Are Cisco Certifications Still Essential for Network Engineers?

[SusanEmelia]

I've been contemplating my career path as a network engineer, and I wanted to get your thoughts on the relevance of Cisco certifications in today's dynamic tech landscape. I know Cisco has been a MyGreatLakes longstanding leader in networking, but with the evolving industry trends and the emergence of various technologies, I'm curious to know if Cisco certifications are still considered a must-have for network professionals. Your advice could really help me make an informed decision

[Blue_Bird]

Hello SusanEmelia,

1.Cisco is a market leader in the field of networking

Cisco Systems is a leader in the world of networking technology. It’s the company with the largest market share (55%) in enterprise network infrastructure, with solutions powering the networks that transport internet traffic. According to Cisco, nearly every internet connection in the UK touches Cisco technology in some way.

2. Cisco certifications are industry-recognised

Cisco certifications are among the most recognised IT and networking qualifications in the world. According to Reed, there are currently around a million students in 165 countries studying towards a Cisco certification.

3. Cisco certifications have numerous benefits, including:

Cisco CCNA covers a wide variety of topics, from networking and security fundamentals, to security basics, programmability and more; employers believe that Cisco certified employees are more valuable to their business, and that they are more knowledgeable than non-qualified employees; as a leader in the IT industry, Cisco is constantly refining its products. Becoming certified enables employees to keep up with the latest technology, boosting their career and salary prospects.

As you have mentioned earlier, since technology is evolving....accroding to that cisco has made changes to the existing Certifications and also introduced new Certifications like cloud based certifications.

To know the Certifications currently offered by Cisco....Please follow the link below:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en_ca/training-events/career-certifications.html

If want to know more about importance of Cisco Certifications:

https://www.netacad.com/careers/career-advice/certification-advice/why-get-cisco-certified

Best regards
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[ammahend]

Certification blueprint are good guide to track your learning topics, after that you can choose to write an exam or not, but the blueprint will certainly enhance your knowledge in a guided way.

[Richard Burts]

The OP asks if Cisco certifications are "essential". I believe that the answer may vary depending on where you are in your career path. If you have been employed in networking for some years then your work history establishes some credibility for you and the importance of certification diminishes. But if you are early in your career then the certification is more important in terms of establishing some credibility about your capabilities.

[David Ruess]

Hello,

I agree with @Richard Burts sentiment that it depends on where you are in your career and what you want to acheive. The answers can vary widely to this question as the famous saying goes...."it depends". Are you applying to a job where they only run Juniper....then your best bet is likely to get some Juniper certifications. I will say the CCNA at least is very good for overall knowledge. While it is a Cisco exam its "mostly" vendor neutral in terms of them removing EIGRP and other various Cisco specific technologies. It gives you a basic understanding and as @Blue_Bird mentions is industry recognized.

Cisco has many certification paths to kinda fit the mold your looking for and several different specializations (more than most other vendors in netwoking as I understand). So its definitely not going away anytime soon as they are creating more certifications for evolving technologies and constantly looking for ways ahead to the future of networking.

-David