Introduction

Cisco is a global leader in manufacturing, developing and selling telecommunications hardware, networking products, and other high-tech services. Besides, it offers some of the best certifications to individuals who intend to build their career in the networking sector. The certifications it offers fall into 5 levels: Entry (CCENT), Associate (CCDA/CCNA), Professional (CCDP/CCNP), Expert (CCDE/CCIE) and recently introduced Architect (CCAr). In this article, we will focus on the first four levels.

Cisco certifications are designed to ensure that individuals can develop their skills gradually from entry level to expert level and keep pace with the evolving networking sector adopting new generation technologies. Therefore, Cisco offers candidates a variety of certifications of different levels in such categories as routing and switching, cybersecurity, data center, service provider, design, collaboration, wireless, and cloud.

Now, let’s take a look at the first four levels of Cisco Certifications in detail:

·         Entry level

CCENT or Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician is for individuals looking for their first job in networking and willing to build a strong foundation for their future career. The domains available in this level are Routing and Switching (R&S), Industrial/IoT, Security, Wireless and Design. To get this credential, candidates need to pass 100-105 ICND1 exam.

This exam tests the ability of the candidates to install, maintain and troubleshoot a small enterprise branch network. Additionally, it also tests their ability to provide security to the network. The test holds great importance for individuals who are interested in the associate-level CCNA credentials.

The CCENT certified individuals become eligible for some specific job roles like Network Engineer, System Administrator, and Network Technician and can earn up to $66,210 per year. However, we recommend a certified individual not to stop at this level but to build new skills and achieve higher level certifications.

·         Associate Level

CCNA or Cisco Certified Network Associate is for professionals who are willing to prosper and increase their value in the industry. The certification validates your ability to install and troubleshoot wireless and wired networks. The CCNA Routing and Switching is the most popular certification of this level. So, we are going to illustrate the level using the CCNA R&S credential.

The CCNA R&S certification tests your skills to operate devices or to work with the medium-sized networks. To get thiscredential, candidates need to pass 100-105 ICND1 and 200-105 ICND2 exams. Though, it is possible to become CCNA R&S certified without the CCENT, if you take a composite 200-125 test.

The CCNA R&S certified professionals are eligible for applying for the CCNP R&S credential which is of higher level and for several job opportunities like IT Manager, Senior Network Engineer, and Network Administrator. These advanced job positions offer a better salary. Thus, according to PayScale website the annual salary of the CCNA certified specialists is about $75,000. Earning any Cisco credential of the associate level requires hard work but the benefits worth it.

·         Professional Level

The CCNP or Cisco Certified Network Professional is a level for competitive IT professionals and contains more complex topics in the syllabus than the lower level certifications. So, if you set the goal to advance your skills in routing and switching, the CCNP R&S credential is right for you. In order to obtain it, you need to pass three tests: 300-135 TSHOOT, 300-101 ROUTE, and 300-115 SWITCH. These exams ensure that you are fully prepared to perform tasks related to wide-area enterprise networks.

Cisco is a highly professional company that can’t risk sending inexperienced candidates to the job market. Therefore, candidates must have a CCNA certification to qualify for the CCNP level and work extremely hard to pass the exams. A CCNP certified individual is eligible for job positions like Network Engineer, Solution Architect, and Network Administrator and can earn up to $121,586 per year. That’s why it is a great certification to earn if you want to pursue your dream networking job.

·         Expert Level

The CCIE or Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert is the uppermost level of certification offered by Cisco. Earning any of the certifications of this level can help you achieve the most prestigious positions in the IT sector. Candidates need to pass two exams a written test and a lab exam to earn the CCIE certification. Thus, the CCIE R&S credential verifies your skills to complete tasks that deal with complex network infrastructure. To become a network engineer of the expert-level, you have to pass a two-hour 400-101 written exam and an eight-hour Lab exam. After that, you can earn annually about $122,000 according to PayScale website.

Passing the CCIE exams is not an easy task and only experienced and hard-working professionals are able to do that. But if you earn a certification of this level, you will become eligible for some of the most popular job positions of IT sector like Network Architect and Senior System Engineer.

Preparing for Cisco Certifications using ExamSnap

ExamSnap is the perfect website to get study materials to prepare for different certification exams. Here you’ll find a great collection of instructor-led training courses and study guides for various certification exams. In addition, this great online platform is a large provider of the most valid and updated exam dump. The files it offers are available in vce format. Practicing is important for candidates, and ExamSnap offers you the opportunity through their VCE Player to do that efficiently. This VCE Software gives you almost the real exam experience and helps you manage your time. ExamSnap web is managed by a team of experts who ensure that you have access to updated information. We recommend you to visit this website and use the resources found on it for your preparation.

Conclusion

The Cisco certification program is specially designed for individual’s interest in advancing their IT skills. The certifications offered by this globally recognized vendor come with numerous benefits such as better pay, global recognition, and important job positions. To become certified, you need to pass two or more exams, and ExamSnap comes in handy to assist you in your preparation. Note, that with Cisco certifications, your skills will be relevant and you can always find a job in a reputable company. Wish you good luck!