ccnp or ccna security

babloosbabloos Member Posts: 5 ■□□□□□□□□□
in CCNP
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
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  • SharkDiverSharkDiver Member Posts: 844
    I did the CCNA Security last year. I read the OCG and the Exam Cram book and passed the test in 4 months. I have been working on the CCNP for almost a year. I have read about 8 different books for that.

    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.
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  • Panzer919Panzer919 Member Posts: 462
    It all depends on what you want to do. If you want to move onto the CCNP-Sec cert then go CCNA-security. If you want to go into routing and switching, go for the NP. Ultimately what will be most satisfying is doing what you want to do, not what will pay more.

    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
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  • wrwarwickwrwarwick Member Posts: 104
    I took the CCNA:Security as part of my program with WGU. I don't regret taking it, but I have noticed that it often gets overlooked with employers. When I talk to prospective employers I often get "I see you have your CCNA," but they don't really notice the Security certification unless I mention it. Some of it might be what SharkDiver said - if you are not moving into a security focused position it might not matter too much. Hell, the CCNA:Sec has a lot of VPN work on it, and my current job now involves almost all VPN work; they didn't even really care about it, just the CCNA.

    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.
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  • babloosbabloos Member Posts: 5 ■□□□□□□□□□
    thanks for reply guys

    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
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  • SharkDiverSharkDiver Member Posts: 844
    babloos wrote: »
    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.
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  • SharkDiverSharkDiver Member Posts: 844
    As wrwarwick mentioned, employers (definitely HR departments) don't really seem to understand the CCNA Security, CCNA Voice and CCNA Wireless. Some people only see that CCNA and don't get it.

    CCNA Voice may get noticed more often because of Cisco VoIP phone systems.
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  • wrwarwickwrwarwick Member Posts: 104
    SharkDiver is partial to Chris Bryant, I have used Jeremy Cioara's CBTs for all my Cisco studies. I guess I should try Bryant's out to get another voice on the subject matter. I personally love Jeremy's teaching style.

    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)
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  • SharkDiverSharkDiver Member Posts: 844
    wrwarwick,
    No, not a pens fan. Actually, never watched a hockey game.

    I'm more of a computer nerd. Go figure!
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  • wrwarwickwrwarwick Member Posts: 104
    SharkDiver wrote: »
    wrwarwick,
    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...
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  • Ryan82Ryan82 Member Posts: 428
    I'm partial to Chris Bryant as well. He seems to provide more thorough coverage than Jeremy does, but I will admit that he is not as engaging.

    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.
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