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MCSE? CCNA? How To Choose The Best Computer Certification For You |
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When you’re choosing which computer certification to
pursue next, you should also be formulating a plan for your
career. Your time is precious, and you should never choose
to pursue a certification because it’s “hot”.
There are some hard questions you should ask yourself before
deciding to pursue the CCNA, CCNP, CCVP, CCSP, CCIE, MSCE,
or any of the many other vendor certifications that are out
there.
Why do I want this certification?
This is the biggest and most important question you should
answer before you spend a dime on books or classes.
If your primary goal in earning a certification is the money
you feel companies will throw at you after you get it, make
sure to do your research first. Basing your certification
pursuits on a salary survey can lead to some serious frustration
on your part. Don’t get me wrong, I like money. J But
those surveys can be very misleading. There’s really
no such thing as an “average” salary in IT. Job
responsibilities and requirements vary greatly from company
to company, to the point where a “network admin”
may make $25K at one job and $75K at another. You can see
where such variations in pay can lead to some misleading statistics.
(And if you’re thinking of attending a tech school whose
main pitch is “look at all the money this cert can get
you”, ask a lot of questions about how they arrived at
this amount.)
A positive answer to this question works wonders. If you
have a plan for your career, you’ll know how this certification
can fit into your plans. If you don’t know what you’re
going to do with it when you get it, or worse, don’t
have a plan for your future, you may be wasting your time.
Ask yourself the hard questions now – you won’t
regret it.
How does the vendor protect my investment of time and money?
Let’s face it: earning your certification costs time
and money. You’ve got to set time aside to study, you’ll
need books, perhaps a class, etc. If you’re spending
that money and time, it should be to make yourself more valuable
in the workplace.
The vendor should also have a vested interest in keeping
your certification valuable. Take Cisco, for instance. I was
at a bit of a career crossroads a few years ago. Should I
pursue my masters degree, or pursue the CCIE? I took a strong
look at both choices, and I knew that Cisco works endlessly
and tirelessly to protect the value of their certifications.
While other major vendors have made strides to do so, I felt
Cisco did the best job of protecting the value of their certifications.
That’s why I felt secure in the investment of my finances
and time into a major Cisco certification, and I’ve never
made a better decision.
Before making a major investment into a computer certification,
consider the steps that a vendor does or does not make to
protect your investment.
Computer certifications have helped me tremendously in building
my IT career. By asking the right questions, and taking a
hard look at your motives and plans before pursuing a given
certification, they can do the same for you.
About the Author:
Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage,
home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study
Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy
of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and
“How To Pass The CCNP”, visit the website and download
your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam
questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!
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Need Cisco Hardware for your Cert? |
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