Newbies in each area usually have many unanswered questions. Those who join or move into the network want to know where to start, how to move forward, and what certifications (if any) they need to acquire.

In this, we study one of the most well-known companies in the industry, the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). We will review topics such as certification requirements, the required information, if applicable, and teaching methods for the exam.

What is the CCNA certification for routing and switching?

People probably know the CCNA certification better than the name Cisco. The CCNA Routing and Switching Certificate is a Cisco entry-level certificate for the network domain. While Cisco certification may be Cisco-based in certain areas, it covers general network foundations, routing and switching technologies, WANs, security, and other network issues.

This certification was originally called "CCNA". However, as more certificates will be available for other areas, such as CCNA Security and CCNA Wireless, Cisco decided to name CCNA Routing and Switching. So when we say "CCNA", we mean CCNA to direct and replace the certificate.

As the name suggests, Cisco CCNA certification is administered. In short, Cisco is a network device provider that makes devices such as routers, switches, and even firewalls. You have been there for some time (since 1984), you have built a strong brand and you are a market leader in areas such as routing and switching companies.

Who should win the CCNA Certification?

According to Cisco, CCNA certification is aimed at people who want to pursue a professional activity, such as: For example, network support technician and network administrator. If you are looking for a career in the network, especially in enterprise networks, CCNA certification can be a good step for you as Cisco remains the industry-leading market leader.

However, CCNA certification is not just for network businesses. Examples of CCNA-compliant administrators are because they want to know more about the networks their servers perform.

Side Note: It can be argued that CompTIA Network + certification is better for non-networkers because it is vendor-neutral. However, the CCNA certification also adequately covers the network fundamentals.

What experience is required to take the exam?

In fact, there are no requirements for participation in the CCNA certification exam. In principle, anyone from any area can take the exam. For example, I became a CCNA-certified graduate.

Note: Cisco certification exams have age restrictions. Children under 13 cannot take the exam. Adolescents (13-17 years old) can take the exam with the consent of their parents. There are no restrictions for over 18 years.

In addition, it may be useful to have a network experience of one to two years before deciding on certification. However, if you have no network experience and are more interested in knowing the certificate than the certificate itself, then you need to invest in more work than someone with experience. Fortunately, tools like GNS3 and Packet Tracer reduce the network barrier so you can gain hands-on experience without network work.

How does CCNA compare to other network certificates?

Cisco has built a solid brand and is considered by many to be a true product company. With this mark, CCNA certification can be considered a generic network certification, although in some areas the exam is focused on Cisco. For reason, there are not many entry-level network certifications that can be next to the CCNA certification for comparison. You can get good amount of annual wage by ccna certification salary.

However, for convenience, let us mention some of the connection details at the entry level. However, the general consensus of CCNA is that it is a much better and higher quality book than Network + even for those who do not work with Cisco products. Even CompTIA's website doesn't compare Network + with CCNA certification (scroll down to "How does CompTIA Network + compare?").

Another network connection is Juniper Networks Certified Associates Junos (JNCIA-Junos). As for the topics and difficulties of the test, it is better than Cisco Certified Entry Networking (CCENT), ICND1. The next step after JNCIA-Junos approval is the Juniper Networks Integrated Enterprise Routing and Switching Enterprise (JNCIS-ENT), which is significantly higher than the CCNA (specifically CCNA and CCNP components).

From my experience and research, CCNA is more formal than any other certification, at least for entry and telecommunications. However, other certifications may be of greater importance to the business community. For example, AWS certificates may be more important to a cloud-based organization.

Is CCNA useful in the effort?

People are starting to ask questions like "Is CCNA certification worth it? And "Should I go for another certificate?" Others even claim that such certificates do not work. My answer to all this is "it depends". 

Is it valid or not?

First of all, I want to address if it is valid when it is valid (any certificate). While people argue that you should focus on what you can do about certification (which I totally agree with), I think that certification gives you a leg up and in many cases you will have a chance better than anyone who doesn't. If you were working for the role of communications engineer and you just started working at the same job, but the one with the CCNA certificate, to whom would you request an interview?

What is the best way to learn for CCNA?

The CCNA exam itself is 60-70 questions in 90 minutes. However, the knowledge you gain from the certificate cannot be measured at that time. I think you should spend some time getting used to the technology being tested for testing, for the sake of understanding.

The first thing you want to do is use the CCNA test subject list. It is divided into seven sections and each has a different number of topics. Alternatively, you can visit the Cisco page to list test materials. This list can be quite daunting because of its length, but closer research shows that there is more to be said between the groups.