Networking Certifications

[maometh]

I've got a chance right now to go after my choice of certifications and have my employer pick up the bill. I know that experience is by far more important than certification, but the way I see it, it would be foolish to pass on any free classes.

That said, what kind of certification, if any, is best for someone who wants to focus on WAN and network theory? Should I follow the Cisco certification paths? The company I work for is in desperate need of a security specialist (even if they don't realize it yet), is there a certification or a series of classes that lay a good groundwork for that? I'm open to suggestions, I feel like if I play my cards right with these classes, I'll be able to put myself in a position to capitalize on opportunities down the road, so I don't want to squander it by making the wrong choices now...

Forgive me if this topic has been covered before, I did a search on the archives but it didn't turn up much beyond MCSE questions.

Maometh

 

[BigLance]

Im taking CISCO right now, I'm only 17 but go to College part time... All I can really say is CISCO is awesome, you really cover everything, from the basics like media and transcievers to configuring and isntalling routers and wiring closets. We learn Theory and its hands on too. I dont have anything to compare it to but I think its one of the best Certifications you can get so quickly.

 

[Mong0]

maometh:

I would second Big Lance's opinion of the Cicso Cert. Although I would try and find a place that has the Cisco Academy program and not go to a boot camp. You could get your Cisco Certified Network Admin cert and then to a short class on IPSEC and really be ahead of the game. Also, here( in Charlotte, NC) the academy is only $65 buck per semester (there is four semesters to the Cisco Acadmey) so if you find one place that tells you $850 per sem look around because there are better deals.