What networking certification should i get

The certification will test your basic knowledge of the NSX terminology, graphical user interfaces, and other core technical skills. Any company that uses computers is liable to need networking professionals. If you want to break into the field, starting in an entry-level IT job—like a help desk technician or IT associate—can be your first step.

From there, you might go on to specialize in networks and become a network administrator. You may go on to become a network engineer or network architect from there. Network professionals might also expand their skill set to be able to work in system administration as well.

What is a System Administrator? A Career Guide. Pursuing networking certifications is an investment in several areas of your career growth. The effort you put into learning new skills and studying for IT assessments can have a direct impact on your ability to find a satisfying job in your field. Some of the key benefits of seeking new certifications include:. If you're just beginning your IT career or want to advance your career but don't know where to start, getting a networking certification can help you expand your technical knowledge and introduce you to new career paths.

After researching top networking certifications, you can seek to grow your skills in that area to meet certification requirements. Taking different tests can help you determine which skills you enjoyed learning about the most. As your knowledge base grows, you may also be able to be more innovative in your current position.

Getting certified often involves learning new techniques for completing essential networking tasks like cybersecurity management and cloud integration. These new abilities can help you become more productive and effective in your current role and even take on more responsibility. It's common for IT employers to require certain certifications before applying to a position. Networking skills are critical for almost any type of IT role, so getting certified early on can make it easier to qualify and apply for new jobs.

A strong combination of networking certifications will help you become a viable candidate for jobs in your field without having to study for a new test and wait for your certification results every time. Because networking certifications have become a standard in the IT industry, having a large number of relevant certificates is necessary for competing with other candidates for IT positions.

When a majority of people applying for a job are certified, it's important for you to be able to show that you possess that same skill level and more. Some employers may not even consider applicants who do not have relevant certifications in networking topics because they see certified professionals as a more reliable choice. There are many IT fields that use networking concepts, resulting in a range of certification options focusing on different topics.

If you've been thinking about pivoting your career to a different sector of the IT industry, a certification can be a good way to start gaining experience in a new area. It can show employers that you're able to transfer your current IT skills to a new specialty and have the base knowledge to grow your career in a new direction. Networking certifications can also help you advance in your current career, helping you qualify for promotions and increasing the scope of your work.

Many networking certifications focus both on technical knowledge and project management abilities, which can align your experience with top leadership positions. Top employers may pay a premium in salary and benefits to competitive candidates equipped with advanced certifications.

You may be able to use top certifications as a tool for negotiating a better pay rate based on the verifiable skills you would bring to the company compared to an uncertified applicant. Some employers may even pay for the cost of you to receive certification so they have highly qualified staff that attract clients and customers with their expertise.

Explore the top computer networking certifications available by browsing these descriptions of top programs:. This certification helps network professionals understand and keep their organizations secure and connected.

They can also write scripts and perform basic SQL data manipulation. This networking certification aligns with job roles such as technical support specialist, systems administrator, network administrator, technical support specialist and Linux administrator. It validates the skills needed to securely administer physical and virtual servers.

This certification covers server administration skills like server hardware installation and management; server administration, including high availability and virtualization; security and disaster recovery; and troubleshooting.

IT pros with this certification can also troubleshoot capacity, automation, connectivity and security issues. It aligns with IT jobs such as senior systems administrator, senior network administrator, systems engineer, senior network engineer and cloud engineer. CompTIA foundational and networking certifications are designed to be stacked, as each certification builds upon and relates to the others.

They also provide a foundation of knowledge for vendor-specific skills and certifications because the skills covered by CompTIA certification can be applied to any device or system.

For example, any of the above CompTIA certifications could be followed with vendor-specific certifications like:. CompTIA certifications also create a strong foundation for Cisco networking certifications, although they are not a formal prerequisite. You can combine CompTIA certifications with vendor-specific certifications to validate your job role expertise and apply those skills to a specific tool. Cisco certifications are categorized by experience level — associate, professional and expert — and apply networking skills to Cisco devices.

But which is the best computer networking certification for you? Prepares IT pros for specific job roles, such as network field technician, network administrator, network field engineer and more. Contract work allows you to switch companies every months, which is important to maintain a challenging environment and help you gain experience that will advance your career.

Taking contract work is beneficial because it offers you exposure to different aspects of networking within different companies.

Should network engineers also have cybersecurity certifications? Network security and cyber security are different fields. That said, it is helpful for those working in cyber security to understand network security. At NGT Academy, we recommend that our students all learn network security first and specialize in cyber security after the foundation of network security is laid. Jess is the Content Manager for Course Report as well as a writer and poet.

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