CCNA: Security done.. Now what?

stevi3

Hi all,

I recently passed the CCNA: Security and was just wondering, what shall I do next.. I know there is Wireless and Voice too (dont seem to use much in my working field). Then there is CCNP or take on Microsoft (not litterally hah!)

Just thinking in terms of work progression really. I do get hands on work with both Switches and servers, but not as much in terms of routers (yet). Although, im sure I can move up the ladder.

ehnde

I'm taking CCNA:Security in December and asking myself the same question. In my case it'll probably be a Juniper cert because it's most relevant to my job. What certification could you work on that is most relevant to YOUR job? That would be your best answer (assuming you like your work).

L@mS

stevi3 wrote: »

Hi all,

I recently passed the CCNA: Security and was just wondering, what shall I do next.. I know there is Wireless and Voice too (dont seem to use much in my working field). Then there is CCNP or take on Microsoft (not litterally hah!)

Just thinking in terms of work progression really. I do get hands on work with both Switches and servers, but not as much in terms of routers (yet). Although, im sure I can move up the ladder.

Congrats on the pass . I am sitting the ccna sec in 2 weeks, any last minute advice (without braking NDA).....

I think that to get the most out of a cert its not just whether it relates to your work but also if you enjoy studying for it aswell, after i pass the ccna sec I will be aiming for the C|EH and then decide which real networking / security track to head down, be it CCNP or other EC council exams as this is what interests me the most but also what I deal with on a weekly basis.

Version4

Congrats on the pass!!

You need to ask yourself what you want to do with your career. Do you want to be a jack of all trades or do you want to specialize? What are your likes, what are your dislikes? You say that you have on the job hands on with switches and servers, but not very much with routers. Which piece of hardware do you like better, or do you like them at all? If you like switching, consider asking for more responsibility so that you can interact with routing as well. This should give you a good idea on whether you like the route/switch path. If you do, I say go for the CCNP.

There was also mention of interaction with servers, do you like that? If so you might want to pursue Microsoft certs. Consider virtualization as well. Unless you are specifically involved with Wireless and Voice, I wouldn't go for the CCNA:Voice or CCNA:Wireless. Why? Well, they are entry level certs just like your CCNA and CCNA:Security. Of course, if you like Wireless and Voice, there is nothing wrong with furthering your education on those topics.

However, from a purely career-based standpoint, adding more entry level certifications to your resume won't garner to a potential employer that you are anything more than entry level. Pick a path and go with it, which will show potential employers that you are focused. I am in the same situation as you, I recently passed the CCNA and I am now focusing a little bit on security. My interests are purely educational because I genuinely enjoy learning about security and have always wanted to poke at it. I'll be adding Security+, and like you, the CCNA: Security. Once that is finished though, I plan to take aim at the CCNP.

My path is networking. I see myself as a Network Engineer one day and I see the CCNP as helping me achieve that goal.

ipSpace

Version4 wrote: »

Congrats on the pass!!

You need to ask yourself what you want to do with your career. Do you want to be a jack of all trades or do you want to specialize? What are your likes, what are your dislikes? You say that you have on the job hands on with switches and servers, but not very much with routers. Which piece of hardware do you like better, or do you like them at all? If you like switching, consider asking for more responsibility so that you can interact with routing as well. This should give you a good idea on whether you like the route/switch path. If you do, I say go for the CCNP.

There was also mention of interaction with servers, do you like that? If so you might want to pursue Microsoft certs. Consider virtualization as well. Unless you are specifically involved with Wireless and Voice, I wouldn't go for the CCNA:Voice or CCNA:Wireless. Why? Well, they are entry level certs just like your CCNA and CCNA:Security. Of course, if you like Wireless and Voice, there is nothing wrong with furthering your education on those topics.

However, from a purely career-based standpoint, adding more entry level certifications to your resume won't garner to a potential employer that you are anything more than entry level. Pick a path and go with it, which will show potential employers that you are focused. I am in the same situation as you, I recently passed the CCNA and I am now focusing a little bit on security. My interests are purely educational because I genuinely enjoy learning about security and have always wanted to poke at it. I'll be adding Security+, and like you, the CCNA: Security. Once that is finished though, I plan to take aim at the CCNP.

My path is networking. I see myself as a Network Engineer one day and I see the CCNP as helping me achieve that goal.

It really depends. Are you employed ? Are you looking to get employed ?

I see you also have Security+ so my guess is that you like security.

You can try maybe a CCNP: Security ?

SharkDiver

My path took me from CCNA to CCNA Voice to CCNA Security to CCNP.
Going this route, has opened up more possibilities going forward. I can go for the CCNP Voice or the CCNP Security or the CCIE without having to backtrack to CCNA certs first.

Something to thing about is re-certification. If you have the CCNA Voice and CCNA Security, you can take CCNP Voice and CCNP Security exams to re-certify your CCNP while moving forward.

Long story short, I believe that CCNA Voice is a prerequisite for CCNP Voice and CCNA Security is a prerequisite for CCNP Security.

alan2308

Congrats on the pass!