Making a career out of Cisco network design

[meliodes]

Hi. I'll get straight to it.

I want to be the guy that people go to when they don't yet have a network in place. I want to design the network from scratch for the customer. I understand that the CCENT>CCDA>CCDP>CCDE path is designed for this purpose.

I was watching one of CBT Nuggets' CCENT (ICND1 100-105) videos recently, where Jeremy (at the time a CCIE R&S) shared his experience with being consulted for having a network designed and implented from scratch. In brief, he explained that being asked to design a network was an entirely different situation from having to operate on an existing one. Which leads me to ask the following question:

I work on the IT service desk and am studying for my CCENT right now. Once I get this certificate, I can continue on to either CCNA or CCDA, since they both share the same prerequisite of CCENT. Keeping in mind that my primary interest is in network design, is it okay for me to just go straight into the CCDA>CCDP>CCDE path?

Thanks much for your insight, and if you have personal experience on the matter or are familiar with somebody else's similar situation, please do share. Again, thanks.

[Leo Laohoo]

No one will let anyone "design" a very expensive network if the designer does not have a job or the experience.  

Look at this forum, we routinely see staff from reputable (and very expensive) "body shops" ask some of the most basic networking question.  

[carstenlymann1]

I agree with Leo. 

CCDA and CCDP has been retired. So thats not an option.

But even if they werent i would say go CCNA first, then CCDA, then CCNP, then CCDP. Also its not possible to design what you do not know, and know really well. Jeremy has many years of experience. So get your CCENT. Start working on the CCNA right after. And then at some point you problably need to get a network administrator -> engineer job, to get a lot of experience. 

[Joseph W. Doherty]

If being a high level network designer is your goal, go for it!

"Greenfield" designs are often quite different, often because you can incorporate current state-of-the-art rather than keep decades old technology still working.

However, do realize this is like wanting to be an astronaut, movie star, CEO, etc.  I.e. not "impossible", but often very, very difficult.

Also, there's much more to be selected to be "the" lead designer/architect than technical expertise in a particular field.  "Politics", "salesmanship" and other issues come into play too, to obtain and remain in such high level positions.  (BTW try very much to avoid "I told you so", as it makes you very unpopular, when you predict design issues that may or will create later issues, and such happens.)