Cisco Certification Schools

Cisco Certification schools

Which types of jobs are available for those interested in Cisco Certification?

As the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, Cisco defines the protocols for networking solutions used by a wide variety of organizations. Cisco Certification can provide you with a general systems background and with knowledge of the specific technology you are likely to find in many of today's workplaces. This should prepare you for any number of jobs focused on the transmission and storage of information, both within an organization and among organizations and individuals. This enables organizations to manage of one of the most precious resources in modern society--information.

Typical job duties in this field can be purely conceptual--designing system configuration, or components, or they can involve the hands-on installation and maintenance of hardware. Similarly, interaction with other members of the organization can vary greatly, from relative isolation within the IT department to regular person-to-person interaction with users, providing assistance and training.

As a general rule, workplaces in this profession are clean, modern and comfortable. Hours tend to be regular, although some functions may be required to be on call should an emergency develop. Serious injuries are rare, although maladies associated with heavy computer use, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and eye strain, can develop.

Formal training required to work in a career related to Cisco Certification

Cisco Certification programs combine to form a comprehensive IT curriculum with a variety of topics and levels of expertise. There are five levels of programs in the Cisco Certification curriculum, appropriate to your career status and goals:

• Entry-level
• Associate
• Professional
• Expert
• Architect

This multi-stage approach allows you to add knowledge incrementally, and acquire skills and credentials in line with the progression of your career. That career progression can take you in a variety of directions because Cisco Certification is available in several different subject areas, suited to the needs of a variety of IT and telecommunications careers.

The most common level of academic achievement for people in IT careers is a bachelor's degree, although you frequently find people with no more than associate degrees to those with master's degrees. Naturally, the higher the level of academic achievement you have, the more likely you are to qualify for promotion; 70 percent of computer and information systems managers have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Cisco Certification technical training programs are also important, both to match your skills with the needs of a particular job, and to keep skills current with evolving technology. An academic background can form the basis of an IT career, while Cisco Certification programs can provide ongoing support for that career.

The typical career path of someone interested in Cisco Certification

IT careers typically can advance in two ways--either toward greater management responsibility or by adding value through increasingly specialized expertise. Cisco Certification programs are designed to support the path toward greater specialization. Cisco Certification programs are geared towards seven distinct career paths:

• Routing and switching
• Design
• Network security
• Service provider
• Storage networking
• Voice
• Wireless

Once you've chosen your area of specialty, you can progress through a series of different levels of programs in Cisco Certification to advance your knowledge and career.

Job outlook and salary information for those interested in Cisco Certification

It would be impossible to cover all of the career possibilities that Cisco Certification could support, but the following are examples of four prominent, systems-related job types you could consider:

• Computer systems analysts. 512,720 jobs, paying $80,430 per year.
• Database administrators. 108,080 jobs, paying $74,290 per year.
• Network and computer systems administrators. 338,890 jobs, paying $70,930 per year.
• Network systems and data communications analysts. 226,080 jobs, paying $76,560 per year.

The mean annual salaries listed are from 2009 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data. Here's one more statistic by way of contrast. According to the same study, the mean annual salary for all occupations in 2009 was $43,460. So, these IT careers typically offer compensation that is well above average, as is the projected job growth from 2008-2018 in each of these career areas.

In short, Cisco Certification supports careers in high-wage, high-growth segments of the economy.