Which Cisco certification route to choose

[ben dover]

Hi Guys,

Looking at getting into Cisco certifications.

Which route would you guys, who have done certifications, recommend I point my focus?

I'm hearing that CCNP is the broadest certification but what is the demand for CCNP Voice or CCSP?

Any opinions are welcome, thanks in advance...

 

[ponder]

Pick the rarest ones.

 

[roadcat]

Depends on what you are good at, and the reason for wanting the cert

My opinion, the professional certs (NP, DP, SP etc) are good only for increasing your knowledge and credibility. Current market conditions are for Mobility (Wireless) and Networking (Data Centre, Core).
Voice is down at the moment so wouldn't go for that. SP is a small market and requires experience.

Start with CCNA, CCNP and then specialise (Expert or Specialist certs) or gain experience.
Experience is everything in this market.

 

[Napalm2880]

Hi Guys,

Looking at getting into Cisco certifications.

Which route would you guys, who have done certifications, recommend I point my focus?

I'm hearing that CCNP is the broadest certification but what is the demand for CCNP Voice or CCSP?

Any opinions are welcome, thanks in advance...

I would say that the demand for CCNP is the highest and you would be more likely to find a job with this. If you are interested in becoming a Network Admin, Network Architect etc, this would be the way to go. Word of advice if you're coming straight from varsity/highschool - most small to medium size SA companies use cheaper networking equuipment such as 3Com/HP and you might find yourself as an admin with Cisco skills and no Cisco equipment

CCNP Voice is specialized and mostly only the big Telcos will have a need to hire you. This being said, I work for a small company in Cape Town doing Unified Communications and CCNP Voice is a huge +. Another thing to consider is the course material for CCNP Voice is far more difficult. You also will need to follow the new path, which is CCNA -> CCNA Voice -> CCNP Voice.

I always wanted to go the CCSP route but I've found that you usually need to combine this with +-5 years experience in the IT security field in order to get a job.

Hope this helps?

 

[syntax]

It would have been awesome if you had said:

I have messed around with a pix and ASA and really seem to enjoy security / firewalling. Is Cisco the way to go or are there other certs I should look at (or something similar along these lines)

What you are asking is for us to tell you what you want. If you find something you enjoy, you are more likely to be good at it, and therefore more likely to get paid better. Doing something because you think thats where the demand or money is will get you into trouble. The honest truth, there is almost no demand for any of those certs without experience. Its a crap catch 22, but thats life.

If you are a killer networking guru, you will find there is demand for you, and not the qualification.

 

[ben dover]

Well thanks guys, appreciate the advice.
I currently run my own networking/support company (1 man show) in JHB and enjoying it, but can't help think of the eventuality of having to step up and get a REAL job, if you know what I mean...

Having dealt with Home/SMB/Basic Server networking, I'm looking at going a little more advanced and need a nudge in the right direction.

Knowing guys that have ploughed into Cisco certifications, only to never have used them really does warrant a good search before I decide.

Also never having worked on Cisco products, my quest for knowledge seems to point me in this direction.

Thanks for the advice, anyone else who might want to add their 2c would be greatly appreciated.