How much crossover is there between the two exams? If you can pass CCNA could you pass Network + (or vice versa)??
Which one do you think an experienced network admin (7+ years, though with little cisco) could get up to speed the fastest on, and pass??
I've been thinking about taking CCNA, but if there is a decent amount of shared material I thought I might try to go ahead and knock both of them out.
Is either one particularly easier than the other?
Accept that you're going to have have to study for either. It doesn't matter how much real-world experience you've got, you are still going to have to learn the "correct" answer accepted by both parties.
Personally, with 7+ years demonstratable experience, I wouldn't give a damn if you turned up with or without either of these certs - they are entry level certs and regularly gained by people with zero practical experience. So why do you want the Cert?
The only real advantage of the Network+ is that never expires (tho check this). "Vendor Neutrality" is good in principle, but when push comes to shove, managers want people who know how to run their network... and given that in any decent sized company that's likely to be a Cisco-heavy network, there's your deal.
I haven't done Network +, but the Security + exam from CompTIA has quite a lot of networking in it. I disagree with the other response you got - a lot of the non-Cisco stuff will in common - Network cabling, TCP/IP encapsulation etc etc. However, that just means you'll be studying for 1.5 exams instead of two.
The advantage of the Cisco cert is that its a necessary stepping stone to bigger and better certs, and Cisco Partners are required to maintain a stack of people at each of the Associate, Professional and Expert levels. However, as I mentioned above, the CCNA isn't much of a differentiator as there are so many. Still, if you are looking to join a Cisco partner, this is the way to go.
Do a search on requirements for Job Vacancies you might be interested in. See what they are asking for (probably CCIEs with 25 years on TCP/IP experience for $7.50 an hour, but you get the idea).
If you are looking to differentiate yourself, do the CCNA then the CCDA and tell everybody that you are aiming for CCDP. There are fewer design people than support people, and employers tend to like people who can show design skills.
Matt (CCNP, CCDA, Have to pass Wireless Design specialist by end of Sept).
OSI model layers and subnetting are about the only thing net+ and CCNA have in common
It's a long time since I took either but Network+ is sure to be the easiest for you.
Unless someone else is paying, I'd forget about the Network+ and take the CCNA. I don't think you'll learn much from the Network+.
I found the Network+ to be an absolute breeze but you will need to do some study whichever you take.
I disagree with this, in that, industry patterns change. That doesnt't mean to go out an get:
Novell: CNA, CNE, MCNE, CNI Microsoft: MCP, MCSE, MCSD CompTIA: A+, Network+, Server+, Linux+ Unix: ?
It just means that, IMHO CompTIA is a definite place to start, then, you can deal with the decision-making, as to which certs you want to focus on. I do think, the point made about, 'people with college degrees hiring people with college degrees' is, a sad fact in the industry.
Experience in any fashion is key because, when I worked for the US Federal Government, I did a good bit of PC/Network Repair, despite not working in the Network Contractor's office. This was, because, the 'professonals'(Bachelors, Masters, Ph.D.) in knew how to do government grant programs yet, when it came to PCs, they were like newborn babys' because they would screw up the computers in the office, all the time. The stupid thing is, you can tailor a job to show how it gave you experience in an entirely different area. I was hired for my computing skills(that is what I was told). The office supervisors didn't make very good use of them so, I had to take action and, find a 'niche' that, dealt with technology yet still in the office. I maintained the heavy-duty copier, fax machine and, I made sure, the individual PCs and, the office portion of the network were in working order.
All this was done with, BOTH, the knowledge and, permission of the Network Contractor. They were very appreciative of, what I was doing since, my office was known for a lot of headaches caused by the 'professionals'.
Christopher
Not sure what you are disagreeing with.
Nothing beats experience. Certs can be a foot in the door for people who otherwize wouldn't get a job licking stamps in an IT company.
For those of us with experience, certs are a way to demonstrate transferable skills. However, any worthwhile employer has some idea about their true worth and won't have the wool pulled over their eyes by a huge quantity of letters.
I find them particularly valuable as I have a habit of hopping continents and demonstrating experience can sometimes be non-trivial with changing languages etc.
I would recommended against gaining all those certs you listed, mainly because they are common, predominantly entry level certs that show that you know a little about a lot.
However, somebody who has CCIE, CCDP, CQS is worth something as they contribute to real money - discount points on purchase price for a partner. Other harder to get certs such as CISSP also seem valuable. CompTIAs Network+ and Security+ are good stepping stones to these higher certs.
Certs from both Cisco and CompTIA cover general techniques and standard technologies. The Cisco ones also cover the Cisco interpretation of these, which is a positive if you are working in a Cisco-centric environment, and probably irrelevant if you're not.
Another thing that should not be underestimated is a degree. Not necessarily a degree in IT nor Networking, but if you can show that you've stuck to something for three or four years, that still looks good to a lot of employers.
Cabling-Design.com Forums website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.