[Black Quixote]

Hello All,

Stopping by to release one of four data sheets I'll be dropping over the course of the next few days to week. Youngmoneyglobal, Thomas The Rhymer, Elebayarde, etc. etc. inspired me to really over the past year, network and make connections with a more diverse array of businesses and people with an array of skills in different professions.

A little information:


I have been working closely with a large team of Cisco certified Architects (CCIE). These guys were always interesting to me, they seemed to really enjoy their job, and have lived all over the place. As time progressed I familiarized myself with them, received advice, and made a fair amount of them good friends.

They had been goading me to get certifications and get into the field, and I decided to begin studying and got my CCNA after I posted that thread awhile ago about "What certifications etc. etc. are good to have" I will be getting the rest within six months, as I have time to study and this is something that interests me.

So the thread?

I decided for the forum, I was going to interview these guys and compile the information I already had with their points of view into a data sheet, and just post it here for all those that are seeking a new career or an opportunity that has a bounty of options.

There are little hacks to this field in training, such as the fact that it would supposedly cost thousands and thousands to get quality training using racks, getting the workbooks, tests with answers etc. etc. when in reality there are a few companies that the ones who get hooked up used.

But, here is some information and any questions will be answered as soon as I can.


What is a basic description of each level of certification? What is The amount of time that is spent in order to get that level of certification (studying, and application wise)? What are the study materials most companies provide?

The cisco certifications start at ccna level , which is a beginners level , and is the first step in cisco networking . When you have some experience then you go for CCNP which is the next step and is more technical in nature. Usually CCNA can be done in about 1 month and basic TCP/IP knowledge is required.Then CCNP talks about routing protocols and hardware etc. Most companies have what is called a WorkBook , a number of step by step instuctions to follow .The Workbooks contains labs/scenarios which a student attempts on hardware/machines and gets knowledge as to how to do it.

How much does it cost to become certified at each level? What are the benefits and knowledge associated with each level? What job opportunities are available, both in the US and internationally in this field? How will it grow in the next 10-20 years do you think?

CCNA training usually costs about 200-300$ and the exam/certification costs about the same.

This level gets you familiarized with basic networking , how to connect to routers/switches etc and gets you prepared for some basic levels.
The job opportunities are at tech support level for beginners.

The growth opportunities are increasing everyday since the internet runs on about 80% of cisco hardware and its growing more everyday. As other countries grow technologically and begin using CISCO hardware, the job opportunities will increase as well. There is already a high demand for CCIE certified individuals for jobs that make between $100-$200k a year.

What is the general job description of being a networker? What sort of companies/industries hire people in these positions? What is the starting income and estimated potential income for each level?

What exactly is a rack?

At the top level of CCIE , you may be responsible for the whole network of companies like google, yahoo and any big net giant . You and your team trouble shoot new problems , test and maintain the network and provide failover solutions if one piece of the network fails .You are responsible for redundancy and firewalling the network. You are the last line of defense.
Starting salary of CCIE is around 120K in USA and across the globe similar scale is available .. and it jumps rapidly to 200K with a couple years experience under your belt. At the top level of CCIE , you are responsible for the whole network of companies like google, yahoo and any big net giant . you and your team trouble shoot new problems , test and maintain the network and provide failover solutions if one piece of the network fails , you are responsible for redundancy and firewalling the network. You are the last line of defense.

Starting salary of CCIE is around 120K in USA and across the globe similar scale is available if not higher, and it jumps rapidly to 200K with a couple years experience under your belt.

What's the average work day like?

A CCIE networking expert usually maintains the network and monitors most of the times ..unless there is an installation ..then he/she flies to where the install needs to be done and configures everything as per specs.

What are the hours like?

It Varies. if its a maintenance role then 9-5 , if its during installations/trouble shooting then sleepless nights.

What is it like working for a company as a networker, is there respect, is it leisurely?

Amazing work environment at this level, people are friendly, there are perks with time put in, and you make some interesting connections if you are willing to put yourself out there and not be the "weird techy guy".

What exactly is CISCO?

Cisco is the company which is the backbone of what we know as INTERNET
any information leaving your machine to go to any other part of the world goes through more cisco routers/switches than any other brand hardware.

That's all for now folks, this is the first part. If you need recommendations for the best companies for training and to cut your costs and time for training, racks and practice, I will PM you, or just post the recs here if a few people ask.

Read This Too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cisco_Caree...ifications

Cheers.

[OSL]

Good info.

I am liking all of these threads lately about "how to get into this type of career/job as quickly as possible and set yourself up for a while with a steady-ish career"

[Black Quixote]

I am also, hence why I decided throw in some information myself. This is a pretty open field and there is a lot of room for anyone that is looking to be able to find jobs all over. I have connections with companies that are practically begging for Architects. And those are as I said 100k+ a year positions.

[R Smoov]

We've spoken earlier about this.

We gonna make this year and the next. It's fucking macaroni time. Especially when my dumbass gets back in uni.



