A+,N+; any (resume) value to them if I have CCNA?

CoolAsAFan · July 2013

Hey guys, sorry if this is in the wrong place, please move it as needed.

I will be getting the CCNA sometime soon, and plan on hopefully entering the job market directly after. I will have an A.S. CINS, S+, P+, CCNA-Sec, and some CIWs, as well as pursuing the B.S. IT-Sec at WGU at that time.

Would there be any value (career/resume wise) in getting A+ and/or N+ before I start looking for my first IT job?

I hope to skip helpdesk and get an entry-level networking job/ paid internship. The reason I want to get a job before I graduate is to hopefully gain some work experience in the industry to increase chances of better job once I earn the B.S.

Any and all opinions are much appreciated! Thanks guys!

theodoxa · August 2013

A+ might help you get a job, though probably not what you're looking for. I've landed 1099 work (POS and Workstation Deployments, OS Migrations, Hardware/Software Upgrades, Router/Switch Installation with no configuration, etc...) with my A+ and MCP/MCTS. As for Net+...I just don't see any value in it. I would have taken it when they were still giving lifetime certs, but it was too expensive for what little I thought it added.

MeatCatalogue · August 2013

I keep A+, N+ and CCNA on my resume. However, my CCNA is expired, not that i've ever seen an employer care about that. I don't devote a lot of space on my resume to A+ and net+ (no logos or anything) but certs are like college degrees. It shows that you commit to things and carry them out.

For example, I know several guys who had their company pay for 5 day training for CCNA then never sat for the exam. Sad. I'd never hire someone if they told me such a story. Plus if you started with A+ you may be interpreted as "This guy likes IT, wanted more, and expected more of himself. That shows good character."

CoolAsAFan · August 2013

Thanks for the replies guys!

I wanted to get A+ while at WGU, but apparently they said a class I took at local CC transferred in to meet the requirement and wouldn't allow me to not transfer it in so the cert would be included in my degree. I have to get it on my own dime now (which I'm currently only working with pennies :P), which is what brings up this thread.

I was also curious about N+ as I would imagine employers would see CCNA on my resume and would hopefully think that this would meet the requirement of N+ if it was needed to get that interview/job.

I suppose what I'm really trying to figure out, has anyone seen/heard of entry-level networking jobs requiring to have A+ and/or N+ just to get the interview or job, even though I will have CCNA? If so, then obviously I need to get them before I enter the job market.

One more question if I may, what "job titles" should I be searching for an entry-level network gig? I usually use keywords such as network admin/engineer, NOC, or just simply network. Are their any other keywords to use when searching for an entry-level networking job that might help me in my quest?

Thanks everyone!

NetworkVeteran · August 2013

I was also curious about N+ as I would imagine employers would see CCNA on my resume and would hopefully think that this would meet the requirement of N+ if it was needed to get that interview/job.

Unless you seek government work--which are sometimes keen on checkboxes and low on practicality--a CCNA should exceed the expectations of those seeking a Network+. A job requiring only a Network+ is likely not networking-focused.

DoubleNNs · August 2013

CoolAsAFan wrote: »

I wanted to get A+ while at WGU, but apparently they said a class I took at local CC transferred in to meet the requirement and wouldn't allow me to not transfer it in so the cert would be included in my degree. I have to get it on my own dime now

Skip it.

Not only will getting the A+ cost money, and you say money is tight now, but it'd also waste time if you're trying to skip help desk/desktop support,
I'd say go thru the professormessor.com videos once (VLC player allows you to accelerate the playback speed) or get your hands on the A+ Exam Cram or Passport and devote a week(end) thru skimming the material. Make sure you know enough to perform on the job, but go towards higher level stuff that's more aligned w/ your goals.

Edit - when looking for an entry networking job also try keywords such as "Junior" "Entry" "Cisco" "CCENT" "CCNA" "Network Operations" "Network Support" - at least those are what I've been using.

CoolAsAFan · August 2013

Awesome replies guys, this has helped me a ton! I'm just going to go ahead and skip the A+ and N+ as I already have the knowledge contained within but just not the official cert and it sounds like I don't need them on my resume for what positions I am looking for. Thank you!

@DoubleNNs - I took a class for my A.S. that covered everything in A+, they just did not provide a voucher like WGU and I didn't really have the money to actually get the cert. I just didn't know if it was actually worth it to sit the exam to put on my resume. And thank you very much for some more keywords to add to my list!

A+,N+; any (resume) value to them if I have CCNA?

Comments