CCNA Cert

[bboldt25]

I am in CCNA 3 right now,and will take 4 next semester. I will go for the certificate then. What are the chances of me getting a decent job after i finish...

[deddard]

Depends on your definition of 'decent'
CCNA certification (especially the latest version which includes a lot of the previous CCNP) is certainly looked on as a good start in the world of high-end networking, and is considered a bit overkill if you want to do general LAN administration, which means that if you have MCSA or similar you can generally skip the first rung of the ladder in smaller systems, and get a good foothold in larger systems.
If you intend to work in a cisco or network specific environment such as network design/consultancy you will be on the first step of a professional's salary - when you get to CCIE you will be able to command £45K and upwards. Generally CCNA in the UK usually gets around £25K (although you may need to get a bit of experience under your belt as well)

[bboldt25]

I am working at a fast food job right now, so I just wanted a better job than that,and i know you got to start somewhere to get experienced first. I live in Texas so hopefully there are a lot of jobs down here..

[jcnoernberg]

it's all about who you know, and getting your foot in the door! Don't be afraid to take a lower paying job that has potential to lead to something better in 5 years...

[Erik]

I was in a similiar position to you a few months ago. I just finished college with a degree in computer science, and had gotten my CCNA. Honestly I don't think it helped me get a job all that much, but it looks good on paper. The Cisco connection did help me get a few interviews an I probably could have gotten a job doing Cisco stuff, but got something else first. All I can really say is that while it doesn't hurt, real experience seemed to count for more from where I was sitting.

As already mentioned just getting your foot in the door at some company doing anything related to your desired career is a good first step. You need to look at where you could be in a few years, and not try to make the big money right out of school. If you get a low level position in a large company, and spend some free time hanging around with those that know more than you and learn the stuff you should be good.

[Variable]

I would say getting a job based on having a CCNA is about nil. High schools all over have been turning them out for years. I would focus on your education and getting some job experience. Jcnoernburg is also right on the money. In your area, right now, is a IT club full of total geeks, many of them are very well connected in the IT field. Join that club, attend the meetings, get more education, keep your eyes open for anyway to get real world experience, if you get a chance at a job, work your ass off and learn everything you can.

Sit down at your computer and start listing months and years for about the next three years. Figure out what you want to do in three years education and cert wise. Mark these milestones in your calendar. Start listing what you will do every month, weeks and then days to meet those goals. Be realistic as possible, only you know yourself. Map your future out in paper, set goals and write them down. Start focusing on those days and weeks. Focus on learning the information you are studying, attend the local meetings, talk to people and see what they do and how they did it. Stick to your plan man. That's my advice.

[juniper]

I see alot of people posting they just got there ccna and are trying to get into the IT arena, unfortunately getting the ccna first is the absolute wrong way to go in my opinion. almost all admin jobs will require MCSE/MCSA or CNE and the ccna is just a bonus cert as 99% of being an admin is administrating the servers and users, most small and medium businesses have little need for a full time cisco person. check monster.com and look at the listings that only require ccna, not many if any. getting your MCSA\MCSE will give you a way way way better chance of landing a job. the MCSE is also a flooded cert market as we had to resort to setting up labs during the hiring process since most where paper MCSE's (no experience) but you could easily land a starting admin or PC Tech job with it.

In the couple states Ive been to the CCNA is seen as a low level or additive network cert as it seems alot of people with little experience have it now like stated earlier it is taught in high school so to get into a full time cisco job you would need either alot of experience and the ccna and/or specialist certs or a CCNP (I cant imagine a paper CCNP these tests where pretty intense), we wont mention the CCIE except theres only like 15,000 people in the world certified at this level and only somewhere around 5000 in the US.

[ranjit jacob]

CCNA i would consider is good if u wanna really know the basics of networking...helps a lot but can just sit there with the CCNA Cert looking for job.will have to try out on other certifications also ...