CCDA or Security+ next ?

lordy

Dear all,

after finishing my recent SUN Solaris exams I'm looking for the next cert to tackle.

After looking at the different exams I narrowed it down to be either CCDA or Security+.

Given that I have some Cisco experience (including CCNA) and some security experience (mainly setting up Firewalls/VPNs) what exam would you recommend ? What exam do you feel is easier to pass ?

Best regards,
Lordy

Webmaster

The CCDA is a tad harder than the Security+ exam imo. Having a CCNA makes CCDA more doable, but it is very different from most other Cisco exams. Security+ is not a typical CompTIA exam either, but it covers mostly basic concepts. The material itself might be a bit easier to grasp (depending a lot on your experience and current knowledge of course), but the exam itself is pretty tough because of the ambigious, bad worded, and flat out incorrect questions. It became fairly popular since its introduction and the knowledge you can gain from studying for it is valuable whether you'll be working in the sys admin, networking, or security field. CCDA covers a lot of (networking) concepts too, but is fairly deep and wide. If you plan to go for your CCNP, CCDA will be an extra good primer in addition to your CCNA. And once you're CCNA, CCDA, and CCNP, your only one exam away from the CCDP cert. The solid foundation in network technologies and network design you can gain from studying for the CCDA will make the Security+ a bit easier, which is not the case vice versa.

You should of course go for the one you plan to use in your carreer, but even though I feel the Security+ exam itself lacks some quality, the material itself should be mandatory for any IT pro.

lordy

Thanks for commenting on this, Johan.

I think I will go for Sec+ first, as I already have a Cisco cert (CCNA) and Sec+ seems more fun

Regards,
Lordy

darkuser

well, what are you more inclined to do next ?
network design ? or network security ?