RVF we got this.

[Cattle Rustler]

Great post, I've been wondering whether I should do CCNA/Networking Admin or Front-End.

Quick questions for you OP:

1 - What is the starting salary for an entry level CCNA?

2 - What's the best route: Self study or courses at a community college?

Thanks

[FunctionalPsycho]

Please do post articles on how to quickly prepare for CCNA. Is there work in this field as a freelancer/consultant as I don't want to be tied under a company.

[Cattle Rustler]

(07-27-2013 02:14 AM)FunctionalPsycho Wrote:  

Please do post articles on how to quickly prepare for CCNA. Is there work in this field as a freelancer/consultant as I don't want to be tied under a company.

There are part-time gigs in the US that pay well, 15-20/hr, the same goes for consulting but you need to establish a reputation first.

You could try freelance......and battle it out with the Indians/Sri Lankans who are willing to work for cheap.

https://www.elance.com/r/contractors/q-CCNA

Edit: AntiTrace - It depends, it used to take 18 months from 0 back in the day...now it takes a couple of years according to a Google search.

Also, many people repeat this over and over in the results experience trumps education

[AntiTrace]

What would the timeline look like for someone going from basic computer knowledge to a CCIE?

[Pacesetter20]

CCNA/CCNP and Security+ are the most common certifications required by contractor Net Admin/Engineer jobs for the Military.

[Black Quixote]

Cattle Rustler:
1.CCNA: roughly $3k a month, CCNP: Roughly $5k a month, CCIE: $10k a month
2. It depends on your learning style honestly. There are a variety of routes to take toward getting certified, whether private companies that specialize in training, community college, or self study. What are you asking the best way, the cheapest, the best education/preparation?

FunctionalPsycho: There are independent opportunities, but the benefits of sticking with a company for however long in my opinion outweighs the freelance opps. Though, being a contractor is a different story.

Anti-Trace: If you are CCNA with basic networking knowledge and a bit of experience, study hard, I've seen it done in six months.

[billbudsocket]

I have the CCNA cert but haven't ever used it. At the time I had access to some cisco routers and an exam cram book and studied for about a month to pass the test. I think this would be a good cert to have on one's resume if you wanted to do general network admin work.

[sonoran_]

Had to Bump this thread...

How is the industry currently? I have zero experience with computers or IT but this one guy on twitter told me to check out CCNA. I did some research for local jobs in Alberta, Canada and there are not too many plus they require experience.

Is there still a lot of upwards potential by gaining certifications and such?
Whats salary pathway such as for a CCNA to a CCNP to above?

[bluejun]

The CCNA field is oversaturated in my view. So called mini-bootcamps and classes have been pushing it out to lure starving folks with no IT background or education with a promise of easy 3-4k/month salary with just 5-7 days of training. You need to have some educational background and work experience to supplement your CCNA certificate to have any competitive advantage in the field. I would say someone who's recently earned his CCNA cert with no IT background is lucky to get a job at a IT support/call center for $12/hr.

(03-20-2017 03:58 PM)sonoran_ Wrote:  

Had to Bump this thread...

How is the industry currently? I have zero experience with computers or IT but this one guy on twitter told me to check out CCNA. I did some research for local jobs in Alberta, Canada and there are not too many plus they require experience.

Is there still a lot of upwards potential by gaining certifications and such?
Whats salary pathway such as for a CCNA to a CCNP to above?

[sonoran_]

(03-20-2017 11:07 PM)bluejun Wrote:  

The CCNA field is oversaturated in my view. So called mini-bootcamps and classes have been pushing it out to lure starving folks with no IT background or education with a promise of easy 3-4k/month salary with just 5-7 days of training. You need to have some educational background and work experience to supplement your CCNA certificate to have any competitive advantage in the field. I would say someone who's recently earned his CCNA cert with no IT background is lucky to get a job at a IT support/call center for $12/hr.

(03-20-2017 03:58 PM)sonoran_ Wrote:  

Had to Bump this thread...

How is the industry currently? I have zero experience with computers or IT but this one guy on twitter told me to check out CCNA. I did some research for local jobs in Alberta, Canada and there are not too many plus they require experience.

Is there still a lot of upwards potential by gaining certifications and such?
Whats salary pathway such as for a CCNA to a CCNP to above?

Damn, thanks boss. It's so hard to find a career pathway. Do you know if theres a way to supplement the CCNA with something else which might make someone more competitive at an entry level?

[bluejun]

You should try to take some IT classes toward some IT certificate at a local community college first and see that's something you want to do first. You might have to start from the bottom like work at help desk and call center and move your way up. A lot of low level IT support positions have been outsourced to India and big corporations have been importing shit ton of Indians through the h1b work visa program. If you want some serious start, you really need get a real hard computer science degree from a 4 year school. From what I hear, getting certified in CCNA got a lot harder and it's something you need to keep yourself updated constantly. If you have a government security clearance and CCNA certification, life would be a lot easier and a lot more doors will be open for you.

