Which are the best courses after CCNA?
Since Cisco revised its certification courses, one of the most often requested questions has been, “what to study after CCNA?” If you are also a CCNA-level network engineer or recently completed CCNA training who is still determining where to go from here professionally, you have come to the right place. This article will discuss all the career paths open to a network engineer who has already completed the CCNA program or earned their CCNA certification.
For better understanding, CCNA is a Cisco Certified Network Associate, a basic level certification to become a network engineer. CCNA training helps establish a candidate’s understanding and proficiency with the fundamentals of computer networking. This is one of the most critical steps in guiding your career as a network engineer.
Steps to take after CCNA
For the same reasons that drove you to get your CCNA in the first place, we need to keep going and complete additional training. After completing CCNA training and certification, there are essentially three directions one may go in.
- Job
- CCNP ENCOR
- CCNA DevNet
If you’re wondering “what to do after CCNA,” this will provide you with some further insight into the matter. Any of these paths may be fruitful for a network engineer’s career. One by one, let’s talk about them.
Job:
After having CCNA certification or training, a network engineer’s next choice is to find a job that pays well. This is the route most experienced network engineers take, and they strongly recommend it to anybody entering the field with a CCNA certification or below. After earning their CCNA training or certification, network engineers worked in the field for a few years before switching to a more promising technology.
Many network engineers worry about what to study after CCNA since the networking industry has evolved, and it may not be the best method to establish a good profession. In today’s competitive employment market, the best strategy to create a career in networking is to get your CCNP ENCOR training or certification before applying for a job after CCNA training.
CCNP ENCOR:
CCNP stands for Cisco Certified Network Professional and is a certification by Cisco. It is the best course after CCNA to have stable career growth. At the CCNP level, there are seven specializations and you can choose any one according to your preference. The CCNP ENCOR training helps in getting a network engineer proficiency by putting into practice related to Cisco’s Enterprise Network Core Technologies. The CCNP ENCOR certification or training is essential for those interested in Enterprises specialization, as it is a step forward after the CCNA training.
CCNP ENCOR’s topic further leads to six different Knowledge domains:
- Architecture
- Virtualization
- Automation
- Infrastructure
- Network Assurance
- Security
The benefits of obtaining CCNP ENCOR before attending a job interview are:
Fresher network engineers may easily set themselves apart from their peers by opting to pursue a CCNP ENCOR course, which will provide them with advanced networking abilities. Some of the benefits are:
- Increase in Salary: Network engineers with CCNP expertise command higher salaries than engineers with just CCNA knowledge.
- Potential for Greater Employment Growth: A CCNP ENCOR candidate has more employment options than a network engineer with just CCNA expertise.
- Credibility: A network engineer’s credibility increases when they step into any interview with more than basic CCNA knowledge and can answer every question in depth.
CCNA DevNet:
With so many businesses pouring resources into automation, network automation is the sector’s present and future. Because of this, all aspiring network engineers should consider pursuing the CCNA DevNet training or certification. The CCNA DevNet training course will help network engineers become ready for careers in network automation.
The only reason this is still a possibility is that it needs knowledge of the Python programming language, which may be too much for a junior network engineer to take up at once. Therefore, CCNA DevNet is also the best course after CCNA for a network engineer, provided one is confident in their ability.
Conclusion:
Network Engineers play a key role in the IT industry. With the growing demand for network engineers, many individuals would want to enter the networking field. But many are unsure of what to study after CCNA.
After CCNA training or certification, pursuing CCNP ENCOR training is your best bet for a successful career in the field of network engineering. A CCNA DevNet training or certification is also a great way to expand your career if you like programming. Since automation skills are highly in demand, a network engineer should focus on training for CCNA DevNet as it will have more opportunities in the future.
