Cisco CCNA – Best entry level IT certification to launch your career
Certifications add more credibility to your resume and can make you more marketable to recruiters and managers for recruiting. They’re a perfect way to stand out from other applicants at the entry stage.
As you progress in your career, to continue your professional growth, you’ll want to consider more advanced certifications. You will know by then what specialties to concentrate on and what talents you need for your ideal career path.
Networking means building connections in ever new ways and in ever more reliable ways and repairing those links when something goes wrong. Networking certifications is not easy, which is why it has importance.
Here we will discuss about one of the most popular and globally accepted IT certification named CCNA. Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) is an associate level certification of Cisco that will prepare candidates for today’s job roles.
There is no formal prerequisite for CCNA certification exam. Through the CCNA certification, you can build your networking fundamentals strong. This certification validates the network basics, network access, IP connectivity, IP utilities, security fundamentals, and automation and programmability skills and knowledge.
Skills you will get through CCNA
Cisco CCNA provides broad range of skills and knowledge required for all IT careers. When you complete this certification you will be able to how to install, operate, configure, and verify basic IPv4 and IPv6 networks. This is very important skills required to setup basic and medium level networks in an organization.
In addition, this certification course will teach you how to configure network components such as switches, routers and wireless LAN controllers. You will also learn how to manage network devices and how to identify basic network security threats.
And finally, you will get basic concepts of network programmability, automation and SDN (software defined networking).
All these skills you can get through hands-on experience and deep theory concepts. CCNA certification training makes sure you will get in-depth concepts of network fundamentals that can prepare you for current job roles.
How to become CCNA certified?
To become a certified CCNA, you need to pass one exam named – 200-301 CCNA.
This is 20 minutes exam that will test your skills in network fundamentals, IP connectivity, network access, internet protocol (IP) services, security basics, automation and programmability.
Eligibility for CCNA certification
CCNA certification course is designed for anyone willing to do this certification. Any entry level network engineer, network administrator, network support technician, help desk technician can do CCNA certification.
Support technicians who are involved in basic network configuration, operation and verification of Cisco networks can do this certification also.
How CCNA certification gives you much more
- You can launch your career in IT industry with CCNA certification
- Provides knowledge and skills in network fundamentals, security, automation, and programmability
- It boost your confidence
- Marketability
- Thrill of accomplishment
- Digital badge to share in all social media and resumes to tell the world what you have achieved
Conclusion
The IT industry needs all kind of resources, in all kind of roles. Only condition is that you should have related skills and knowledge. CCNA certification provides you the all required networking fundamental skills you need to build IT infrastructure to get best job in industry.
CCNA Certification: A Foundation That Networking Career Build Upon
CCNA certification is known as associate level of Cisco certification from where your networking career will start. It opens the door of your successful networking career, so it is called a foundation level of pillar on which you can build your successful networking career.
CCNA certification will give associate level knowledge of installation, operations and troubleshoot of enterprise network.
There are different certification courses in associate level:
- CCNA Cloud
- CCNA Routing and Switching
- CCNA Security
- CCNA Collaboration
- CCNA Wireless
- CCNA Data Center
- CCNA Service Provider
Basically CCNA Routing and Switching (CCNA R&S) certification is the associate level of certification from where you can start your successful networking career. This is the certification which makes you ready to adopt your next level of skills and certification in IT industry.
Career Options for CCNA R&S Certified Engineers:
From here you can get professional level of Cisco certification (CCNP) and expert level of Cisco certification (CCIE) in routing and switching. You can also move forward to core skills to technologies like Cloud, Data Center, Wireless, Collaboration and Security. All depends on you in which direction you are interested to go.
CCNA Routing and Switching Exams:
200 – 125 CCNA (90 minutes) (60 – 70 questions)
OR
100 – 105 ICND1 (90 minutes) (45 – 55 questions)
and 200 – 105 ICND2 (90 minutes) (45 – 55 questions)
Exam Topics of 200 – 125 CCNA:
This exams tests your skills about fundamental knowledge of networks (15%), LAN switching technologies (21%), WAN technology (10%), IPV4 and IPV6 routing technology (23%), security of infrastructures (11%), services of infrastructures (10%) and infrastructure management (10%).
Topics of 100 – 105 ICND1 Exam (CCENT certification):
This exam tests your skills about network fundamentals (20%), LAN switching (26%), routing technologies (25%), and service of infrastructures (15%) and maintenance of infrastructures (14%).
Topics of 200 – 105 ICND2 Exam:
LAN switching technology (26%), Routing technology (29%), WAN technology (16%), infrastructures services (14%) and maintenance of infrastructures (15%).
You need to pass one of the above exams to get CCNA R&S certification. Either you can pass 200 – 125 CCNA exam or you can pass in 100 – 105 ICND1 first and then 200 – 105 ICND2 exam.
Prerequisite:
There is no prerequisite for CCNA routing and switching certification. Only CCENT certification is recommended.
After Certification: After getting CCNA R&S certification you will be able to install, operate and troubleshoot the small to medium level of enterprise network.
Certification Validity:
CCNA Routing and Switching certification is valid for 3 years from the date of certification issue.
Job profiles after CCNA R&S certification:
- Network Engineer
- Technical Support engineer
- Network Administrator
- Network Security Associate
- Network Support Engineer
Approx Salary Package after CCNA Routing and Switching Certification in India:
CCNA R&S certified engineers may get salary package from 2,50,000 INR to 6,00,000 INR in India. This is not exact values of salary package but this is only estimated values. It may be change depending on your skills level and company profiles.
Why CCNA Certification:
- It is the foundation of your successful networking career
- It opens the various doors of your different networking certifications
- It gives the opportunity to get move forward in your career by professional level and expert level of Cisco certifications.
- Your certification will give you better salary hike in your organization
Re-certification gives the best opportunity to get growth in your career.