I would definatly reccomentd the Cisco route if you want a serious career in networking. Also can I suggest you start at basics.
Respectfull advise, Forget about the CCIE, thats way out of your league!
Start by doing a CCNA:
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le...type_home.html
See what areas you like and then go from there. Get A CCNA first, then afterwards make the decision of where you want to go, ie security, design etc