The CCNA Course is an entry-level networking certification that can qualify you for network specialist, network administrator, and network engineer careers in IT.
What exactly is the CCNA certification?
The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) is an entry-level information technology (IT) certification offered by networking hardware vendor Cisco. The CCNA Course is intended to confirm your understanding of core networking principles frequently demanded in networking responsibilities in IT employment.
Here’s a quick summary of important information:
- To obtain the CCNA certification, you must first pass one test, the 200-301 CCNA.
- The CCNA exam costs $300 plus taxes.
- The exam has no requirements, but training and some expertise with computer networks are suggest.
CCNA is a popular IT qualification, with over 9,000 job advertisements on Glassdoor and 6,000 on Indeed mentioning the certification in the United States as of May 2022.
How much does the CCNA exam cost?
The cost of the CCNA exam is $300, including tax. You also have the option of using Cisco Learning Credits as payment for the exam. These are prepaid credits that a firm may purchase so their employees can use the credits on the Cisco platform according to their preferences.
Are you trying to cut expenses? If you believe a CCNA certification will benefit your organization, talk to your boss about if the company will pay for the exam or exam training costs (or both).
How much money may I make with the CCNA certification?
CCNA certificates can help you secure entry-level and higher-level networking jobs. Here are some job titles that can seek CCNA credentials and the typical salary in the United States.
CompTIA Network+ vs CCNA
The CompTIA Network+, like the CCNA, is a networking certification that tests your knowledge and is frequently obtain by professionals looking to expand their networking skills. There are a few significant changes.
The CompTIA Security+ Training, unlike the CCNA, is vendor-neutral. The fact that this is the case suggests that it is designe to train you to function with any network device or system, regardless of the manufacturer. The CCNA exam only tests you on Cisco products and tools.
Many believe the Network+ certification to be more foundational than the CCNA. The CCNA is thought to go deeper into network material and cover more topics than the Network+.
Which should you go with?
Even though the CCNA is vendor-specific to Cisco, many people choose to take it because Cisco products dominate the networking business. Cisco controlled 47 percent of the Ethernet switch market and 33 percent of the combined SP and corporate router market [1]. Because Cisco products are so frequently utilize, it can be beneficial to be well-verse in them. Many students discover that the information they get from learning about Cisco products is transferable to networking solutions from other vendors.
However, because Network+ concentrates on the fundamentals, it can be beneficial for those who are entirely new to networking or find the CCNA too tough or thorough for their needs. It is possible to obtain the Network+ and then progress to the CCNA when you have more expertise.
What are the other Cisco network certifications?
Another entry-level Cisco certification is the Cisco Certification Technician (CCT). The CCT is intend to provide you with the knowledge and skills need to provide onsite support and maintenance for networking devices. It does not, however, include networking basics, which is likely why it is not as popular as the CCNA, especially for entry-level IT roles.
The Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) is the next level of certification after the CCNA. CCNP also includes numerous specializations from which to pick based on your preferred job path.
What will be on the CCNA exam?
The 200-301 CCNA exam lasts 120 minutes and is available in English and Japanese.
The CCNA exam is divid as follows:
- Network components such as routers, switches, and access points; network topology architectures; physical interfaces and cabling kinds, IPv4 and IPv6 setup, IP parameters; wireless, virtualization, and switching foundations (20%)
- VLAN configuration and verification (20%), Interswitch connectivity, Layer 2 discovery protocols. And EtherChannel; Operation of the Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol. Cisco wireless architectures, AP modes, physical WLAN components, AP and WLC management access connections, and wireless LAN access are all examples of Cisco wireless architectures.
- Routing tables; router decision-making; configuring and validating IPv4 and IPv6 static routing and single area OSPFv2; first-hop redundancy protocol (25%)
- Configuring and validating NAT and NTP; explaining DHCP, DNS, SNMP, and Syslog features; per-hop behavior; SSH usage; TFTP/FTP description.
- Security concepts such as risks and mitigation, physical access control, password rules. But access control lists, Layer 2 security features, and wireless security protocols account for 15% of the total.
Automation and programmability (10%): comparing traditional networks to controller-based networks; automation ideas; JSON data interpretation
How to Obtain a CCNA Certification
You must pass the Cisco 200-301 CCNA test to become a CCNA-certified professional. The test has no prerequisites, but Cisco reports that CCNA candidates often have the following experience before taking the exam:
- At least one year of experience with and implementation of Cisco products and solutions
- Basic understanding of IP addressing
- Understanding of network principles
CCNA training and courses
Numerous online courses are available to help you prepare for the CCNA exam. There may also be in-person classes available at your local community college that will do the same.
Cisco provides an online course Implementing and Administering Solutions to assist you in passing the CCNA exam. The tuition is $800.
You can study the Computer Communications specialty on Coursera for a comprehensive. So introduction to networking, or you can choose individual courses to specialize. In specific skills such as TCP/IP or packet switching networks. Though the specialization will not expressly prepare you for the CCNA, you will learn much about computer networks.