What is the best Cisco career path? This is one of the most common question we heard from Cisco beginners who are just starting out in their Cisco career. Including me. 🙂
[wp_ad_camp_3]
My CCNA certification will expire on January 2016. That is my first Cisco certification in my Cisco career journey. I’m getting ready to prepare for the next Cisco certification which I will take probably in December this year.
Though I already have a plan and career goals set way before, I tried to check online to see what other people think. And while looking and browsing at some Cisco topics, this question pop out on my mind. What is really the best Cisco career path to take? I tried to Google and see what others tell and surprisingly, it seems that the path to Security and Voice are one of the common answer to Cisco tech individual.
No denial, almost all companies and businesses today are embracing the IP-based telephone system so no wonder that Cisco Voice or Video can be really in demand. And of course, whatever stage of technology we’re at, security is always needed to protect networks from intruders and vulnerabilities. And so, Cisco security certifications can really go long way. Additionally, cloud-based system are also rising that’s why Cisco released their CCNA Cloud certification. They also have CCNA Collaboration merging voice and video certifications before.
New trends, new technologies, new paths. Is following these new career trends is the best Cisco career path? I don’t know. It depends. You and only you can answer what is the best Cisco career path for you.
In my own opinion, the best Cisco career path is the one you enjoy. The area where you’re good at. The field where you’re excited to work even for long hours. The specialization where you grow not just in skills but as an individual too. Sure enough, new Cisco career trends and technologies can provide some advantages but boy if it is not your passion, most likely you’ll get stress and bored along the way. Salary can be a consideration but in the long run, it is still your passion and love for what you do that will keep you in the game.
So whether to take the existing Cisco certifications or take the new Cisco career trends rising right now, it is up to you. You decide. You’re the only one can tell what is the best Cisco career path for you.
To give you some insights, I took the image below from Cisco’s website. This shows the Cisco career path from beginner level up to the most advance level. Note that newest released certifications are not included on the image. If you’re planning to create your Cisco career road map or still deciding what Cisco career path you will take, this image might help you.
Alright, I hope this short article provided you some insights regarding your Cisco career path. Having plan and goals in life can really help us succeed in everything we do, including our career. And as Steve Jobs said, we can only find success if we love what we do.
My suggestion is to analyze yourself and see what you really love and where you’re good at in any of these Cisco specializations. If you’re in CCNA, you can check the list of CCNA specialization here. Of course, no one is stopping you to have them all. Given that you really love all of these and you’re good at them.
As mentioned, it depends. You decide. Don’t just go with the flow without analyzing yourself. Salary and future rewards will surely come their way when you love and are good at what you do. Good luck to our career. Cheers!
[wp_ad_camp_1]
Leave a Reply