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Hello Spiceheads,

Like the title of the discussion says: Do you think that CCNA would be good for me?

Let me explain my current panorama. I am 28 years old, been in IT for around 7 years now. Went from Help Desk to System Admin to IT Director but unfortunately the organization I worked for was sell to another and things changed, so in their IT department I was a Network Specialist for a year and then I decided to move . Now I’m a Network and Security Administrator which I really love and I’m looking to dive deeper into the InfoSec field.

I have trained for the CCNA before when it was the 2 exams. I even got the CCENT but never did the ICND2 for the complete CCNA. Now I am reconsidering if I should go for the CCNA. I have already worked with Cisco equipment, even Dell, HP, Aruba, Brocade, Ruckus, etc in the networking area.

Like I said, at this time, I’m looking to go more in the Cyber Security area but I also like networking a lot.

In your opinion, do you think that it would make sense to get the CCNA and then go for security certs? I know that certs only validates that you have passed the exam and that you should posses the knowledge. I believe in certs and they have help my career tremendously.

I appreciate every single opinion. Thanks!

8 Spice ups
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You may look into this one: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/courses/cissp-boot-camp/

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unless your primary role is dealing with Cisco CLI on a near daily basis I would pass. CCNA is a use it or forget it type of skill and is specific to Cisco at least in terms of the CLI portions of the course work.

There are other ways to learn the networking portions of the test without spending the money that cisco will want from you.

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unless your primary role is dealing with Cisco CLI on a near daily basis I would pass.  CCNA is a use it or forget it type of skill and is specific to Cisco at least in terms of the CLI portions of the course work.

I don’t entirely agree with that. Whilst the CCNA does teach Cisco config, the majority of the learning is based on open source protocols. So when Cisco teach you about OSI, or TCP or how a frame or pcket is created and what the headers are, or basic routing and switching and then on to EIGRP or OSPF or BGP or MPLS or DOT1Q or DOT1X or Trunks Etherchannel or Spanning-Tree or… well I could go on and on. Once you know the principles behind any of these protocols or proceses, because they are open source the knowledge is transferable. For example, I have configured OSPF on quite a few vendor products becasue I know how OSPF works, thanks to my Cisco training. In my current role I have beem tasked with some Juniper work for the same reason. As a Cisco trained network engineer my CLI skills and knowledge lend themselves to the Juniper CLI and configuration thereof and I can incorporate Juniper devices into a primarilly Cisco network.

All that said, if it’s security that is of interest then look to that side of the industry. There’s a LOT more to network security than just firewalls and non-vendor specific style of certs are, in my opinion, an advantage in this particular field :wink:

Two final thoughts. First, like it or not (and lots don’t) Cisco certs are the de facto qualifications that recruiters and managers look for in a Network Engineer. Yes if there are Juniper networks out there they might ask for Juniper certs but they don’t have the depth or penetration of Cisco certs.

Second, as with any question like this, it’s always bettter to have and not need than need and not have.

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Mark, while you are spot on that, apart from Cisco specific commands, the Cisco CCNA curriculum includes lots of networking material that is both fundamental and useful regardless of the vendor you end up using in the end, I think Molan’s point is that if he already has the skillset then the certification is insignificant unless he will work in a relevant role.

@mark6030

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my point is that you can also acquire those generic (non Cisco specific) skills without the time or money commitment that the CCNA requires if you don’t need the cisco specific parts of the certificate.

CCNA is a big commitment in time and money. So the OP will want to be sure its a good fit for themselves before committing.

.A lot of what is in the CCNA is “use it or lose it” type skills and if one isn’t using them routinely they will have a tendency to slip from memory causing one to need to look them up when needed at which point what value does the cert carry other than bragging rights? you are really no more skilled than someone without the cert at that point despite the time and money spent.

The OP mentions wanting to learn infoSec. Having a solid base of networking skills would be very helpful (but probably not directly required) for an InfoSec career. The OP could focus on InfoSec specific training and probably pick up the needed Network related skills in doing so without taking CCNA

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I agree with you both, but when a recruiter asks for a current CCNA as a pre-requisitie of progressing to a phone interview, cost or not, experience or not, it’s better to have it. There is no opportunity to demonstrate ones experience if the blocker to the interview is not having a valid cert. As an investment in ones self for future career prospects, a couple of hundred bucks (or so) is a wise investment and there is nothing wrong with having an industry wide recognised validation of a skill set. Think of the cert as the equivalent to a driving license rather than a barrier to getting “behind the wheel”.

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I really enjoy your driver’s license analogy! I’ve never thought of it that way before.

@mark6030

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Cram and take the CCNA. It is the gold standard for measuring basic network level knowledge and capability. I rarely recruit anyone wihtout this unless they are way past that level.

Also what Cisco teaches is fundamental basics. whilst some commands will vary (and most vendors are cisco like), if you know how to do it on cisco all you need to is work out the equivalent command.

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I’m in a similar boat to you. I’m 25 and have completed my ICND1 (CCENT) but never got my full CCNA. My understanding and viewpoint on the CCNA certification is that it shows employers that you understand networking fundamentals and that you are competent with troubleshooting and with how a network works. While a CCNA qualification might not take you straight into a network engineering role, it definitely opens up the door and will land anyone a job who has that certification. I would say do it, if you’re on the fence. I know I plan to finish it at some point when I ain’t being so lazy.

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