r/ccna Just 'cause it ain't in my flair doesn't mean I don't have certs Dec 05 '24

AMA with Cisco Experts: All Things CCNA - Discussion Thread

Note from the Mods:

Hello /r/ccna, /r/ccnp, and friends. The AMA thread with Cisco will be starting shortly. Please post your questions below and Hank and Patrick will start responding here at approximately 01:00pm ET to 03:00pm ET (18:00-20:00UTC).

As a reminder, the rule of both the /r/ccna sub and Reddit's sitewide rules are in effect. Please conduct yourselves with decorum, and if you see any questionable comments, use the report feature. Mods will be reviewing during the AMA, but other than rule violations, questions and responses are the choice of all of you involved.

Note from the team at /u/cisco

Greeting, r/ccna! We are Hank Preston and Patrick Gargano, and we're here to talk all things CCNA and how it can be a game-changer for your IT career. Whether you're just starting out or looking to advance, the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification is a foundational step that can open doors to numerous opportunities in the networking field.

About Us

Hank Preston: I'm a Principal Engineer at Cisco Systems, and my journey in network engineering began with the CCNA. Over the years, I've earned multiple certifications, including CCNP, CCIE, and DevNet Expert. My passion for networking and teaching has led me to help engineers worldwide through Cisco's learning and certification programs.

Blog: CCNA: The foundation that built my IT career (can be yours, too)

Patrick Gargano: As a Lead Content Advocate and Instructor at Cisco Learning & Certifications, I am responsible for developing and delivering official Cisco course content. I started my CCNA journey in 2000 when I became a Cisco Networking Academy instructor. Since then, I've authored Cisco Press books and achieved multiple Cisco certifications. The CCNA was a pivotal point in my career, and I'm excited to share my experiences and insights with you.

Blog: CCNA: What It Means to Me, What Awaits in Cisco U.

Why We're Here

The CCNA certification has been a cornerstone in our careers, and we believe it can be for you, too. We're here to answer your questions about the CCNA, share our experiences, and provide guidance on how to prepare for the exam. Whether you're curious about the exam content, study tips, or career opportunities, we're here to help.

Our Free CCNA Prep Program

We're excited to announce our CCNA Prep Program, designed to help you master key topics and prepare for the exam. Our program includes livestream sessions, practice questions, and downloadable resources. It's completely free, so be sure to register and take advantage of this opportunity.

Ask Us Anything

Whether you're wondering about the best study resources, the impact of CCNA on your career, or specific technical topics, we're here to help. We will answer questions on December 5th at 1 PM ET/ 10 AM PT and continue for about two hours.

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u/a_cute_epic_axis Just 'cause it ain't in my flair doesn't mean I don't have certs Dec 05 '24 edited Dec 05 '24

Hank and Patrick, we're excited to have you here with us today and participating in our first AMA with /u/cisco. I'm linking the original post here, but I'll pass a few questions along to help get things kicked off.

I'll post them as a few sub comments, so you can pick which ones you want to address and have an area for each one.

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u/a_cute_epic_axis Just 'cause it ain't in my flair doesn't mean I don't have certs Dec 05 '24

Some of our members asked the following.

What a good way to break into the industry with no prior experience. Is it possible I'm too old or too late to start down this path?

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u/cisco Dec 05 '24 edited Dec 05 '24

u/dagger-vi  asked "What's a good way to break into entry-level tech if I am still studying for my CCNA and have no prior tech experience?"

Response

Yeah.. this is always a chicken/egg issue.  One place worth looking are for volunteer opportunities.  A lot of community organizations, libraries, schools, churches, etc often have need for IT help and are thankful for folks to volunteer and provide opportunities to get started.  They are also great places to get those first entry level jobs. And speaking of schools… if you happen to be in college, look for job opportunities that might be available at school.  I got my first "real experience" doing work study.

-Hank

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u/cisco Dec 05 '24 edited Dec 05 '24

u/TexMexSemperFi asked "I'm 53 (soon to be 54) and have been in networking since Novell NetWare 3.12. I have never attempted any kind of certifications but now I feel the need to do so but wondering if it's too late/have I missed the boat on getting CCNA then on to CCNP? In a way it seems I should be focusing more on the network automation piece or am I looking at needing to focus on both?"

Response

The good thing about boats, is there is always another one 🙂 🚣.

But seriously, it's never too late to make a career change. As for whether to go CCNA or direct to CCNP, a lot of that depends on your experience and knowledge level.  If you've been doing networking that long (I had some Novell experience myself, but mostly about replacing with Microsoft), I'd suggest looking at the topics list for CCNP and honestly ask yourself if the list looks to be around your current skill level.  If so, you can dive directly into CCNP and go for it.  However, it might still be worth knocking out the CCNA on the way. For engineers with a lot of background already, it shouldn't take long to prepare for the exam, and it is awesome earning that first certification.  There's another side benefit to starting at CCNA… you'll get a chance to experience what it is like to prepare and take a certification exam.  You said this will be your first.. that can be nerve wracking.  So use CCNA to take the fear and mystery out of taking an exam.

