CCNA - Should I or shouldnt I?

[SaigonK]

been working in the field for years, but never bothered to get any certs, now that i am a Corporate Network Engineer, I thought it might be good to expand my resume a bit.

So i thought a CCNA might be a good way to get moving on it...

I currently manage all corproate wide lans in over 30 locations, vpn systems, pix firewalls, surfcontrol systems, email, dns, you name it...

Thoughts?

 

[pcthuglife]

it definitely couldnt hurt. see if you can get your company to pay for the tests

 

[Zugzwang152]

Originally posted by: SaigonK
been working in the field for years, but never bothered to get any certs, now that i am a Corporate Network Engineer, I thought it might be good to expand my resume a bit.

So i thought a CCNA might be a good way to get moving on it...

I currently manage all corproate wide lans in over 30 locations, vpn systems, pix firewalls, surfcontrol systems, email, dns, you name it...

Thoughts?

CCNA at least should be a walk in the park for you. The only consideration should be money spent vs. benefits. if you like your current job, why bother? if you're looking to move to another job elsewhere, then maybe you should think about it.

 

[spidey07]

It sure as heck won't hurt and could even help.

At review/raise time state that you worked on it on your own time to further your career and learn more.

If you've been working in networking for a few years just read the book and take the test.

 

[melthemoose]

no job is permanent, build your skill set (certs do that "publicly") and prepare yourself for the "what if..." scenario.

 

[SaigonK]

Originally posted by: pcthuglife
it definitely couldnt hurt. see if you can get your company to pay for the tests

i think I can get the company to pay for it, it's only $695 or so...cheap money really. And I think (not blowing my own horn) that i can pass without any issues.

I have been looking at other jobs, one that is only 3 miles from my home versus the 39 miles (one way) that I drive now.

 

[spidey07]

CCNA test is only like 100 bucks I thought??

 

[WiseOldDude]

In the corporate world things can change fast. You may get a new boss that believes you can't tie your shoes unless you are certified, or things may change to where you want to leave. It may be a waste of time and money, or it may save your bacon, why chance it?

 

[Sentinel]

CCNA is $125, cheap as heck compared to some other certifications. I am planning on getting my CCNA soon as well.

 

[Slvrtg277]

I let mine expire. It doesn't mean near what it used to imo. If a prospective employer doesn't want to talk to me because I don't have a cert, then I probably wouldn't be happy working for them anyway.

I think the only situation where having a cert will really help you is if you apply to work for a reseller.

 

[JackBurton]

A CCNA should be cheap and if I were you, I'd go for at least a CCNP, or go for it all with a CCIE if you want to be THE MAN.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Slvrtg277
I let mine expire. It doesn't mean near what it used to imo. If a prospective employer doesn't want to talk to me because I don't have a cert, then I probably wouldn't be happy working for them anyway.

I think the only situation where having a cert will really help you is if you apply to work for a reseller.

or getting a fat raise.

truth be told the CCNP/CCDP helped me a lot and I place little value on certs. But when I got them I got a promotion at review time.

And I believe it helped get my resume's attention as I have a new job now with more responsibility/reward.

unfortunately I didn't pass the CCIE practical lab. It was pretty rough.

 

[Slvrtg277]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Slvrtg277
I let mine expire. It doesn't mean near what it used to imo. If a prospective employer doesn't want to talk to me because I don't have a cert, then I probably wouldn't be happy working for them anyway.

I think the only situation where having a cert will really help you is if you apply to work for a reseller.

or getting a fat raise.

truth be told the CCNP/CCDP helped me a lot and I place little value on certs. But when I got them I got a promotion at review time.

And I believe it helped get my resume's attention as I have a new job now with more responsibility/reward.

unfortunately I didn't pass the CCIE practical lab. It was pretty rough.

True, in some situations. Not in mine though. It wouldn't help at all.

Congrats on the raise though!

 

[nightowl]

One of the senior engineers that I used to work with took the CCNA @ Networkers last year and had a rough time with it. It covers so many topics, which makes it hard. Granted he mainly dealt with LAN switching so the wan stuff kind was kind of stale with him. I just passed my IE written and I am taking the IE lab the end of June.

 

[surreal1221]

Is the CCNA course still only 4 semesters worth? I finish 3 semesters during high school, but be damn sure I have forgotten a majority of it since then. Wish I finished it up and tested back then. Good luck though, and yes, it is certainly worth it.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: nightowl
One of the senior engineers that I used to work with took the CCNA @ Networkers last year and had a rough time with it. It covers so many topics, which makes it hard. Granted he mainly dealt with LAN switching so the wan stuff kind was kind of stale with him. I just passed my IE written and I am taking the IE lab the end of June.

Its pretty dang hard. One needs a lab to work on and practice labs to be succesful.

The thing about the IE lab is you are asked to do things you would never, ever do in a real network.

"IGRP must have a default route, you cannot use static routes or redistrute any routes into IGRP"
that one still gets me.