If you have just had your CCNA certification or you are considering taking the exams and you are wondering if that will suffice for you to get hired in IT. What value does it hold, what are the job potentials, and the career paths defined by having the CCNA Certification? We shall explore some of these in this article. And suggest ways to make the most out of this certification.
A Few Things About The CCNA
The CCNA is by far the most widely demanded Certification for Networking jobs. this is not surprising as Cisco is the largest vendor for networking infrastructure. According to Statista, it covers 41 percent of the Global Enterprise networking infrastructure. As for direct job demand for the CCNA( in the US, February 2023) using data pulled from LinkedIn, there is an overwhelming preference for the CCNA when compared to other similar certifications.
The CCNA is also important in foundational skills in other IT niches such as CyberSecurity, Ethical Hacking, Clouds, etc. The CCNA is such an important certification to have.
IS CCNA CERTIFICATION ENOUGH TO GET ME HIRED?
Here is an important point to note, despite the huge demand for the CCNA and the value it commands within the IT industry, you will more likely need more than the certifications to get hired. The mistake will be to focus on certifications alone, rather than the knowledge that the CCNA certifies. Here is a helpful quote that sums up the role of any Certification
A certification doesn’t equal a job, it is hands-on experience that gets you hired in IT
There is a strong emphasis on hands-on experience when it comes to getting jobs in IT. You will typically be required to demonstrate some competence when it comes to hands-on experience. It is the skills that are important to the hiring manager and not just the certification.
WHAT VALUE DOES THE CCNA HOLD IN THE IT MARKETPLACE?
Here are some reasons why Cisco might be an invaluable Certification for you to get.
1. The Networking Market
It is a big deal to be certified by the biggest name in networking. As mentioned earlier, Cisco covers 41 percent of the global networking infrastructure, which is a huge chunk of the market. Huawei, its closest competitor is only 10 percent. This is probably one of the best reasons why Cisco’s CCNA is more or less the standard certification for a networking career. More companies are using Cisco devices, so it naturally makes the demand for people who have been trained in Cisco’s technology to have a better edge when it comes to skills demand.
The statistics do favor Cisco-based certification based on the sheer number of Cisco devices. you are less likely to adapt your training skills to accommodate other vendors when you have a CCNA certification. CCNA does prove invaluable based on the metric of market share by Cisco.
2. Job Demand for CCNA
Certifications aim to help you acquire a skill that will eventually lead to securing a job role. The CCNA seems to be one of the most in-demand certifications by Hiring managers (especially for networking-related positions). The Job demand for CCNA is astronomical, especially compared to other certifications that serve a similar role. A comparative jobs search on Linkedin as of Jan 2023 for the United States job market shows the following openings.
| Certification | Number of Job Posting |
| CCNA | 198,352 |
| CompTIA Network+ | 5,882 |
| Juniper | 3,986 |
| SolarWinds | 2,934 |
| Aruba | 2,357 |
Table showing the number of Job Opening for different IT Certification posted on Linkedin for the US, Jan 2023
These are the top networking certifications. CCNA demand accounts for over 90 percent of the job listing.
The CCNA also compares favorably with other high-in-demand IT certifications. Data from LinkedIn is shown in the table below.
| Certification | Number of Job Listing |
| Amazon Web Services | 126,152 |
| CISSP (Cybersecurity) | 51,852 |
| CAP (Data Science) | 29,109 |
| CEH | 15,313 |
Table showing the number of Job Opening for different IT Certification posted on Linkedin for the US, Jan 2023
3. The CCNA is Foundational in Building Many IT Paths
Information Technology is a broad discipline, and often you will have to specialize in a sub-niche within the industry. Niches like CyberSecurity, and Ethical Hacking have foundational level networking skills. Your CCNA will provide enough foundation for you to specialize in these areas.
Your knowledge of the CCNA will also help in understanding the deploying solutions in the Cloud (Amazon Web Services, Google Clouds, Microsoft Azure, DigitalOcean, etc.). The CCNA is definitely of value as regards building skills that can be applied in other niches in IT. This also accounts for the reason why the CCNA is in high demand for many entry-level and mid-level jobs.
Another beautiful thing about the CCNA is that is constantly being updated to meet the general trends in the industry. For example, Automation and Programmability are topics that are increasingly being emphasized in the course. Having a certification that does help fine-tune your skill with the growing trends is invaluable.
