Cisco certification can be an intimidating step for many; Cisco is widely known for making extremely difficult tests, and there are very few people who have ever reached the upper echelons of the Cisco certification process. On top of that, even if you do have the chops to pass the certification tests, there are dozens of different certifications to get, all of which branch off from different supersets to different subsets, and a new IT initiate may have a great deal of trouble deciphering what certification is best for their career path, or even how to begin getting one!
The fact of the matter, however, is quite simple: As someone with no Cisco certification who hopes to acquire one, starting with a CCNA is your best bet. A CCNA is a solid entry-level certification to the Cisco networking world, and it will help you get your foot in the door to the HR departments of a great deal of companies and corporations! Perhaps more importantly, however, it is also a very important stepping stone in your quest for further Cisco certifications; the CCNA is a prerequisite for most of the higher-level Cisco certifications, like CCIEs or CCNPs, and so taking your CCNA is the logical entry point if you are looking to move further up the certification ladder.
Starting on the CCNA may seem daunting, and rightly so: it tests you on a broad range of networking fundamentals as well as how Cisco-specific products interact and interface with said networking fundamentals. It is a great deal of knowledge to cram in for one test, and you'll be expected to have practical knowledge of Cisco IOS as well, something that can be very hard to come by if you don't have access to Cisco routers or a practice lab.
That said, however, there are ways for someone on a budget to start their CCNA studying. Older Cisco switches, routers, and firewalls can be had for a very decent price (A Cisco PIX 501 goes for $25-$50 on eBay, for example), letting you set up a small practice network for yourself. Additionally, Cisco emulators such as Dynagen are available to let you emulate Cisco networking environments on your computer, so even if you can't afford the equipment you can still have a practice area to work with.
In the end, then, the CCNA is definitely the best certification to get - it is the stepping stone to higher certification tests, and even if you are not looking to climb up the Cisco certification ladder, a CCNA is more than enough to get you through most HR screening processes. Though tough, there are many resources out there to help you take the test, so don't wait - if you are looking to take a Cisco certification but don't know which one, go for a CCNA; you'll be glad you did!
Boris Tulman teaches Networking courses at LearnComputer! (learncomputer.com), which offers instructor-led CCNA Boot Camp and other Cisco Certification training courses at the most competitive prices in the industry! Our hands-on accelerated boot camps are designed to get you Cisco certified in the shortest possible time.
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