(03-21-2017 03:21 PM)sonoran_ Wrote:  

(03-20-2017 11:07 PM)bluejun Wrote:  

The CCNA field is oversaturated in my view. So called mini-bootcamps and classes have been pushing it out to lure starving folks with no IT background or education with a promise of easy 3-4k/month salary with just 5-7 days of training. You need to have some educational background and work experience to supplement your CCNA certificate to have any competitive advantage in the field. I would say someone who's recently earned his CCNA cert with no IT background is lucky to get a job at a IT support/call center for $12/hr.

(03-20-2017 03:58 PM)sonoran_ Wrote:  

Had to Bump this thread...

How is the industry currently? I have zero experience with computers or IT but this one guy on twitter told me to check out CCNA. I did some research for local jobs in Alberta, Canada and there are not too many plus they require experience.

Is there still a lot of upwards potential by gaining certifications and such?
Whats salary pathway such as for a CCNA to a CCNP to above?

Damn, thanks boss. It's so hard to find a career pathway. Do you know if theres a way to supplement the CCNA with something else which might make someone more competitive at an entry level?

[General Stalin]

CCNA is an entry-level networking cert, and is also much less valued today than it was 4 years ago when this thread was started.

That said, if you want to move up the ladder in the Networking field, thats where you have to start.

You're best course of action would be to get in the door to some tech company as an intern and/or tier-1 helpdesk personnel that will pay to have you trained and certified. No money out of your pocket and they will provide you all the material (and pay your to study essentially). I say this also because experience is worth more than certs in this industry. You could have all kinds of pieces of paper but a company is going to look more favorably on someone who has years of experience working in the field over someone with mere paper knowledge. By getting into a gig that will pay to have you trained then you get both.

Network Architect is the top-end unless you go into management and become a CIO/CTO or something along those lines. $200k a year for such a job in a better sized company is normal, but it's a long road. That said, every company out there needs networking, and if you get good and experienced enough then the best route maybe going unto consulting where you can go into a customer's network and bill $200/hr to set shit up/troubleshoot/maintain their environment.

[NewMeta]

(03-22-2017 12:15 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

CCNA is an entry-level networking cert, and is also much less valued today than it was 4 years ago when this thread was started.

That said, if you want to move up the ladder in the Networking field, thats where you have to start.

You're best course of action would be to get in the door to some tech company as an intern and/or tier-1 helpdesk personnel that will pay to have you trained and certified. No money out of your pocket and they will provide you all the material (and pay your to study essentially). I say this also because experience is worth more than certs in this industry. You could have all kinds of pieces of paper but a company is going to look more favorably on someone who has years of experience working in the field over someone with mere paper knowledge. By getting into a gig that will pay to have you trained then you get both.

Network Architect is the top-end unless you go into management and become a CIO/CTO or something along those lines. $200k a year for such a job in a better sized company is normal, but it's a long road. That said, every company out there needs networking, and if you get good and experienced enough then the best route maybe going unto consulting where you can go into a customer's network and bill $200/hr to set shit up/troubleshoot/maintain their environment.

Ill confirm this, I got a CCNA to get me in industry but since then I've had to certify with much more companies just for our company to stay relevant in the market, for example just at an entry level I have certs in Cisco, Juniper, IBM and Palo Alto. Those are just what we needed to support certain clients, there are other competing companies with just as relevant certs.

Also there is a huge Brain Dump industry, for those that dont know people will go into exams and remember questions, compile them in a pdf complete with answers and sell it online. How exactly they do it depends, there are a few methods.

Because of these two reasons companies are more skeptical of certs, in my company for example we have a dude who has the highest creditation in Juniper, however in practise the lad cant even troubleshoot basic MPLS routing issues. We can't sack him though, cause he looks good on paper and that will help get you client contracts when you apply for them.

That said I also use brain dumps, is it wrong, yes, but seriously every company is doing it right now. When the difference between getting a client contract and losing it is a couple of shitty mid tier creditations with a new OS, you best believe companies are just going to try fast track their engineers in any way possible to get these and look better on paper.

[Uhondo]

NewMeta,

Nearly everyone in the industry uses dumps. Its not ethical, but its a necessity especially when starting out. Once one has the fundamentals locked in, and with time accrues experience, the dumps become less necessary. Having said that, its vital to understand the basic concepts, and fundamental certs such as the CCNA and MCSE are very instructive because once you grasp the basics, moving on to other vendor equipment becomes a lot easier. So, to the guys asking:

-Master the fundamentals (you could self study, or attend classes). Try not to take shortcuts because it will definitely catch up with you at some point. CCNA is great for fundamentals.
-Choose a speciality
-Once there gain some experience. You could do so while studying for CCNA/JNCA
-Move on to more advanced courses. Professional level.
-Accumulate a lot of experience. A CCIE is no walk in the park.

But remember this: These certs are no longer as valuable as they once were, plus they are only valid for a couple of years.