ccnp or ccna security
hi guys,iam planning to take my ccna exam soon.thinking to go further. my aim is to complete CCIE :P
need some help should i take take up ccnp or ccna security after completing ccna. i have lot of time can spend around 10 hours per day on studying and lab pratice.iam thinking to go with ccnp full time at the same time will cover some basic ccna security topics.once ccnp is done will think about doing ccna/ccnp security together.before that i plan to get some JOB (HOPEFULLY)after my ccnp.
already have this books,
FLG for route
implementing cisco ios network security by catherine paquet
have done order for network warrior (new version)
is there any other book i should get,i need this books for in depth study more then passing ccnp exam. it should later be helpful in
CCIE,also i need some suggestion on switch and TS study guides
need some help should i take take up ccnp or ccna security after completing ccna. i have lot of time can spend around 10 hours per day on studying and lab pratice.iam thinking to go with ccnp full time at the same time will cover some basic ccna security topics.once ccnp is done will think about doing ccna/ccnp security together.before that i plan to get some JOB (HOPEFULLY)after my ccnp.
already have this books,
FLG for route
implementing cisco ios network security by catherine paquet
have done order for network warrior (new version)
is there any other book i should get,i need this books for in depth study more then passing ccnp exam. it should later be helpful in
CCIE,also i need some suggestion on switch and TS study guides
Comments
So, the first question - how soon do you want to add another cert to your resume? If you are not concerned with that, then go CCNP. If your resume needs something else soon, then go CCNA Security.
The second question is - how interested in the security stuff are you? If things like hashing algorithms, encryption and IPSec interest you, then you may get alot out of the Security. You could also do the CompTIA Security+ as a lead-in to the CCNA Security, as I did. I actually knew quite a bit about encryption and MD5 before I started the CCNA Sec.
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, where do you see your career going? If network security is something you want to do, then the choice is obvious. But, it also depends on your field. I work for an telephone company/ISP. Out of the thousands of jobs I see posted for my company each year, almost none are looking for someone with CCNA Security. ALL of the jobs above "technician" level are looking for CCNP. Based on that, I wish someone would have given me this advice a year and a half ago, and I may have skipped the CCNA Security and gone straight to CCNP.
Whatever you decide, Good Luck, and I hope this helps you in some way.
For me I know voice pays more but I really have no desire to fight with call manager and unity. I love routing and switching, that's why it is the direction I have taken and I am happy with it.
just my 2 cents
I think “very senior” gets stuck in there because the last six yahoos that applied for the position couldn’t tell a packet from a Snickers bar.
Luck is where opportunity and proper planning meet
I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
Thomas A. Edison
In my opinion, the best CCNA cert to get is probably the CCNA:Voice. At least in Atlanta, there are tons of jobs that want voice experience, and the CCNA: Voice would be a good starting point for those.
Just my 2 cents.
iam more interested in routing and switching then security was thinking about security for real world scenario then adding certificate i thought having some basics knowledge about security would help me while working in a company.i will stick with ccnp.
also i need some suggestion for ccnp study guide,already have FLG for route and will through CBT Nuggets
As always, I will suggest Chris Bryant.
CCNP SWITCH ROUTE TSHOOT Certification Exam DVD Study Guides CBT
I have used his training for almost every cert I have.
CCNA Voice may get noticed more often because of Cisco VoIP phone systems.
Maybe it's because these CCNA certifcations are so new; I really am not sure why they don't carry as much weight as the CCNA. I guess if you need to be specialized in that field they expect a CCNP: Security, Voice, etc. And yes, VoIP is HUGE.
SharkDiver - I see you are from Pittsburgh... Pens fan? GO PENGUINS! (Sorry to derail the thread lol)
No, not a pens fan. Actually, never watched a hockey game.
I'm more of a computer nerd. Go figure!
You can still be a nerd and a sports fan! But studying is taking up more and more of my time...
I would recommend the CCNA Security regardless of your future plans. There is a lot of great material in that curriculum that I would venture to guess most network guys encounter in their day to day. Things such as port security, IPSec VPN's, and ACL's for example are involved in my daily work even though I am not a security guy per se.
I will agree that no one has ever contacted me because I have CCNA Security on my resume, but you don't necessarily have to take the exam.