Overview

Why certify?

As Enterprises migrate toward controller based architectures, the role and skills required of a core network engineer are evolving and more vital than ever. To prepare for this network transition, the CCNA certification will not only prepare you with the knowledge of foundational technologies, but ensure you stay relevant with skill sets needed for the adoption of next generation technologies.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Ten Reasons You Should Get Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching Certified

Earning a Cisco CCNA certification is the best way for you to prepare for a successful career in networking. Which is a great reason all by itself. But there are lots more.

So read on, and discover the many advantages of a CCNA certification—and the many reasons why you should earn one.

1. You'll Be Certified by the Networking Leader

Cisco pioneered routing and switching technologies—and continues to lead the way, with the greatest market share and largest installed base across many industries. The overwhelming majority of today's Internet traffic travels over network pathways built with Cisco infrastructure products. If you're trained and certified to work on Cisco products, your skills will be more marketable, and more in demand.

2. Certification Is the Foundation That Networking Careers Are Built Upon

Ever since the CCNA program began, Cisco certifications have been coveted by network engineers and employers all over the world. According to recent research from IDC, Cisco skills are among the most included skills in hiring requirements. They are included more frequently than 97 percent of all skills requested. The need for an intimate understanding of network infrastructure and protocols, and how they work together, has always been relevant. Now, that need is intensifying. A Cisco CCNA certification provides you with the knowledge and expertise to succeed in networking, even as technologies continue to evolve. The program teaches you to install, monitor, and troubleshoot the network infrastructure products that are at the very heart of the Internet of Things.

3. Certification Gives You More Career Options

With a CCNA certification, your IT career path will have seemingly limitless possibilities. IDC has found that seven out of 10 organizations look for certifications when they're hiring or promoting. With Cisco, you can continue upward along the Routing and Switching track, progressing through the Professional and Expert levels. Or you can apply your core skill to technologies such as Cloud, Collaboration, Data Center, Network Programmability, Wireless, or Security. These growing specialties are propelling IT forward. With Cisco by your side, you'll be uniquely prepared to take your career in whatever direction you want to go.

4. Certification Prepares You for Network Evolution in the Digital Era

As business becomes increasingly transformed by digitization, the network infrastructure is experiencing radical change. Much of the manual process of operating traditional networks has given way to a software-driven network architecture that depends on virtualization, automation, analytics, cloud service management, and the ability of the architecture to be open and extensible. Recent IDC research reveals that network engineers and architects are some of the most important future IT roles to help support these changes. Professionals looking to advance in IT networking today need to embrace the shift. Cisco has introduced its Cisco Digital Network Architecture (Cisco DNA) to exploit the power of today's network and is committed to helping you align to it starting with CCNA.

5. Certification Keeps You Current on All the Latest Technology Changes

In addition to encompassing major network architecture shifts such as with Cisco DNA, Cisco continually surveys the changing IT landscape for myriad technological developments that have an impact on our certifications and your job role as a networking pro. CCNA is no exception. Cisco's latest revision to the curriculum incorporates an understanding of quality of service (QoS) elements and their applicability, the interactions and network functions of firewalls, and wireless controllers and access points, along with additional focus on IPv6 and basic network security.

6. Certification Helps You Stand Out with Your Employer

By pursuing your Cisco CCNA certification, you're telling your employer that you want to excel in your career. Managers notice that kind of initiative. IDC has found that 82 percent of digital transformation leaders believe that people with certifications help accelerate innovation. And there's particular credibility associated with Cisco certifications. In fact, prospective employers routinely use a Cisco CCNA as a search engine term, or as a criterion for identifying job candidates.

7. Certification Helps You Learn from Your Peers

As more professionals are earning Cisco certifications, a vibrant learning and career development community called the Cisco Learning Network has emerged. This community is made up of nearly a million professionals, and provides valuable support, as members help one another study, learn, and pursue their IT goals. When you become a member of the Cisco Learning Network, you gain immediate access to study groups, training videos, peer-to-peer advice, and an impressive wealth of exam information.

8. Certification Gives You a Full Range of Training Options

There's more than one way to learn. And, through our Cisco Authorized Learning Partners, we offer a complete suite of flexible training options to make it easier for you to earn your CCNA certification. You can enroll in instructor-led training, a virtual classroom experience, or hands-on labs for the ICND1 and ICND2 components of a CCNA certification. The Cisco Learning Network Store offers self-paced e-learning, learning labs, and practice exams all geared to prepare you for your certification test day. In addition, our authorized publisher Cisco Press offers a wealth of resources.

9. Certification Helps Increase Your Paycheck

Salaries for IT networking jobs continue to surge, often fueled by a worldwide talent shortage. And your Cisco certification increases your earning potential. In its 2018 Technology Salary Guide, Robert Half Technology lists CCNA certification as one of the most sought-after certifications in North America, and adds that employers may increase salaries 5 to 10 percent for evidence of such in-demand abilities. In addition, many organizations frequently offer lucrative rewards and recognition for employees who earn Cisco certifications.

10. And Don't Forget: There Is Value in Recertification

When it comes time to recertify your status as an IT superstar, you can be confident that the effort will remain a powerful, industry-recognized way to validate your knowledge. That's because Cisco continually monitors its certifications to ensure that they are keeping pace with IT requirements. When you adopt the attitude of a lifelong learner and recertify, you make sure you are up to date in the training that you have worked hard for.