Not sure if this is the right forum for this question...

[XanaDUer]

any smart DUers out there have any thoughts, input, suggestions, anything, on the CISCO certificate for networking? I am thinking of augmenting my career as a librarian into becoming a systems librarian.

Thank you in advance.

XD

[darkstar3]

1. As someone who helped teach CCNA courses...

You're looking at a large investment for a possible dead end. Allow me to explain.

The CCNA is a networking certificate generally awarded to people who already have significant experience in the networking field. The courses that lead up the CCNA make assumptions regarding what you should already know from the Network+ and Security+ curricula. But that's not the biggest problem. What may lead to a dead end is your current experience. Hiring managers and staffing companies in the IT field immediately look for hands-on experience when the CCNA appears on a resume. The reason why is that the CCNA does a great job preparing you for theoretical deployments in ideal situations, and it also allows you to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the Cisco IOS, but it does NOT prepare you for large enterprise deployments or management scenarios where conditions are not ideal.

There is an exception to this: If you take your Cisco courses at a local college that has a significant lab program, you should get experience that you can sell to managers. These programs are generally more expensive and much longer, but they ARE worth it.

[XanaDUer]

2. Thank you very much!

I would be preparing for a sub-specialty in my overall field, but I want as much input as possible before even beginning to start something like this.