CCNP here, currently studying for the CCIE written. The CCNP isn't 'easy' as Spidey calls it, or else everybody and their brother would have it, just like the CCNA. 7-10 years ago however I think that the exams were much easier - maybe thats when you took them Spidey? I even remember a post by you stating how surprised you were at the difficulty of the BCMSN while recerting or something like that. The material is a lot more demanding now and covers a wide range of subjects in some depth. I think the CCNP is certainly worth some respect, (go figure coming from me!) but isn't anywhere near the gold standard that the CCIE is.
The CCIE is going to be hugely advantageous if you are interested in pre-sales engineering or consulting. Not only is it very helpful in recruiting business, but re-sellers partner status with Cisco is directly affected by how many certified engineers they employ and in what areas of specialization. Therefore you're much more likely to get a high-paying job in that field with a current CCIE.
Originally posted by: Pheran
Perhaps the Pittsburgh area doesn't qualify for your "middle cost of living" requirement, but I'm extremely skeptical that I would be able to get a job in that salary range around here if I had a CCIE.
I live in an area that probably counts as "upper middle" cost of living, and I think there are very few people who make that kind of money based on a certification alone. The people who do earn that much are very well connected, have been around a long time, and often have diverse skill-sets besides just routing and switching.
Another bonus to having that cert is job security. Maybe 'income' security is a better way to put it - its hard to know if the firm that's offering you $100k is going to be around in a year in this economy, and knowing that you can land on your feet if you get laid off is a big thing right now. I know that I'm personally hesitating on making any such moves until I've completed the CCIE, unless something comes along that I really can't refuse.
The lab exam is famous precisely because it is so difficult. There was an article being passed around citing a statistic that it has a lower success rate than both the CPA and California bar exam. Also to put that further into perspective, keep in mind that everyone who takes the lab has already passed the written, many of them come up with the $1000 plus airfare themselves, and many of them have taken it before. A lot of people prepare with extensive home lab setups, and others will lease time on others' remote setups. I know a guy who runs such a setup, and while it isn't cheap, can be a lot less expensive than purchasing the gear yourself depending on how foreign some of the configurations are to you. If you need a year to practice configuring routing protocols over NBMA, then it will probably be cheaper to buy your own gear. It just depends on you.
The thing to keep in mind is that they don't just hand these out - passing the lab is serious business and to start weighing whether or not you'll be interested in it while you're still learning the OSI model is very premature. It's like a biology student wondering if being a cardiologist is *really* the right career choice for him. I don't mean to discourage you, and it's definitely good to start thinking about it early, but you may find in a couple of years that you aren't even doing networking for a living. It happens all the time.
