"Cisco-certified," however, is a generic term, and there are dozens of
different Cisco certifications available. You can be a CCNA or CCNP,
which means you can install, configure, and operate a network. You can
get a CCDA or a CCDP that shows you are skilled in network design and
engineering. If you're a communications specialist, you can earn a CCIP
or CCIE, or you can get one of several specialty certificates to show
you are competent in one particular area of Cisco networking.
If that wasn't enough, Cisco has added two more. The Cisco MultiService
Switching Focused Certification validates the knowledge and technical
expertise necessary to install, configure, support, and troubleshoot
complex ATM networks in the service provider segment. The Cisco MxU
Specialist Focused Certification validates the knowledge and technical
expertise required to successfully install, configure, operate, and
troubleshoot Cisco broadband solutions, Building Broadband Solution
Manager (BBSM), and Cisco Long Reach Ethernet (LRE). LRE, by the way, is
an interesting technology that extends Ethernet over Category 1/2/3
wiring at speeds from 5 to 15Mbps at distances of up to 5,000 feet.
Is it my imagination, or are these certifications getting more and more
specialized? In the current stagnant economy, employers are in more of a
position to pick and choose. What that means is that they can demand
more specific expertise, so you, the new employee, can walk right in and
go to work with no training period. It means you're expected to know
everything there is to know when you walk through the door on the first
day. In times past, a more general background in technology networking
would have been adequate, and the employer would have taken the time to
familiarize you with his or her own unique combination of equipment and
type of networking.
When you get a driver's license, you are allowed to drive any type of
car that is manufactured. They don't ask you if you want to get a Ford
license, a Chevy license, or a Studebaker license. You don't have to get
a new driver's license if you switch from an automatic to a manual
transmission. Do you really need a separate certificate to install an
LRE network, if you already understand Ethernet in general? After all,
it's just a matter of complying with a new set of specs. If you've
installed a Fast Ethernet network, you could probably install one of
these without a great deal of trouble.
But what we're talking about here is market pressure. Employers want you
to know the specifics of what they do, and Cisco is providing a way for
you to prove that you have that specific bit of knowledge, in addition
to knowledge about Cisco networking in general.
Did the hiring manager say you were all hat and no cattle? Great
training and all the appropriate certifications, but no experience?
Cisco has added simulation questions to their professional-level
certification exams and courses. Simulation questions approximate
real-world networking scenarios on the exam, to test your "hands-on"
skills. This marks a growing and positive trend in certification that
helps negate the specter of one having a "paper certification" with no
experience. These sorts of tests show, without a doubt, that you really
do know your stuff.
In another type of simulation, Self Test Software, a KAPLAN Professional
Company and Cisco Authorized Practice Test Provider, has released a
practice test for the recently released Cisco 640-603 CCNP Routing exam.
The test accurately simulates what candidates will face in the exam.
