The CCNA certification has been devised by CISCO and stands for Cisco Certified Network Associate. The certificate validates a professional’s ability to understand, configure, operate, configure and troubleshoot medium-level switched and routed networks and also includes the verification and implementation of connections via remote sites using WAN.
The center of CCNS certification is breezing through an hour and a half composed test. CISCO doesn’t put any requirements for taking up the exam. However, there are various institutions that offer formal training to students appearing for the exam. The broad sets of topics covered under CCNA certification include:
- WAN and LAN design
- OSI models
- IP addressing
- VLAN and WLAN
- Routers/routing protocols (includes EIGRP, RIP, and OSPF)
- Network security and management (ACL included)
Apart from the core CCNA certification, CISCO also provides specialized certifications like CCNA Voice, CCNA Wireless, and CCNA Security. These recognize the individual’s specific expertise in the corresponding area of computer networking.
The one-time CCNA certification is valid for three years after which candidates need to re-establish their qualification. This is in view of the constantly changing technology and software upgrades. Furthermore, candidates can also sit for advanced CCNA exams devised for networking professionals and includes the CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert) and CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) certification.
All the content of CCNA is proprietary. CISCO and its learning partners also offer a wide variety of training methods and include materials published by the Cisco Press, online classrooms and webinars – collectively called the “Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices”.
Eligibility
To receive the CCNA certificate one must have passed either of:
ICND1 Exam (100-101) and the ICND2 (200-101)
Combined CCNA Exam (200-120)
Cisco also offers professional level and expert level certifications, including CCNP, CCDP, and CCIE. There are also a number of specialty certifications available at the advanced level in a number of different areas. Here's a breakdown of the available Cisco certifications for each level and specialty:
- Cisco Certification Breakdown
- And here's a quick list of just some of the Cisco Specialist Concentrations:
- Advanced Routing and Switching
- Data Center
- VPN and Security
- Wireless LAN
Moving on to the professional level Cisco certifications will help advance your career and increase your salary; your specialty area will depend on your interests and job prospects, but whichever path you choose will be a step up.
You can get more information on Cisco Certifications from Cisco.com, the Cisco Learning Network, and our Cisco CCNA Certification section.
Hopefully, this article and the salary data will help you make better education investment decisions in the future. While these investments will require a certain level of sacrifice on your part, your efforts will most certainly be paid off in spades in the years to come.
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