One question I see often on the Net is “Is it worth my time to earn a CCNA / CCNP / CCIE certification?”
My personal answer to that is a resounding yes. The power of Cisco certifications has allowed me to create a tremendous career, and they can do the same for you.
There has never been a better time to accelerate your IT career, and earning a technical certification is a great way to do just that. I dont care if youre looking at earning an MCSE, a Cisco certification, Red Hat, or any other vendor – you are always better off having a technical certification than not having one. Technical certifications are an excellent way to market yourself and stand out from the crowd. Earning certifications shows a potential employer (and your current one) that you are willing to go the extra mile.
Sadly, when you ask this question on most Internet message boards, youre going to get some very negative people giving you their “unbiased” opinion. Ask yourself this question: Do you want to entrust the direction of your career to someone you dont know, has no accountability for what they say, and has some kind of ax to grind? Do you want someone like that to decide whether you should earn a CCNA or CCNP?
I can speak from experience on this point. When I told a few people that I was going to earn my CCIE, almost 100% of the responses I got were negative. “Its too hard”, “no one can pass that”, “the CCIE isnt worth the work”, etc. Every single one of these statements is false, and again I speak from firsthand experience. The same is true for the CCNA, CCNP, and MCSE. All of these certifications can add value to your career and put more money in your pocket. But you have to make the decision to earn them and to “keep your goals away from the trolls”.
Dont ask anonymous strangers whether its “worth the time” to get a CCNA, MCSE, or other computer certification. The only person you should ask that question of is yourself. Whether you want to start an IT career or jumpstart your current one, make the decision to move forward in your career – and then follow through on that decision.
Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage (www.thebryantadvantage.com), home of FREE CCNA and CCNP tutorials and daily exam questions, as well as The Ultimate CCNA and CCNP Study Packages.
For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” or “How To Pass The CCNP”, and for free daily exam question, visit the website and download your copies!