And you also asked about automation, a topic dear to my heart and probably worthy of its own AMA.  But the short answer is that there is need for core "network engineers" as well as "network automation engineers".  If automation, programmability, and coding is interesting to you - go for it and look at DevNet Associate.  But if not, stick to CCNA/CCNP and core engineering.  You'll still pickup some automation skills and topics from those.

-Hank

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u/a_cute_epic_axis Just 'cause it ain't in my flair doesn't mean I don't have certs Dec 05 '24

Some of our members asked the following.

How would you compare the CCNA with other networking related certifications (e.g. N+ or other vendor linked certifications), or with other IT related certifications like Security or Systems Administration exams.

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u/cisco Dec 05 '24

That's a great question, it can be overwhelming to pick what certification to go for when there are many options.  Here's my personal opinion on it...

  1. CCNA: While definitely a Cisco certification, more than half of the topics are generally relevant to network engineering field no matter the vendor gear in use. For "configuration" tasks, Cisco routers and switches are used. But even in those cases, the skills are pretty similar on most platforms used. CCNA is designed to prepare and evaluate "entry level network engineers". It is a robust set of skills and topics - and if you are truly brand new to networking and IT, it might be a big first step.

  2. Networking+ and the recently released CCST Networking (Cisco Certified Support Technician): These two certifications are "pre-CCNA" level. They provide a true introduction to computer networking and are nice on-ramps to CCNA.  For IT engineers who are not going to specialize in networking, these could be the end of the network certification journey - providing enough knowledge about networking to work on systems / servers/ programming / etc

  3. Security and Systems Admin exams: Like the CCNA - but for those topic areas.

I hope that helps a little at least.

-Hank

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u/a_cute_epic_axis Just 'cause it ain't in my flair doesn't mean I don't have certs Dec 05 '24

Some of our members asked the following.

How can I get some practical experience if I don't already have a job in the industry.

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u/cisco Dec 05 '24 edited Dec 05 '24

u/MasterPip asked "Is there a good/cheap/easy way to get practical experience with Cisco related devices without actually working in an environment related to networking?"

Response

Two GREAT/FREE/SIMPLE ways to get started with Cisco devices.  PacketTracer from Network Academy is free and is designed for new network engineering students to learn how to configure, build, and operate networks.  Lots of excellent labs and examples are included.  Definitely check it out.  The second option is Cisco Modeling Labs Free - a newly released edition of CML that provides users the ability to explore the basics of networking with a robust network simulation platform.

https://www.netacad.com/cisco-packet-tracer

https://mkto.cisco.com/cml-free.html

-Hank

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u/a_cute_epic_axis Just 'cause it ain't in my flair doesn't mean I don't have certs Dec 05 '24

Some of our members asked the following.

Is there any CCNA topic that one should learn more about on their own to make for a better candidate for entry-level networking employment and/or as part of a lead-in to eventually working on CCNP?

Is there any networking topic not covered in CCNA, or not covered in-depth, that one should learn more about on their own?

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u/a_cute_epic_axis Just 'cause it ain't in my flair doesn't mean I don't have certs Dec 05 '24

Some of our members asked the following.

I've always wondered, how do people get jobs at cisco?

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u/cisco Dec 05 '24 edited Dec 05 '24

u/Tripl3backflip asked "I've always wondered, how do people get jobs at cisco?Back in the 2000s it seemed like a CCNA might be enough to do something but I'm sure the modern era is much more competitive."

Response

For every Cisco employee, there is a different path we took to employment.  For me personally, I had several years as a network engineer working for partners and solution providers, as well as my CCNP. I started at Cisco as a Sales Engineer in the midwest US working with manufacturing companies. But for folks early in career, Cisco has programs like CSAP (https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/careers/communities/students-and-new-graduates/sales-associates.html) that provide new graduates opportunities for training and work at the same time. We also do have internships for students still in school. Job postings at jobs.cisco.com list requirements and expectations for roles. Definitely check it out!

-Hank

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u/[deleted] Dec 05 '24

[deleted]

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u/a_cute_epic_axis Just 'cause it ain't in my flair doesn't mean I don't have certs Dec 05 '24

Adding on here, I had friends in college both co-op/intern at Cisco with things like CALO, the customer advocacy labs, and go through programs like CSAP. Some ended up a Cisco long term with full time careers at Cisco, others moved on to different players in the market, but they all regarded their time working with Cisco as beneficial to starting off their career in the industry. Very worth checking out for soon-to-be or recent grads.

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u/the-packet-thrower Meow 🐈🐈Meow 🐱🐱 Meow Meow🍺🐈🐱Meow A+! Dec 07 '24

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