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UboatNinja
ISP
Due to the sheer amount of people who posess CCNA's, they are no longer a valuable cert to posess. So if you think a CCNA is going to land you a job, your mistaken.
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CCNA is near worthless 2
- Thread starter UboatNinja
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Just another negative person with an ax to grind..
As an employer, if I have two candiates in front of me.. roughly equal skills.. one with the CCNA and one without.. the cert gets it.. why? because they have show some type of initative to get the cert..
Now.. why is it worthless?
MikeS
Find me at
"The trouble with giving up civil rights is that you never get them back"
As an employer, if I have two candiates in front of me.. roughly equal skills.. one with the CCNA and one without.. the cert gets it.. why? because they have show some type of initative to get the cert..
Now.. why is it worthless?
MikeS
Find me at
"The trouble with giving up civil rights is that you never get them back"
Seems that some folks think a cert = a career. It is but one small aspect of the overall qualification. I agree with Mike that it can be a tie breaker. It also can just enhance a candidate. I list my certs dead last on my resume. They are not prominent. Just an exclamation point.
And yes, there are lots. So that is all the more reason not to count on it as a stand-alone means to a job/career. Especially given the market conditions.
Frankly, I was in this field long before it was "hot" and I'll be glad to see the fad and all of its follower go.
And yes, there are lots. So that is all the more reason not to count on it as a stand-alone means to a job/career. Especially given the market conditions.
Frankly, I was in this field long before it was "hot" and I'll be glad to see the fad and all of its follower go.
My 2 cents! Mike and Svermill are correct ( it looks like I agree with them 99% of the time ). The Cisco certificate is valuable, now with that said as a lead tech I will test
an individual with a CCNA to verify that there certificate and there knowledge go hand and hand. What I mean here is that there are alot of paper CCNA's and if the applicant is worthy they will not mind a few questions. Jeter@LasVegas.com
Fisher CCNA
Sprint-Data
an individual with a CCNA to verify that there certificate and there knowledge go hand and hand. What I mean here is that there are alot of paper CCNA's and if the applicant is worthy they will not mind a few questions. Jeter@LasVegas.com
Fisher CCNA
Sprint-Data
Guest_imported
New member
- Jan 1, 1970
- 0
The reason I have certs... It's easier to do job searches!
Guest_imported
New member
- Jan 1, 1970
- 0
Well, to some it may be worthless but, it is necessary for a candidate seeking & keeping employment status. This is why I'm testing 3/8/02, any tips and pointers would be greatly appreciated.
CCNut-
Get your memorized *cheets* down on paper as soon as you can when you get to the test PC.. do this BEFORE you start the test. It's legal and will save you alot of time. Get your IP chart down, IOS layers down and the 3 IP classes .. and anything else you might want to remember but dont trust your memory.
Expect questions on IP subnetting, IPX, Frame Relay, ISDN(very lightly touched) ISO layers, how to move files back and forth from flash etc.. pay attention to the PROMPTS in the questions.. if they ask about something that needs the enabled mode, make sure the question or answer has the # sign... they will ask *trick* questions to make sure you paying attention to details.
MikeS
Find me at
"The trouble with giving up civil rights is that you never get them back"
Get your memorized *cheets* down on paper as soon as you can when you get to the test PC.. do this BEFORE you start the test. It's legal and will save you alot of time. Get your IP chart down, IOS layers down and the 3 IP classes .. and anything else you might want to remember but dont trust your memory.
Expect questions on IP subnetting, IPX, Frame Relay, ISDN(very lightly touched) ISO layers, how to move files back and forth from flash etc.. pay attention to the PROMPTS in the questions.. if they ask about something that needs the enabled mode, make sure the question or answer has the # sign... they will ask *trick* questions to make sure you paying attention to details.
