what is best for long term career mcse or ccna?

Question

I am a Diploma Engineer in electronis and communication.
I have done mcse and ccna courses and now i want to get certified.I need your valuable advice regarding what should I select a cisco path or mocrosoft path for a rewarding career in terms of money and growth.at present I am equally comfortable with mcse and ccna.

Answer 1

That's a bit of a toss-up. Both paths offer good opportunities. Their are probably more openings in Microsoft networking than positions in routing and switching. But as you advance in routing and switching to the carrier level (CCNP & CCIE) the possible financial rewards will probably eclipse the MCSE path.

I work for a large Fortune 300 company and we have over a dozen folks working in Microsoft networking maintaining a large AD infrastructure. Some are certified and some are not but all are highly skilled. On the routing and switching side we only have 3 folks. Part of the reason for that is that we have switched from a home-grown frame-relay WAN to a managed MPLS network. That cut our routing and switching positions by 3 folks but we still had more folks working on the MS side than the Cisco side.

Many folks on the MS side have routing and switching backgrounds -- I'm a CCNA myself and several of the folks on my team are as well. We still get involved in routing and switching during acquisitions so that background helps significantly.

Go with what you like. Personally I find MS and Active Directory more challenging; routing and switching tends to be fairly cut and dried in a stable environment. When I was hired by my current employer the position required a CCNA with optional but highly desireable Windows and AD experience. I was a perfect fit for the job and the job was perfect for me -- every bit the win-win situation.

From a financial persepctive either path should be about equally rewarding early on. Where you go from there will be up to you. From a certification perspective the CCNA will be much easier and quicker as it only involves one or two tests at most where the MCSE will require 5 or more.

The guy above me makes some excellent points as well so I won't steal his thunder by repeating them.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Choosing only one doesn't mean you can't have a career in the other. In fact, most places only look at certifications if you don't already have the experience. Once you get your foot in the door, the certifications might as well fly out the window, because they no longer matter. I've seen Database Administrators become desktop or network engineers. A friend of mine also started out as just a basic Systems Administrator, and now he's the head of a DB2 database administration team. The point is that you are not confined by the certs you pick or obtain.

Your ability to network with other people in the company and perform well speak louder than any cert can for you. I was an MCP for Windows NT 4.0 a while back and had my A+ certification. I've also worked side by side with others who had more complex certs like CCNA and MCDBA. Then there were the ones who didn't have a damn thing. But in the end, the ones who ended up in the higher paying positions were the ones with the best work ethic, communication, and productivity.

The playing field is even once you walk through the door. Focus most of your time and attention on communicating well in your interview. Learn to understand what the interviewer is looking for you to say. Don't be afraid to sell yourself, and "intentionally" speed by or leave out your weaknesses. Employers want you to be humble and let them know you're not perfect, but at the same time, don't let yourself describe more weaknesses than strengths.

Do the certs because you're interested in learning, or to give you a better background in what you want to do for a career. However, don't let them consume you. Also remember diversity is a good thing. There's nothing wrong with setting your goal to get both certs (and many more) if you have the time.

Good luck to you...

Answer 3

MCSE: servers, desktop support, IT infrastructure. CCNA: networking hardware and software setup. Linux: servers, IT infrastructure, maybe desktop support in the future. If you like dealing with end-users go with the MCSE. If you like a challenge, go with Linux. If you like building with Legos go with CCNA, but keep in mind you'll have to work nights, weekends, and get called at midnight because the CEO can't login to the VPN. There is always a demand for good IT people. There is almost no demand for bad IT people. The trick is not the certification but convincing your prospective employer that you'll be good; the certification only gets you into the interview. If you are just graduating then I'd suggest bone up on your network and desktop skills in general, find an entry-level job somewhere, and stay there as long as you can. A recent graduate with a certification is not much different to a hiring manager than a recent graduate without a certification. When looking for your next position, sit for your MCSE/CCNA/whatever. With experience under your belt you are more likely to pass the exams, and you will also better know what field is interesting to you.

Answer 4

The best would be to get both certs. It has a couple of benefits. One is you'll have more job options, so you can be pickier. The other is (all other things aside), you'll stand out above other candidates that are certified in only MSCE or CCNE.