How good is Cisco Career certifications, is it worth it?

The candidates for general and specialty certifications offered by Cisco Systems are required to pass an exam to earn the respective credential. The general certificates have been broken down into four distinct levels of skill, each of which can be attained through one of seven distinct training courses. These courses cover topics such as routing and switching, design, security, and storage networking.

The CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE certifications are the most sought-after and popular ones in the field of information technology (IT). Employers will have confidence in your knowledge of networking basics and ideas if you have earned the Cisco Certified Professional designation.

In this piece, we're going to take a look at five reasons why earning one or more Cisco certifications is certainly worth it, and we'll use those reasons to frame our discussion.

The first and most important reason is that a Cisco certification will improve and validate your knowledge of networking.

Knowledge expansion and improvement are one of the primary benefits that can be gained from participating in Cisco certification training. The majority of Cisco certifications are comprehensive, covering a variety of different technologies and protocols. You can learn how to install routed and switched networks, configure those networks, run those networks, and troubleshoot those networks by earning a Cisco certification.

A Cisco certification not only validates a professional's technical knowledge but also equips them with the know-how required to address challenges in real-world settings, including the stresses and dangers associated with the deployment and maintenance of networks in large businesses.

Reason No. 2: Obtaining a Cisco Certification Makes It Possible to Explore New Professional Development Opportunities

When it comes to the roles that you'll be qualified for and offered, having a Cisco certification puts your career on the fast track. This implies that your job profile will have much-increased visibility as a result of having the certification. You'll be able to do a wide array of networking activities at an advanced level, with higher responsibilities and greater ownership of the tasks. Earning a certification will almost certainly shorten the time it takes to get promoted, even though it is not impossible to advance in one's career without having done so.

Reason No. 3: Earning a Cisco Certification Allows You to Negotiate a Higher Salary

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the United States reported in May 2014 that the average annual pay for network and system administrators was $79,770. The BLS also stated that the highest-paid professionals earned $120,000 or more. In addition, the BLS forecasts that demand for network specialists would increase by 12 percent between the years 2012 and 2022.

Professionals with a CCNA certification can make an average annual salary of up to $118,830. And, according to a survey that was just released by PayScale, the annual compensation that is made by certified network engineers who specialize in Cisco networking can range anywhere from $50,971 to $101,017.

Fourthly, employers prefer to hire professionals that have their Cisco certification.

The research conducted by International Data Corporation (IDC) in December of 2008The Repercussions of Training: The claim that "Functional Excellence Leads to Operational Productivity" lends credence to the idea that professional development opportunities, such as training and certifications, can have a beneficial effect on an organization's ability to improve its return on investment (ROI), decrease its costs, and boost its overall productivity.

Because certifications serve as proof of networking and troubleshooting skills, having one demonstrates that you have a specific degree of knowledge and skills. Certifications are becoming increasingly common. Certain businesses, particularly Cisco partners, have a preference to employ Cisco-certified specialists rather than workers who are not certified by Cisco. In addition, your compensation will improve in direct proportion to the number of certificates you earn.

The following is a list of information and statistics:

Sixty-six percent of managers believe that having a Cisco certification raises the overall level of service and support that is provided to clients and end users of information technology.

"Organizations that have between 40 and 55% of their team members certified perform significantly better than average."

Because trained staff have a better understanding of how to deal with issues and how to solve them with a higher success rate, customer satisfaction can be increased through the usage of Cisco certification.

The majority of managers (75%) believe that having Cisco certifications is helpful for better overall team performance.

A Cisco certification will serve to highlight your resume to potential recruiters and help you stand out from the crowd of other professionals who are not certified. This is because businesses recognize the benefits that a Cisco certification brings to them.

Reason No. 5: The Long-Term Advantages of Possessing a Cisco Certification Will More Than Makeup for the Opportunity Costs

An average professional with no previous experience in information technology or networking could finish an entire Cisco track, such as the R/S, or Routing and Switching track, in a maximum of 1500 hours of study to earn all three levels of certification in this field: CCNA R/S, CCNP R/S, and CCIE R/S. This estimate is based on the assumption that the professional has no prior experience in these fields.

This amounts to an opportunity cost of $24,000, assuming the professional were to quit their work to prepare for the certification exams full-time, using the average income for graduates in the United States, which is $16 per hour. With an average beginning salary of more than $50,000 per year, obtaining a Cisco certification would mean that the professional could spend a whole year training for it full-time and still break even after six months at the new position.