MikeS
Find me at
"The trouble with giving up civil rights is that you never get them back"
kcbell
IS-IT--Management
- Dec 27, 2001
- 275
I agree with Jeter that there is a lot of paper CCNA out there. Case in point, there is a guy at work never touch a router and went to a community college and took three classes and pasted the CCNA with no pratical knowledge. I'll take the test because it is a milestone for myself. I know I have accomplished something. Remember, pass the test only prove that you know the answer of the questions on that day. It doesn't show that your overall know-how of networking. Is it worthless? I don't think so!
The only good news is that a paper CCNA can and will make such a mess of things AND it's so public that they cant hide... unlike the paper MCSEs that can hide behind a single botched server and the *it's a MS feature* excuse..
MikeS
Find me at
"The trouble with giving up civil rights is that you never get them back"
MikeS
Find me at
"The trouble with giving up civil rights is that you never get them back"
goin2cisco
MIS
I have a different viewpoint than some. I was a network engineer for 3 years prior to taking the Cisco Networking Academy classes.
What I have found is this:
1) The first semester does a very good job of teaching networking fundamentals in a short period of time.
2) The class prepares you reasonably well to maintain routers.
3) There is a large amount of networking knowledge you can get from the class in general.
However....I notice the difference between myself and people with no experience is quite large. It's mostly theory to them.
My point is:
For the beginner in a booming economy it was a great thing to do. You could take the class and maybe get a job quickly starting anywhere from 50-70K depending on location.
Now in a down economy it will take longer to find the job and it will pay less.
Those with a networking job and experience will benefit the most.
It depends on your view.I think WHEN the economy turns around these people will be more in demand and the higher your qualifications the more you can ask for.
Just wait.......I believe the information age is just beginning!
Good Luck to all!
Tom
What I have found is this:
1) The first semester does a very good job of teaching networking fundamentals in a short period of time.
2) The class prepares you reasonably well to maintain routers.
3) There is a large amount of networking knowledge you can get from the class in general.
However....I notice the difference between myself and people with no experience is quite large. It's mostly theory to them.
My point is:
For the beginner in a booming economy it was a great thing to do. You could take the class and maybe get a job quickly starting anywhere from 50-70K depending on location.
Now in a down economy it will take longer to find the job and it will pay less.
Those with a networking job and experience will benefit the most.
It depends on your view.I think WHEN the economy turns around these people will be more in demand and the higher your qualifications the more you can ask for.
Just wait.......I believe the information age is just beginning!
Good Luck to all!
Tom
Tom-
There is a big difference between the Academy and the average class for Cisco. I just saw at UCI a Cisco CCNA class taught by someone who is NOT certified by cisco in anyway.. that ought to be fun.
There is a huge variation in teacher quality and student quality. Most of the time the paper anything student is a loser anyways who is looking to make a fast buck without having to do anything.. or, it was forced on them by management and they really dont want anything to do with it to start with.
The motivated student will always get something out of the class and find ways to fill in the gaps on their own, with friends, here on the boards etc.
It's not just CCNAs either.. I've blown away two CCIEs publicly after they came in full of ego and not enough experience to back up the Cisco training. And that is a point to remember.. it's CISCO training.. everything revolves around CISCO.. they are better then most at talking about other parts of networking then Cisco but in the end, it's a Cisco world. In the real world with buggy software, forgotten fixes, botched installs, incomplete hardware and so on, life is much more demanding then a lab.
To be an employed network engineer, you need to wear a few different hats then just Cisco.
:::rant off:::
MikeS
Find me at
"The trouble with giving up civil rights is that you never get them back"
There is a big difference between the Academy and the average class for Cisco. I just saw at UCI a Cisco CCNA class taught by someone who is NOT certified by cisco in anyway.. that ought to be fun.
There is a huge variation in teacher quality and student quality. Most of the time the paper anything student is a loser anyways who is looking to make a fast buck without having to do anything.. or, it was forced on them by management and they really dont want anything to do with it to start with.
The motivated student will always get something out of the class and find ways to fill in the gaps on their own, with friends, here on the boards etc.