4. Salaries and Return On Investment
As mentioned earlier, the CCNA is a good certification for many entry-level to mid-level jobs in IT. The salaries are better or at least comparable to many similar certifications and university/college degrees. According to Glassdoor.com, the average salaries for some typical IT job roles for 2023 are as follows:
| Position | Salary (average US)$/Yr |
| IT Support Specialist | 54,550 |
| Network Specialist | 67,246 |
| Network Administrator | 72,858 |
| Network Engineer | 90,815 |
| Senior Network Engineer | 123,007 |
Considering that it typically takes only a few months to study and gain the skills that the CCNA provides (compared to the typical 3-5 years for a University degree) and the relatively low cost of training fees, therefore makes getting the CCNA certification a huge Return on Investment (ROI). It only costs $300 for the exam and many of the training materials are available free online.
CERTIFICATIONS GET YOU THROUGH THE DOOR
It is not uncommon for hiring managers to get a large pool of applications for each job role advertised. It becomes almost impractical to take a look at each application one by one. They often employ some automated process to sieve through the applications for some buzzwords and some minimum qualifications. Here is where your CCNA is very important. It gives you the opportunity to have a meeting with the hiring manager. What gets you a job is how well you are able to “sell” your value to your prospective employer, that value that you are likely to add to the company.
Get some HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE – SOME SUGGESTIONS
There is usually the dilemma that you need to get a job to gain some experience and at the same time, you need some experience to get the job. It is not strictly correct, there are a variety of options that can help you get some hands-on experience. Some options that are available include:
1. Internships(paid or unpaid) – Pay a visit to companies and offer to work for free. Chances are high that you will get an offer in a short while.
2. Volunteering Services – This can either be offline or online. You could volunteer to offer your skills at a local business shop, Worship/Community centers, Charities, etc. You can find some top online tech volunteer platforms at https://itcareerbits.com/tech-volunteers-opportunities-in-2023/)
3. Starting with smaller roles(even non-technical) and then ranking up.
4. Building Personal Projects – e.g. home labs with fairly used equipment purchased from Amazon.
5. Lab Simulations – Have a very robust hands-on experience with simulated lab environments using tools such as Packet tracer.
YOU WILL NEED NON-TECHNICAL SKILLS AS WELL.
Your day-to-day job role as an IT professional will also include a lot of non-technical skills. You will likely be working in a team that includes non-technical staff, Your communication skills (verbal and written) will be an asset. You must have some satisfactory interpersonal skills to get a job. Chances are, you will not be able to ace an interview with a hiring manager if you are poor at your non-technical skills. People will hire someone they can interact with, someone who is confident, someone who can manage his or her emotions as well as others(emotional intelligence), someone who can work in a team, who is willing to learn, and someone who is persuasive and can influence others.
WHAT ARE THE JOBS AVAILABLE FOR THE CCNA?
The CCNA is a certification that is suitable for both entry and many mid-level job positions. The CCNA certification with adequate practical knowledge can suffice to have a successful and rewarding career in IT. As mentioned earlier, the knowledge of the CCNA can be applied to support roles in other niches such as Cybersecurity, Ethical hacking, Clouds, Wireless Systems, etc. Some examples of Job roles that the CCNA is suitable for are as follows
1. Network Administrator/Engineer – Manages the network infrastructure of a company, assigns permissions, roles, etc.
2. Technical Support/ Help Desk – Support Services to both technical and non-technical staff within the company as well as outside clients.
3. Data Center Technician – Maintains and manages servers in an organization’s data center.
4. Wireless Engineer– Ensures optimal performance of a company’s internet access.
5. Network Security Specialist – Ensures that there are adequate security measures within a company’s infrastructure
6. Information Technology (IT) Manager – Plans and directs all activities within the IT department of an organization.
Summary
To summarize, here are the steps that are helpful
1. Get Cognitive knowledge through your CCNA Certification, it opens up a lot of opportunities to have a meeting with a hiring manager.
2. Get enough hands-on experience by working on projects (labs, volunteer services, personal projects, starting with smaller roles, etc)- that’s what you will demonstrate to hiring managers
3. Improve your non-technical skills and learn to interact with people. It takes a lot more than just technical skills to be successful in the IT industry.
CONCLUSION
It is reasonable to conclude that the CCNA is worth the effort and resources that it will cost to acquire. the CCNA is high in demand, almost always the first choice certification by hiring managers, particularly for networking jobs and related jobs, You will find the CCNA certification useful in building careers in niches such as Cybersecurity, Ethical Hacking, cloud platforms, etc. It also has a good return on investments and salaries are at competitive rates. The CCNA is certainly worth having.
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