Is CCNA The Right Career Choice?

As a first step towards an IT career, you are on the right track in the current climate. The CCNA program offers you a good foundation for some basics and prepares you for a long-term career.

Cisco is still the "big dog" in data networks today and is more likely to get their first jobs with a Cisco certification on his resume. You are now making the right choice.

In the coming years, however, I doubt that Cisco certifications will also dominate. I have given up my own Cisco certifications so I can spend time on new skills like GCP / AWS, Linux and programming.

My advice is that you should learn as much as possible whenever you can. You learn new technologies for the rest of your career. Your CCNA is only the first step on this path and you will have to learn a lot more in the future. Most of them have no curriculum or test.

For example, learning Linux is not taught in 40 hours of lessons and a few additional hours of self-study.

In college education, Cisco has spent large sums to provide course resources for teachers and institutions. This saves money and makes it easier for educational institutions to offer a course from a recognized source.

Of course, Cisco has a group of graduates who will be interested in leveraging what they learn, which is good for selling other Cisco products. (From a psychological point of view, this is called exposure bias: you like what you know.)

At the same time, the market is changing and Cisco is not growing with it. AWS / GCP / Azure manages the public cloud network. There is security and surveillance where Cisco is not a leader. This is not a negative, it is a reality. Keep an eye on market developments and adjust your career. Change direction as needed.

If you're surrounded by Cisco technology and Cisco-based career opportunities, go for it. Cisco is a successful company and has a strong presence in the company. You could have a solid career if you followed this path for many years. Be careful and evaluate your decisions regularly.

Remember, the goal is to make money so you can live your life. It doesn't matter what type of technology you use. It is the networking that has occupied you for several decades.

Read more: CCNA Jobs Near me