It's not just CCNAs either.. I've blown away two CCIEs publicly after they came in full of ego and not enough experience to back up the Cisco training. And that is a point to remember.. it's CISCO training.. everything revolves around CISCO.. they are better then most at talking about other parts of networking then Cisco but in the end, it's a Cisco world. In the real world with buggy software, forgotten fixes, botched installs, incomplete hardware and so on, life is much more demanding then a lab.
To be an employed network engineer, you need to wear a few different hats then just Cisco.
:::rant off:::
MikeS
Find me at
"The trouble with giving up civil rights is that you never get them back"
goin2cisco
MIS
Mike S,
I agree...I wear many of those hats! I found out a long time ago my job was everything no else is getting done plus my job. (If I could only get the pay for 3 people)
Tom
I agree...I wear many of those hats! I found out a long time ago my job was everything no else is getting done plus my job. (If I could only get the pay for 3 people)
Tom
firedragon
Technical User
THE ccna is valuble just becouse you need it inorder to get any other Cisco cert.
network225
Instructor
While it is true you can test for CCIE prior to testing for the CCNA. A person will not be allowed to skip sequencial semesters when attending a Cisco Accademy...
Virtual Protocols
Virtual Protocols
Guest_imported
New member
- Jan 1, 1970
- 0
I am currently a designer looking to change careers, you guessed it a “paper cert” How else can one get their foot in the door?
My certification track is A+, Network+ and CCNA. The classes I am taking are intense with plenty of lab time. Of course, I have no practical experience, just as I had none before becoming a designer, just as you had none before your first job. The extent of my networking knowledge is linking 3 home PCs together with a cheap router and switch.
“I would never let a paper cert. near my router.” Hey, fine with me. I’m not looking to start as a Sr. Network Associate and I am more than prepared to take a pay cut to start out. I swabbed decks and painted the side of a Naval Frigate for almost two years before I had enough seniority to assign someone else the job, hell it comes with the territory.
If I am assigned PC support, answering calls
…..Ring…Ring…<me>”PC support” <employee>“I can’t log on to the network.” <me>“Is your caps lock off?” <employee>“yes.” <me>“I will be right up.” <me>”hey numbskull, your freakin’ caps lock IS ON!” Then so be it.
Sorry about the ranting, but there are some, not all, that I guess are just “GODS” and have forgotten when they started out.![[peace]](/data/assets/smilies/peace.gif "[peace] [peace]")
My certification track is A+, Network+ and CCNA. The classes I am taking are intense with plenty of lab time. Of course, I have no practical experience, just as I had none before becoming a designer, just as you had none before your first job. The extent of my networking knowledge is linking 3 home PCs together with a cheap router and switch.
“I would never let a paper cert. near my router.” Hey, fine with me. I’m not looking to start as a Sr. Network Associate and I am more than prepared to take a pay cut to start out. I swabbed decks and painted the side of a Naval Frigate for almost two years before I had enough seniority to assign someone else the job, hell it comes with the territory.
If I am assigned PC support, answering calls
…..Ring…Ring…<me>”PC support” <employee>“I can’t log on to the network.” <me>“Is your caps lock off?” <employee>“yes.” <me>“I will be right up.” <me>”hey numbskull, your freakin’ caps lock IS ON!” Then so be it.
Sorry about the ranting, but there are some, not all, that I guess are just “GODS” and have forgotten when they started out.
On the job training is great! My concerns are the ones getting the certifications just to get a job. In your own words ( you would not want a paper cert to work on your network ) The reason is clear you do not want a cluster of a network after they have gone. No GODS here, we are just a few guys still learning and having a good time helping others. Jeter@LasVegas.com
Fisher CCNA
Sprint-Data
Fisher CCNA
Sprint-Data
I agree with jeter I don't think any one is acting like a god but only speaking from experiences with those who make life a little more difficult because they can't really back up the certification with any real knowledge. With what 2000 man said in this day and time a person has to start somewhere though and you do need a ceritfication in order to get your foot in the door. I think 2000 Man has the right idea of starting maybe at a PC help desk level and working into a Sr. Networking Job because unless you have the real konwledge and first hand experience none of the certifications really make a differnce. I hope you do 2000 Man.
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