Cisco_ASA_5510Surely, Cisco certifications can help you to advance your career once you get to upper level positions, but do they really matter when you’re dealing with simpler skills? These simpler skills are more common, so proving them doesn’t seem as necessary. Or maybe advanced certifications don’t matter because you need experience. Here is some insight into what Cisco certifications mean at all levels.

The Lower Levels

At the lower levels of Cisco certifications, they help you to compete. True, more basic skills are more common, so there isn’t as much doubt that you have them, but that also means that competition for jobs in the form of sheer numbers is likely to be greater. These basic certifications also signify a foundation and the potential for growth.

The Higher Levels

At the higher levels, there may be fewer individuals to compete with, but competition is stiffer in terms of credentials. You aren’t fighting others with basic skills but with advanced talents and often impressive resumes. At these levels, certifications solidify and showcase your abilities and add to your resume when it needs every boost it can get.

A Journey Of A Thousand Miles

It is true that Cisco certifications at all levels matter. This is hard to see sometimes because they matter for different reasons, but they still matter. Beginning and advancing in the IT field is challenging every step of the way, and certifications help to ensure steady progress no matter what obstacles you may face. Whatever Cisco certifications you may already hold or you may be pursuing, they matter.

 

 

Image Credit:

Jon ‘ShakataGaNai’ Davis [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons