All you need to know about Cisco CCNA Certification

What is CCNA?

The Cisco Certified Network Associate certification is simply an information technology certification organized by Cisco. Having a CCNA certification tells the general public that you are able to install as well as configure, operate and troubleshoot everything that has to do with routing and switching networks. If you are CCNA certified, you are basically telling us that you are able to make connections to remote sites through a wide area network (WAN). This certification is the most popular amongst the other Cisco certifications and it is in high demand. As a CCNA certified professional you are well on your way to having for yourself a career in the network administrative field or the network engineering field.

Some of the things you would need to do or have knowledge of regarding the Cisco CCNA exam are;

Understanding the reaction between different network topologies in a bid to create a secure network.

Being able to explain the workings of the computer network system and its interaction with other networking devices.

Being able to configure, trouble shoot and verify a switch that has VLAN and being able to interswitch communications.

Implementing of an IP address scheme and IP services that will allow you meet some specific network requirements.

Configuration, verification and troubleshooting of routing and the router operators on Cisco devices should not be new to you.

Identification in network security threats.

These few and so many more inclusive are part of the things that you need to take note of if you are on your way to receiving a CCNA certification.

The associate-level certification can be achieved by first earning a CCENT certification. The associate-level certification program itself has been redesigned to properly bring itself together with the forever growing job opportunities and to also provide skills for networking professionals. To successfully get your hand on the certificate, there are two exams that you need to pass. Below I will give a list of the other associate level examinations and they are;

• CCDA
• CCNA Cyber Ops
• CCNA Routing and Switching
• CCNA Wireless
• CCNA Cloud
• CCNA Data Center
• CCNA Security
• CCNA Collaboration
• CCNA Industrial
• CCNA Service Provider

People always wonder what they can use a Cisco CCNA Certification for, and they also wonder what the benefits attached to having this certificate are – there are several job opportunities waiting for you if you are walking about with the certificate because as said earlier, the people who are CCNA certified are mostly sought after by several companies around the globe. The opportunities are endless and the opportunities are golden. The CCNA jobs or rather the areas that you can work in include; network engineering, network administrating, Information Technology management, systems engineering and so many more and the CCNA salary is equally mouthwatering.

CCNA Salary

The average salary that is received by certified female goes from about $55,166 -$90,642 and that of a certified male range from about $53,514 – $89,797,

Getting the certification happens to be just icing on the cake, working to get the certification is where the real work shows up and this certification is not something that will just be handed over to you. You have to put in a whole lot of effort to get the certificate and the effort includes studying the right materials and practicing with the several practice questions on the internet. There is the CCNA study guide and CCNA boot camp that allows your insight on how to study, what to study and how many hours per day or days per week to spend studying. The exam is easy when you prepare for it, and getting the certification does not end at passing the examination – if you want to be employed and retain your employment you need to let your employer see that you are a hard worker and you won’t be slacking off every time their back is turned on you.

For ease of understanding I will outline a couple of steps that you can take to ensure a successful CCNA course.

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE:

To pass the examination with no hassle, you will need practical knowledge as much as you will need theoretical examination. You should know how to apply and be practical about the theoretical knowledge that you acquire.

GET THE PROPER STUDY MATERIALS:

The materials you study go a long way in determining the success rate of your exam. This means that if you study materials that do not have the right content you need, it will mean that when some questions come up you might have some difficulty answering them.

CCNA CERTIFICATION COST:

Required exams: Each CCNA specialization has a diverse exam requirement, as listed below. Exam costs: All CCNA exam cost listed above are $300 except for 200-125, which is $325, and the ICND1 and ICND2 exams at $165 each.

Pearson VUE is the authorized Cisco test delivery partner.

CCNA PRACTICE TEST:

This will give you an idea of how the examination will be, you will get used to the questioning system and you will be able to practice with the timing of the exam.

CONCLUSION

You might have heard it before that writing this exam is hard and getting the CCNA test is almost impossible, but what you need to understand is that it is just like an examination and it requires what any examination would require, maybe with a little more consistency and preparation. If you have had doubts about taking the exam before, it is time to do away with it and take the exam.