Specialist Degrees

Hello!

I saw that for ASA specialist I have to pass two exams: VPN & FIREWALL. I want to know if I need to complete all the CCNP exams to receive the ASA Specialist certification or just passing those two exams will be enough.

Tks

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Comments

Master Of Puppets

Correct. In order to be certified as ASA Specialist you only need FIREWALL and VPN. To become CCNP Security certified you need all 4 exams.

SharkDiver

So, Master, you already have the ASA Specialist then?
What does that give you? Do you get some kind of Certificate?
Thanks.

RouteMyPacket

I have a lot of specialist certs (i'm awesome, I know). Yes, they send you a paper certification just like any other certification.

SharkDiver

I guess I was thinking that the Specialist Certs were over and above CCIE. I didn't realize that I was that close to one.
Thanks.

BTW...Shouldn't your cert be CCWKIA and not CCWNIA?

Master Of Puppets

I don't think there are a lot of people who care about these certs. Unless you get the full NP in whatever, I doubt much use could be pulled out of them.

RouteMyPacket

SharkDiver wrote: »

I guess I was thinking that the Specialist Certs were over and above CCIE. I didn't realize that I was that close to one.
Thanks.

BTW...Shouldn't your cert be CCWKIA and not CCWNIA?

No, CCWNIA is more abstract..i'm artist for #@#!% sake.

SharkDiver

No, but at least it's something.
Sometimes it's just nice to be able to show some forward progress. (i.e. Annual Performance Review)

wintermute000

Master Of Puppets wrote: »

I don't think there are a lot of people who care about these certs. Unless you get the full NP in whatever, I doubt much use could be pulled out of them.

Awareness yes but I am of the impression that nexus and/or UCS specialist certs are in high demand since those skills are relatively rare.
as a CCNP Sec I can only laugh at people who list their CCNP Sec followed by all the sub-specialist certs (ASA specialist, VPN specialist, etc.) encompassed

RouteMyPacket

wintermute000 wrote: »

Awareness yes but I am of the impression that nexus and/or UCS specialist certs are in high demand since those skills are relatively rare.
as a CCNP Sec I can only laugh at people who list their CCNP Sec followed by all the sub-specialist certs (ASA specialist, VPN specialist, etc.) encompassed

+1 and I feel the same way about people who put "CCIE Written". lol

theodoxa

1. To show you are making progress towards a CCNP
2. If you work with only a subset of the technologies covered by the CCNP. For example, I work primarily with Firewalls and VPN. I would think that having an ASA Specialist cert could be useful even before finishing the full CCNP.

Of course, once you have the full CCNP...there is no reason to list the specialist certs. I drop lower certs (CCENT when I earned my CCNA, CCNA once I get my CCNP, etc...) from my Resume.

geek4god

I would not drop CCNA from your resume when you get CCNP. Resumes are frequently scanned for keywords and CCNA is more likely to be a keyword then CCNP. In general HR departments are the gatekeepers and frequently they will not know cert progressions. So they probably have no clue that you have to have a CCNA to get CCNP. Obviously that "should" change when you get past HR, but your first goal in a job hunt is to clear HR.