# Taking the CWNA or CCENT instead of CCNA



## Lockheart (Nov 18, 2011)

I've read a lot of good posts about the value of getting a CCNA only if a person is using Cisco equipment and not as a prerequisite to getting a networking job. Certification as proof of experience and competence rather than using it as proof of theoretical knowledge. I think some people asking about whether to go for the CCNA may really be asking how to gain more knowledge and get into a networking job where they can work with Cisco kit.

I've read a popular entry level cert is CompTIA's Network+ (link: CompTIA Network+ Certification). However, what are people's thoughts about the Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician, CCENT (link: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications/ccent) as well as the Certified Wireless Network Administrator, CWNA (link: CWNA (Wi-Fi Administration) | CWNP - Enterprise Wi-Fi Career Certifications The CCENT feeds nicely into the CCNA if one was interested down the road and the CWNA looks like it's vendor agnostic like the CompTIA exams.


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## BosonMichael (Nov 1, 2011)

Lockheart said:


> I've read a lot of good posts about the value of getting a CCNA only if a person is using Cisco equipment and not as a prerequisite to getting a networking job. Certification as proof of experience and competence rather than using it as proof of theoretical knowledge. I think some people asking about whether to go for the CCNA may really be asking how to gain more knowledge and get into a networking job where they can work with Cisco kit.


"How to gain more knowledge" 
and
"get into a networking job where they can work with Cisco kit"
are two separate questions. The former indicates a desire to get a certification in order to learn the technology regardless of job opportunity. The latter indicates a desire to use a certification to get a networking job.

The purpose of certification is NOT to gain knowledge (though you will certainly learn while studying); the purpose of certification is to make yourself look more attractive to employers. Therefore, we tend to focus our answers discussing whether or not the CCNA is appropriate for the individual in question based on how the certification is going to help the individual at this point of his or her IT career.

Don't get me wrong, learning for learning's sake is great, and certification is worthwhile, but without experience, the CCNA is not going to help someone get a network administration job. Nor will the CCENT, nor will the CWNA.



Lockheart said:


> I've read a popular entry level cert is CompTIA's Network+ (link: CompTIA Network+ Certification). However, what are people's thoughts about the Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician, CCENT (link: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications/ccent) as well as the Certified Wireless Network Administrator, CWNA (link: CWNA (Wi-Fi Administration) | CWNP - Enterprise Wi-Fi Career Certifications The CCENT feeds nicely into the CCNA if one was interested down the road and the CWNA looks like it's vendor agnostic like the CompTIA exams.


My thoughts are that the CCENT is horribly misnamed. It causes people to mistakenly believe that the CCENT is an entry-level certification which can enable someone to get an "entry-level network administration" job. But the term is an oxymoron: network administration jobs are not entry-level jobs. And the concepts tested in the CCENT do not relate to job tasks that would typically be performed by an entry-level tech.

How do you become a network admin? Start out as an entry-level tech doing entry-level tech work... often in the areas of help desk, PC support tech, field service tech, etc. Work up to where you can be a desktop support tech in a place where you can help do light server administration tasks. Then get a full-fledged server admin position, preferably at a place where you can help do network administration. *At THIS point is where the CCNA and CCENT will start to be useful!* You can THEN use that certification and experience to get a job as a full-fledged network administrator.

There's not much call for techs who do nothing but WLAN administration. At best, it's an add-on certification for people who perform WLAN administration already.

I'll be blunt: there are no certifications, degrees, magic keys, silver bullets, or golden tickets that will automagically enable someone to get a network administration job. The only surefire way to do it is to progress steadily up the IT career ladder one step at a time, and that requires experience, which takes TIME. 

Hope this helps.


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