train they just want someone who knows everything.

Keep studying and working hard. You can count your school as experience. This is what i hear from most people.

Good luck!

keenon

johnnynodough wrote:

I gotta agree with the get a job opinion.

Be humble, you have to start somewhere. All of my pretty certifications dont mean squat compared to experience. I have been in the IT field for 10 years and I am still underpayed and not where I want to be, even with my "all mighty" MCSE. Thats why for starters I wil never to a Microsoft test again in my life.

THATS THE MAIN REASON I SAID IT! START WORKING!!!!

your wasting too much time thinking on what cert to get next instead of using it to get a job.. isn't this why we all study, commit time to learn this stuff and spend money to have practical experience when we have none.

its good to have your next step planned on the cert path but GET A JOB and make it work so you can get the experience ALONG WITH A PAY CHECK

Undertow

I think that you are wrong....

Many employers only want the employee to have the cert.
They don't really care about experience..
Take as many certs you can , that's the point.

keenon

Undertow wrote:

I think that you are wrong....

Many employers only want the employee to have the cert.
They don't really care about experience..
Take as many certs you can , that's the point.

i have gotten way more jobs without a cert than with a cert .. but for employers where a cert is a requirement then its important or good to have.. but for those that have been in the industry a while (more than 3 years) will know it better than a beginner

Undertow

ok your majesty

TeKniques

Keenon is right. Sometimes it's not what you know it's what you can do that counts.

I agree with the others, get a job and build experience while obtaining your certs, it makes you a lot more marketable.

orissa

You do need to have your CCDA before you can complete CCDP.

I would get your CCNP first, then go for CCDA and then CCDP. Also consider CCIP which is close to CCNP but on the service provider side.

YOu can also start looking for entry level jobs. People are right inless you have a CCIE and or CCNP/CCIP/CCDP it will be hard to find a job.

Freind. Thank you very much for your valubale time and information. Could you let me know what are the exam I have to take for CCNP. How many exam there to get certified as CCNP. Yes I am currently working Jr.Network Admin in a small company since 3 year now. And I am getting salary 30k per year. But some of my friend 55k and 70k. That is the reason I am upto all new certification of CISCO.

Thank you again.

orissa

Fu Loser wrote:

If your deciding between CCNP and CCDP you might as well do both. CCNP and CCDP test overlap eachother. Pass the ARCH test and you will have both completed.

You do need to have your CCDA before you can complete CCDP.

I would get your CCNP first, then go for CCDA and then CCDP. Also consider CCIP which is close to CCNP but on the service provider side.

YOu can also start looking for entry level jobs. People are right inless you have a CCIE and or CCNP/CCIP/CCDP it will be hard to find a job.

Once you have your foot in the door every year of experience you obtain more and more doors keep opening for you.

Freind. Thank you very much for your valubale time and information. Could you let me know what are the exam I have to take for CCNP. How many exam there to get certified as CCNP. Yes I am currently working Jr.Network Admin in a small company since 3 year now. And I am getting salary 30k per year. But some of my friend 55k and 70k. That is the reason I am upto all new certification of CISCO.

Thank you again.

If you look at most help wanted ads almost all companies seeem to want a miracle worker with 10yrs exp in about 30 different fields.

To offset this start applying at big companies like ATT or SBC, they will like you because of the career path you are taking and larger companies will train you anyways versus smaller companies who cannot afford to train they just want someone who knows everything.

Keep studying and working hard. You can count your school as experience. This is what i hear from most people.

Good luck!

reloaded

Keenon is right. Sometimes it's not what you know it's what you can do that counts.

I agree with the others, get a job and build experience while obtaining your certs, it makes you a lot more marketable.

I definately agree. The more experience you have, along with education if possible, and certs make a ton of difference. Personally, I feel through certs and self study, I have brought myself to the next level in job performance and technical knowledge. You can't help what the market wants though...almost every IT job I see that I could do asks for some type of experience, so it's prolly best to have a combo of all.

johnnynodough

Its pretty simple. If you have no experience, you start at the bottom rung, no matter how many certifications you have. There are a few exceptions, being at the right place at the right time (rarely happens anymore), flat lucking out (again, rarity), or knowing someone and getting in on that. 7 years ago, having your certs could get you pretty far alone, but since the IT field has become so volital, courtesy of the .com burst, you are competing for jobs with guys that have experience, and some certs as well. The IT field is so saturated with certifed techs that dont know squat, that most employers are looking for experience for any job that requires said certified knowledge.

Thats why I said be humble in your career oportunities in the beginning, you may land a job doing grunt work like installing computers, or board swapping. But you get your foot in the door, demonstrate you abilities and work ethic, and you move up from there. This is 10 years of being in the IT field talking, I am not green to this career. It sucks to be IT. honestly, I hate the market now. Ive considered changing careers many times, but I am so dang vested in this path I dont want to waste 10 years or experience and four years of college. So I stick around. Im hoping that Cisco certs will help make me more marketable.

Keep on your certifications, but spend more time looking for a job. Dont worry, being in the IT field you have to constantly retest and go for new certifications. So if your goal is to be a lifelong student, dont worry, you will in the IT field. Might as well get payed at the same time.

mctoffer

get the job and the same time get the cert....