Regarding CCNA Routing & Switching certification.

Question

Hi,
Benefits of CCNA Routing & Switching Certifications ?
What are the companies that will look for the certifiied candidates ?
How will this certification enhance my career and as well as pay ?
Can i consider this certfication just like our university certificates ?
What type of recognization we will have with the help of this certification?
Please input all of your views. I'm just in a confused state and getting all of these quesiton in my mind.
Regards,
Chandu

Answer 1

I can throw my two cents in as well
I believe when certifications were first introduced, it was a way for employers to "know" they are interviewing with someone who has experience in the field that their certification was in. In the early 90s, I remember seeing so many people drop out of school because bootcamps promised them they would make more money in six weeks of training than they would with a four year degree. Then employers started to ask for four-year degrees along with certifications. And finally, four-year degrees, certifications, and experience. I believe this is partly to blame for the big boom in online education....but, I digress.
I agree with everyone else on here about certifications are not necessary. But, I do believe they help. If a potential employer is looking through resumes and they come across yours, a CCNA on your resume would have you stand out quicker than a person with a four-year degree in MIS. Why do I believe that? Because, as devils_advocate mentioned, CCNA is focused, and it's assumed that if you put the time/effort into that certification, then you obviously know what path you're going to go down. The MIS degree is more broad, and an employer, from that degree, may not know what your focuses are on.
Personally, I would guard against one thing as I've run into this many times in my own career. Certification paths require you to takes tests that are in a track. Sometimes, those tracks have tests on subjects that you may never come across in the real world. That being said, you may apply for a position someone could be advertising for only to find out that it's heavily focused on the area of your certification that you've never had real experience in. For example, I had my MCSE back in the 90s. My "finishing" exam was Exchange 5.0. I was a consultant that managed other peoples networks and was basically a "jack of all trades" if you will. The problem was that I didn't have any real experience with Exchange until one client, a quite large one, called in needing help. The company I worked for stated that they had a certified Exchange administrator on staff and I could be out there pretty quick. Long story short, it was Exchange 2000 and they were two very different beasts. It took me quite a while to figure out what the issue was, but long story short, I didn't have enough real world experience with something that I was certified in. I'm pretty sure all of us at one time in this industry has experienced being in these uncomfortable situations at one point or another....especially if you're going the certification route.
I also believe that the certification tracks are a "cover all bases" route. I think vendors that design these tests are designed to build on your knowledge from the ground up, and eventually everything will come into full circle by the time you're certified in whatever path you choose. This is why you are required to have a valid CCNA before you can attempt other Cisco tracks (with the exception of CCIE (no prerequisite is required)).
I completely agree with Jon as well. Sometimes certifications are more for the holder of the cert than the company they're wanting to work for. The company may look at it as "awww that's nice", but it will help you get in the door. I would look at it as more of a personal goal and take the knowledge that you get from that and build on it. If you like it, it's well worth doing!
HTH,
John
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