CCNA, CISSP, or MCITP?

[mightymouse007]

Not sure if this is the right thread to post it in.
Any tech guys on this forum?

I am looking to pursue a higher level IT certification. Which one should I get first? I currently have desktop/technical support and network admin experience. Ideally, I prob should pursue CCNA, but at the same time I am hearing so much about security being a pretty bright field and also MCITP having a very solid recognition.

I am in mid 20's in terms of age.

 

[pimpin_civic]

Not sure if this is the right thread to post it in.
Any tech guys on this forum?

I am looking to pursue a higher level IT certification. Which one should I get first? I currently have desktop/technical support and network admin experience. Ideally, I prob should pursue CCNA, but at the same time I am hearing so much about security being a pretty bright field and also MCITP having a very solid recognition.

I am in mid 20's in terms of age.

I'm a CCNA, CCNP, and A+ individual. That's my passion, networking.

The CCNA would probably be perfect for you if you really truly want to get a good understanding of networking. The MCITP isn't that much sought after as a certification because not many employers are familiar with it, they remember the MCSE/MCSA quite well. However this shouldn't stop you from pursuing such a certification. Be warned though, MCITP is tough if you have little to none experience with Servers, SQL, AD, and Exchange.

CISSP is an awesome certification to have. But it isn't wise to pursue it right away unless you've had about 2-5 years as a Security Analyst/Administrator.

Also, being young helps, you can retain alot of this information. One thing though, leave some time between certifications. Employers might wonder how you were able to obtain so many in such a short span, and may question your hands-on-skills.

Your path should be --> CCNA --> MCITP --> CISSP

 

[camnyc]

If you would like to continue for Cisco path, make sure to go for voice. CCNA -> CCNP-Voice (5 exams). You'll hit 6 figure income within 4-5 years.

 

[mightymouse007]

thanks guys. Yea, I am kinda leaning towards that way too. I love the networking stuff. But just wanted some input. Right now, I have a bunch of CompTIA certs.

It's natural for someone to go for CCNP, CCIE, and CCENT after CCNA?

 

[mightymouse007]

the only issue I may have, I heard CCNA exam is pretty tough. Passing mark is like 89%? And if you fk one big question, you pretty much looking to sit the exam again.

 

[mightymouse007]

Anyone know if its good to go for the 1 exam option or 2 for CCNA?

 

[pimpin_civic]

Anyone know if its good to go for the 1 exam option or 2 for CCNA?

camnyc is slightly correct. Unified Communications or Voip is the biggest thing at the moment, and probably will be for the next few years to come. There's a huge market for voip customers.

To answer all three of your questions:

1. The correct path is CCENT --> CCNA --> CCNP (Routing and Switching) --> CCIE Routing and Switching

2. The passing mark isn't a percentage, its more of a mark on a scale of 300 - 1000. You need the minimum mark of 805/1000 i believe. You should strive for the 85% range though. And no if you screw up one question you won't fail. You get marks for answering parts of a question question correctly.

3. It depends on how well you study. By the way if you do the two-exam option, and you pass both, you get both CCENT and CCNA. If you do the one-exam option, you only get the CCNA. Further to this, if you do the one exam, you have to cover everything in one sitting (and know everything). If you do the two exam option, you still have to know everything but specifically for that exam.