techsoul

Hey Fellows,

I have been thinking and reading the forum lately. I have the following certifications already:

MCSE NT 4.0 (expired)
MCSE 2000 (expired)
CCNA 2.0 (expired)
A+
Security+

First, I don't know if the expiration really means anything in the real job field. What do you think?

Second, I was thinking about doing Network+ as my next step because CompTIA certs never expire. But I just read online that Net+ after CCNA doesn't really make sense.

I want to work in the IT Support, Help Desk, and stuff like this as my career. I want to concentrate in:

Networking,
Wireless Networking, and
Security of Network and Wireless Networking

Could you please help me in making the decision for my future certifications?

Thanks

BoT

when did your CCNA expire? if it is more then 2 years from expiration then i would certainly renew/ retake it.
yes it is pointless to take the Net+ after the CCNA because the Net+ basically covers the first portion of the CCNA. so it's good to get some extra paper under your belt but you won't take much from it personally.
i would probably stick with the cisco route if you are really interested in networking

techsoul

hmm... makes sense. Yes my CCNA certification expired about 4 years ago. I hate the fact that certified individuals need to keep renewing their certs. Thats why I wanted to more to CompTIA for good. But that wouldn't do much good for me since everything they provide is usually the basics for other certifications. So, your idea of sticking with Cisco route makes sense. Thanks for your feedback.

BoT

i know it's a pain to keep those certs up to date and it almost seems like a money thing for the companies but it is also to keep the material fresh and up to date. in the technology many changes happen rather quick. whats standard today maybe history tomorrow. i think it's actually a good effort to ensure employers that you at least know what you say you know, if not well beyond. thats why these certs are also more valuable when it comes to employment hunting.

bilbus

you only need to take one pro level cisco test to re cert.

techsoul

which one? and isn't CCNA certification based on only one test?

bilbus

http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le...aths_home.html

Passing any pro level test will re cert all of your pro level or below certs.

techsoul

thanks bilbus. Really appreciate it.

techsoul

Now after renewing CCNA, is it better to just more on to CCIP or do CCNA Security and CCNA Wireless. Because I really want to get myself involved with the Security and Wireless field of networking.

bilbus

For anyone wondering.

passing ccna is required for ccnp
passing ccna is required for ccip

ccip is a much higher level test then any of the ccna (and ccna security / wireless)

ccna is the network + of cisco.

techsoul

hmm... makes sense.

Now has anyone heard of Juniper Network and their certifications?

What do you recommend, Cisco OR Juniper?

Tekmazter

Juniper and CISCO are both powerhouse companies in the world of networking. You can bet that if someone has a network there is a good chance they have Juniper or CISCO. There are other players out there as well (Extreme comes to mind), but the real answer to your question depends on what you plan to use more of. Certification makes for a great resume bullet, but actual production experience in the real world is where you'll get noticed first. If you think about it this way then you really can't go wrong.

As for your question around the expiration of certs. If the technology is still applicable, and you've been working in the field after they expired, in my opinion they're still worth something. Unless you're an instructor for a certain course, or a job mandates you have an up to date cert, I would still put it on your resume.

techsoul

Tekmazter, many thanks for replying. I hear what you are trying to say and agree with you as well. Sorry but, what do you really mean by the following sentence:

"but actual production experience in the real world is where you'll get noticed first."

Sorry I am facing a little hard time interpreting the meaning.

techsoul

Tekmazter, many thanks for replying. I hear what you are trying to say and agree with you as well. Sorry but, what do you really mean by the following sentence:

"but actual production experience in the real world is where you'll get noticed first."

Sorry I am facing a little hard time interpreting the meaning.

bilbus

Knowing how to do something, not just on paper

techsoul

thanks bilbus