How Can IT Certification From Cisco Change Your Life?

How can IT Certification from Cisco change your life? That is the question. How indeed?

Have you read about my IT practitioner friend who was highly qualified of a position in our company and whom I recommended to the Human Resource Department but sadly was not hired? If you’ve not read that story, let me relive it now.

This friend has been in the IT business for a significant number of years – more than 7 years really. In fact, he has designed many networks to date and one was the backbone network of my husband’s previous company. I really had no doubt of his capability and to my assessment, with his experience and skill, he was everything our company would want and so I recommended him for a spot in our company. He went through the usual process of course – series of examinations and interviews (well, that’s a standard operating procedure and I’m not too powerful as to give him an easy access to that job position!). But much to my surprise (not to mention disappointment), when the final result came in, he was not hired!

I was so sorry for the unfavorable result and it definitely was a sad thing because I know he is a competent IT professional. But do you know what made the big bosses not hire him? He had no Cisco certification to back him up. No, not a single one. And that made the world of difference.

At some point a CISCO certification whether it is in Design (CCDA), Routing and Switching (CCNA), Security (CCNA Security), Voice (CCNA Voice) or Wireless (CCNA Wireless) wouldn’t make much difference. But I have changed my mind. It is important. Because in the real world, a certification and an endorsement are part of “the qualification.” But in a positive sense getting a certification, not only help in the advancement of career but with the extra learning also gives one the confidence to face the real world.