With the advent of the new technology, IT professionals with networking expertise are in greater demand than ever before. When it comes to modern networking technologies, qualified IT professionals must not only possess basic skills but also have relevant credentials. With the help of a certification, they can convince the hiring managers that they are well-equipped to handle complex tasks. This is where a famous IT vendor Cisco comes to the fore.
Cisco company has an indisputable reputation of the global leader in offering highly prestigious networking credentials. So, pursuing the Cisco certifications is worth the effort. Do you want to embark on your certification journey and set yourself apart from the other individuals within the highly competitive IT sphere? If yes, then this article from PrepAway.biz is for you as it highlights all you need to know about Cisco credentials. So, here we go.
Certification Levels
Cisco certification programs are comprehensive in the sense that they cut across all career
paths. Having said that, these certifications are offered in up to five levels. A typical Cisco
certification ladder starts from the Entry level and then progresses to Associate, Professional,
Expert, and ultimately, Architect, the highest credential level within the Cisco certification
program.
Entry-Level Certifications
They might be the simplest credentials in this hierarchy, but this does not mean that they are
the least significant. In fact, many people have made a fortune possessing only entry-level Cisco
certifications. These certifications act as a perfect starting point for anybody looking to
jumpstart their career in the networking platform.
Cisco offers two certifications at this level: Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT)
and the Cisco Certified Technician (CCT). To this extent, no prerequisites are required to attain
these certifications. However, you are expected to pass one required exam before earning any
of the two credentials.
Associate-Level Credentials
The associate-level certifications are ideal for building your foundational knowledge of the
networking platform. These credentials include the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
and the Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA).
The CCNA credential validates your skills relating to network installation, operations, and
troubleshooting, while CCDA best suits individuals who are looking to authenticate their
network design skills. Unlike the entry-level certifications, associate level requires to pass one
or two exams to attain your CCDA or CCNA certification depending on the path you choose.
Professional-Level Certifications
These are advanced certifications that demonstrate the candidate’s proficiency in networking
skills. Given the varying nature of the job roles at this level, all professional certifications are
tailored to suit the unique needs of different technologies.
The two major programs offered at this level are the Cisco Certified Network Professional
(CCNP) and the Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP). Save for the CCNP Routing and
Switching certification, all the CCNP programs require you to pass four exams. Similarly, you will
have to pass three required exams in addition to fulfilling other requirements to attain CCDP
certification. Also, note that some CCNP certifications require CCNA/CCIE credential as a
prerequisite.
Expert-Level Certifications
From their name, it can be deduced that the Cisco expert certification is one of the most
prestigious networking credentials across the globe. This is where you will find the highly
covetable Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) and Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE)
certifications.
Even though attaining these credentials requires no prerequisites, you will have to pass one
comprehensive written exam and one laborious practical exam to attain any of the two
certifications.
Architect-Level Certifications
As one would expect, the Cisco Certified Architect is the topmost Cisco credential. It
authenticates a candidate’s architectural skills relating to network infrastructure. These are
individuals who can efficiently plan and design business strategies to come up with technical
solutions.
If you are looking to serve in some of the highly covetable positions such as data architect or
network architect, then pursuing the CCAr certification is a smart move. To explain this
certification, we can use the analogy of university education where the Ph.D. is the highest
attainable degree for any student. So, the CCAr credential in IT is comparable to the Ph.D. It
might be the topmost Cisco credential, but whether it is the most challenging credential to
pursue is debatable.
Why Certify?
You might be wondering, what’s the essence of attaining Cisco certifications? Well, as Cisco
stays one of the leading IT certification vendors across the globe, pursuing their certifications is
worth the effort.
Unlike other certification programs, the Cisco credentials are tailored to suit the unique needs
of the ever-evolving IT sphere. To begin with, Cisco certifications greatly improve your career
prospects. There are plenty of job roles for certified professionals albeit the fact that certain
factors may have a direct impact on job opportunities.
From the lowest CCENT credential all the way up to the prestigious CCAr, there are specific jobs
that will always require your skills. A few examples include the network technician, network
administrator, senior network design engineer, network architect, and enterprise architect,
among others.
How to Certify?
So, having known some of the reasons for pursuing the all-time marketable Cisco certifications,
the obvious question is, how can you attain these certifications? As already mentioned, to
become Cisco certified, you will have to pass the required exam(s) in addition to fulfilling other
requirements based on your career path.
Whether you will be keen to start from the entry-level certifications such as CCENT or validate
your skills in the industry by attaining the professional-level certifications, good exam
preparation is paramount. And this brings us to the next topic, how can you prepare for the
Cisco certification exams?
Cisco Certification Exam Preparation
Many people ask, how best can one prepare for the Cisco certification exam? Well, the
preparation concept here is elusive, and what works for one individual may not work for you.
So, before looking at some of the exam training resources, it’s worth mentioning that you
should opt for what suits you best.
It’s beyond doubt that the Cisco official website is the go-to site to find invaluable training
resources for your certification exam. Here you can find a variety of training materials including
classroom training, self-study materials, study groups, the Cisco press, e-learning platform, and
practice exams. With such a wide range of training materials at your disposal, the choice for the
most suitable study method is largely a personal decision.
Aside from the Cisco official website, reliable IT platforms also exist to satisfy your needs
regarding exam preparation. The PrepAway website, for example, is your number one source of
invaluable training materials for any Cisco certification exam. For many years, they have been at
the forefront in assisting the aspiring candidates to prepare for their Cisco exams in the best
way.
From ETE software to the practice tests as well as valid exam dumps, you have all the necessary
exam preparation tools at your disposal for seamless exam preparation. Think of the PrepAway
official website when you think of your certification exam preparation.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, becoming Cisco certified is not as hard as you may think and you only need a
few tips to pass the required exams. Hopefully, this article has covered all you may need to
know about covetable Cisco certifications. It’s time to embark on your certification journey and
improve your career growth. If you ever thought of a seamless way of preparing for your
certification exam, then the PrepAway website is readily available to help you out.
