You Need to Read This Before Getting a CCNA Certification

Whether by accident or by design, Cisco Systems has become quite successful in creating a demand for its career certification that continues to prove to be desired and sought after by many companies.

Why Get A CCNA Certification?

Outside of the fact that Cisco Systems has one of the largest market shares in the internetworking hardware vertical, earning a CCNA certification tells a potential employer that you’re the right person to build, configure and maintain their network.

Need a better reason? According to recent report released by Forrester Consulting, there is a growing and persistent need for talent with networking skills to serve multiple functions in the IT space. This study suggested the following growth trends:

  1. 36% of the companies interviewed have a dedicated wireless role now, but 66% of the organizations profiled expected to have this specialist job role in the next 5 years.
  2. 80% of companies surveyed expect IT Security job roles will be prevalent in their companies in the next 5 years (compared to 46% today).
  3. 40% of the companies polled have a dedicated voice specialist role, but this is expected to increase to 69% within 5 years.

Typical Job Roles For Certified CCNA Professionals

Here are some of the common job roles that would consider the CCNA certification a pre-requisite:

  • Wireless support specialist
  • WLAN project manager
  • Security engineers focused on wireless networks
  • Wireless technician/support technicians
  • Network administrator
  • System Analyst
  • Network Support Professional
  • Network Engineer
  • Network Technician
  • Support Engineer
  • Systems Engineer
  • Network Consultant
  • Cisco Technology Trainer
  • Technical Support Engineer

What Can I Expect To Earn As A CCNA?

Obviously the answer to this question depends on a lot of factors—variables like real world experience, tenure and where you reside to name a few, but CCNA certification can provide a significant advantage in the technology market.

With that said, here are some statistics:

  1. According to Payscale.com, a CCNA certification would yield a median annual salary of between 50,000 to 84,000 depending on job role.
  2. That an internetworking professional with 10+ years, can expect to earn a median annual salary of 80,000.
  3. That CCNA professional would receive greater financial rewards in the healthcare/hospital vertical (as a contract CCNA professional, you could expect to earn a median annual salary of 68,000).
  4. That your income opportunities increase with the size of the company you work for.

* Source: Payscale.com

Employment Prospects For Certified CCNA Professionals

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment prospects for computer support specialists and systems administrators is expected to increase by 18 percent from 2006 to 2016, which is much faster than the average for most occupations.

For active job listings for those that have the CCNA certification, please check out Indeed.com or JuJu.com.

H. Scott Miller is a learning consulting professional, National Account Manager for MLT/Instructing Technologies and he specializes in assisting individuals and companies with their Cisco certified training requirements nationwide.

To learn more about how I can assist you or your organization with its Cisco and other industry recognized certification preparation and/or knowledge-based training and learning objectives, feel free to CONTACT ME.

Author: H. Scott Miller
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Pressure cooker

Related posts:

  1. What Are the CCNA Certification Requirements?
  2. Cisco CCNA Certification – About CCNA Certification Training And Exam
  3. Cisco and Microsoft Network Certification – CCNA, CCNP, CCIE, MCTS, MCITP, MCSE, CISSP
  4. Requirements For Obtaining CCNA Certification
  5. What Certification Should You Pursue After The CCNA?