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What Certification Should You Pursue After The CCNA? |
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Once you've got your CCNA, you're ready to move on to the
next level, the Professional certifications. For years, Cisco
had one Professional certification, the Cisco Certified Network
Professional (CCNP) certification. Over time, Cisco has expanded
this level of certifications to include the Cisco Certified
Security Professional (CCSP) and Cisco Certified Voice Professional
(CCVP).
With security and voice being the two most rapidly expanding
areas of today's networks, some new CCNAs consider going after
the CCSP or CCVP without first adding the CCNP to their resume.
While it's temping to hurry up and get a Cisco security or
voice certification, the best thing you can do for your networking
career is achieve your CCNP certification first, then decide
on the CCVP or CCSP.
Why? Because the CCNA is just the tip of a very large iceberg
when it comes to routing and switching. It's a very important
accomplishment, and the CCNA is indeed the foundation of your
networking career, but you need to add on to that level of
understanding routing and switching before moving on to more
specialized areas.
Two examples are OSPF and BGP. You learn about the theory
of OSPF and some basic and intermediate configurations of
that protocol in your CCNA studies, but the knowledge you
acquire of OSPF in your CCNP studies is invaluable. As for
BGP, there is no BGP in the CCNA curriculum, but it is a great
idea to have some BGP knowledge in today's networks. It's
also good for your career.
I know it is a huge temptation to go after the security and
voice certifications while not paying attention to the CCNP.
Do yourself a huge favor and add the tremendous amount of
routing and switching knowledge needed for the CCNP to your
knowledgebase, and you can then move on to the CCSP or CCVP.
Even better, you'll be better prepared to climb the biggest
certification mountain around - the CCIE!
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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