As we know, Cisco certification has become one of the hottest certification today. As networks continue to drive economic growth, collaboration and human interaction, the need for networking talent grows in importance. IDC is predicting as much as a 40 percent gap between the demand and supply of technical networking skills by year 2012. As a result, with Cisco certification, one will have more chance to work at a successful IT company. For others who are new to this certification, may be curious about why most big companies are always interested in Cisco certified professional, and how much they are ready to pay.

“Career opportunities in networking are abundant and span a wide array of experiences from software applications and systems design to troubleshooting global networks that span all business, government and person-to-person communications,” . “Networking offers people a broad opportunity for career advancement while learning about the world, about business and about ways to improve human interaction. The Cisco training and certification program provides network designers and engineers with a solid foundation on which they will change how people collaborate and communicate in the future.”

“Networks underpin nearly every industry today including, travel, fashion and entertainment and their presence is not likely to be diminished in the future,” said Christopher Cugno, senior network engineer for DreamWorks Animation SKG. “Holding a Cisco certification enabled me to enter the career of my dreams, and now I have the opportunity to work for one of the most recognized production studios in the world.”

Introduction of Cisco certification and what it can bring you

Generally, Cisco offers 3 levels of certification: associate, professional and expert-level. The first stage of Cisco’s certification system is the entry level and begins with Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) certification as an interim step to Associate level or directly with CCNA and CCDA certifications.

The second level is associate certification, which is composed of CCNA certification and CCDA certification.

Cisco professional level certification like CCNP is considered proof of having the ability to work with medium-sized networks (between 100 and 500 end devices) and with technology such as QoS, broadband, VPNs, and security-minded features. The CCDP certification is an advanced network design certification provided by Cisco Systems, Inc. Candidates for the certification are tested for advanced knowledge of Cisco devices and the way to interconnect them. CCIP, CCVP, CCSP certifications are also Cisco professional certifications.

The expert-level certification is the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE). It is the highest level of professional certification that Cisco provides. As of April 6, 2008 there are 16,335 people with active CCIE certifications in the world.[11]. There are 5 active CCIE tracks: Routing and Switching, CCIE Security, CCIE Service Provider, CCIE Voice, CCIE Storage Networking.

Cisco professional salary survey

In recent years, averages for all Cisco certifications are up — and not just by a few thousand. For example, the average salary in 2004 for those of you who held a CCNA was $60,000 — now, that number has jumped to a little more than $76,000. Higher-end Cisco certifications are also doing well, with, for example, the average CCIE reporting a salary of a little more than $116,000, up from $102,000 a few years ago.

So, if you are preparing your Cisco certification, you will not regret for the revenue you will get after being certified.

Even though those with Cisco certifications appear to be riding high right now, it’s important to remember all the other factors that go into the average salaries — and that they are averages. Experience, job skills (Cisco-related and others), your employer, your location — all of these will play heavily into what you earn.

Also remember that the job market — in your area and overall — can turn on a dime. So if you’re new to IT (especially if you’re new to IT), don’t think you’ll be able to jump in and earn exactly what people in this survey are; the next 12 months may bring something complete different.