What are the Profession Paths After Cisco Certification?

Cisco is a leading brand in the IT industry as it is one of the biggest manufacturers of equipment related to networking that is widely used in all the networking environments. Cisco even has a product line of its own that caters to the requirements of Cisco management and data centers. 

The management and handling of these products require certain skills as well as technical knowledge. This is the reason why Cisco certification is pretty well known in the market. Cisco courses help all the individuals to get sufficient knowledge for operating all of its products as well as technologies efficiently. 

Let us have a look at the list of certification courses that are currently offered by Cisco.

• Cisco Certified Technician (CCT)
• Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA)
• Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT)
• Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr)
• Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE)
• Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE)
• Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP)
• Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)

Every certification acknowledges the skills of a person regarding Cisco technologies in the professional world.

Now, let us have a look at the career paths after various cisco certification programs.

Cisco Entry-Level Certifications

Among the total courses, there are two Cisco entry-level credentials namely, the Cisco Certified Technician (CCT) and Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT). There are no prerequisites to attain these credentials. 

CCT Career Path – CCTs work at the customer’s locations and diagnose the issues along with repairing or replacing the necessary network equipment. Specialty tracks that could be chosen after CCT are Routing and Switching and Data Center. CCT Engineer can work towards system administration, application support, or field, and network management.

CCENT Career Path – CCENTs perform the work of installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting networks along with implementing basic security measures. CCENT is the prerequisite of associate-level CCNA certification. CCENT could work at a help desk or opt for the role of a technician.

Cisco Associate-Level Certifications

There are two associate-level courses namely, the Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) and the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). 

CCDA Career Path – CCDA Cisco training focuses on developing the skills of designing various network solutions along with handling security components. One can become a Network Design Engineer, Solutions Design Engineer, or an Infrastructure Engineer with this credential. CCDA can work as a technical specialist, interface developer, interface analyst, or even as a network and system engineer.

CCNA Career Path – CCNA course focuses on getting the advanced knowledge to install, maintain, and run the networks. A person can work in various domains like cloud, data center, network management, wireless, and cyber ops after the completion of this course. CCNA can work as a network analyst, network operations technician, and also as a telecommunications engineer.

Cisco Professional-Level Certifications

Again, similar to the previous one, there are two professional-level courses namely, the Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP) and the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP). 

CCNP Career Path – CCNP requires every candidate to take up four examinations, except for Routing and Switching. If any candidate opts for Routing and Switching, then he/she needs to take up three examinations. CCNP can work as a network engineer, network administrator, or as a senior-level technician.

CCDP Career Path – CCDP determines proficiency in designing as well as deploying multiplayer-switched networks and scalable networks. One can even opt for the Cisco Certified Design Expert certification program. CCDP can work at various senior-level roles like network designer, cyber protection analyst, senior analyst, and senior network design engineer.

Cisco Expert-Level Certifications

There are two expert-level courses namely, the Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE) and the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE).

CCDE Career Path – CCDE determines the experts who can design infrastructure solutions for large-scale enterprises that include budget, business, operational, and technological aspects of any project. CCDE can work at several expert-level roles such as IT infrastructure team lead, network design engineer, network architect, systems engineer, and senior network engineer.

CCIE Career Path – CCIE possesses a set of technical skills as well as a complete knowledge of Cisco network products and solutions. Some of the technical tracks include Wireless, Service Provider, Security, Routing and Switching, Data Center, and Collaboration. CCIE can opt for several expert-level roles like senior network administrator, systems engineer, and network architect. 

Cisco Architect-Level Certifications

Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr) is considered to be the highest degree of certification that can be offered by Cisco. This new Cisco certification validates the skills of a senior network infrastructure architect who can completely perform the work of planning and designing the IT infrastructure based on different business strategies.

CCAr Career Path – Cisco Certified Architect could get the best position and work as a voice data architect, network architect, enterprise architect, and many more top-notch roles.

Cisco courses provide various training and certifications to make everyone industry-ready and familiar with the Cisco services and products. The value of Cisco certifications is highly respected in the market.