Why choose Cisco courses? The IT industry is booming right now, especially the network infrastructure industry. This industry will grow at a CAGR of 5.3% from 2022 to 2028 with a revenue of USD 80.7 billion, leading to a whopping increase in the demand for network professionals, especially Network Engineers.

In this blog, let us discuss the complete Cisco certification path and how you can kickstart a career in the networking industry. Keep reading the blog to learn about the Cisco courses in detail.

What are the levels of the Cisco courses?

The different levels of the Cisco certification courses are as follows-

• The Associate-level Cisco certifications

• The Professional-level Cisco certifications

• The Expert-level Cisco certifications

What are the Associate-Level Cisco Courses?

You can consider the associate-level Cisco certifications if you are a beginner and want to begin your career in the networking industry. The associate-level certification is the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification.

Let us now dive deep into the associate-level courses.

• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

The CCNA certification is the world’s most popular certification to enter the networking industry. With the everchanging networking and IT landscape, the CCNA certification proves your skills in managing and optimizing the most advanced networks.

Exam: You must clear the CCNA 200-301 exam to become a junior-level Network Engineer.

What will you learn in the CCNA course?

You will learn the following skills in the CCNA certification course training-

1. Network Fundamentals

2. Network Access

3. IP Connectivity

4. Security Fundamentals

5. Automation & Programmability

6. Routing & Switching

What are the requirements for the CCNA training?

The prior requirements for associate-level courses are as follows-

1. You must have fundamental computer and hardware knowledge.

2. If you do not have any prior computer knowledge, I recommend you take CompTIA A+ certification first.

What are the job opportunities after CCNA?

You can land the following jobs after clearing the CCNA exam-

1. Entry-level Network Engineer

2. Technical Support Engineer

3. Systems Engineer

4. Network Administrator

5. Information Technology (IT) Manager

6. Help Desk Technician

• Cisco Certified DevNet Associate

If you want to learn network automation across a network, security, collaboration, and network infrastructure, the Cisco Certified DevNet Associate is the best Cisco course to enroll in. You can also learn Python to master network automation as a Network Engineer.

Exam: You must clear the 200-901 DEVASC exam to become a DevNet Associate.

What will you learn in the DevNet course?

You will get hands-on with the following skills with the DevNet training-

1. Enterprise

2. Data Center

3. Security 

4. Service Provider

5. Collaboration

What are the requirements for the DevNet certification training?

There are no harsh requirements for the course. 

1. You need to have some introductory knowledge about computers.

2. You need at least one year of experience with software development and Python in general.

What are the job opportunities after the DEVASC exam?

You can land the following jobs after completing the DEVASC training-

1. Network Automation Engineer

2. Network Developer

• Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate

Who handles the networks when an organization becomes prone to cybersecurity threats? Here is where you can be the hero by becoming a CyberOps Associate. You get to work closely with the Security Operations Center (SOC) team.

Exam: You must clear the 200-201 CBROPS exam to become a CyberOps Associate.

What will you learn in the CyberOps course?

You will get a chance to learn the following skills with the CyberOps certification training-

1. Security concepts

2. Security monitoring

3. Hotbased analysis

4. Network intrusion analysis

5. Security policies and protocols

What are the requirements for the CyberOps training?

There are no prior requirements for this certification course.

What are the job opportunities after CBROPS?

You can land the following jobs after completing the CBROPS training-

1. Cybersecurity Support Analyst

2. System Administrator

3. Network and Security Administrator

4. Entry-level Network Engineer

What are the Professional-Level Cisco Courses?

Once you are done with the associate-level Cisco courses and worked for almost 2-3 years in the networking industry, it is the best time to climb up the ladder. One must complete the associate Cisco courses first to move forward to the professional-level Cisco courses.

There is one thing common about all the professional Cisco courses- take two exams to become a Cisco professional. These two exams are as follows-

• The core exam

This exam covers all the core technologies that are the basic foundation of Cisco technology.

• The concentration exam

You can consider this exam to prove your expertise in a specified technology. You can then refine your skills through this exam preparation.

Now let us discuss the professional-level Cisco certifications-

• Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Enterprise

With the CCNP Enterprise certification, you can prove your knowledge in managing the networks. You can hone your skills in configuring, troubleshooting, and managing the networks of the biggest companies across the globe.

Exam: You need to take the following exams-

1. A core exam (350-401 ENCOR), and 

2. A concentration exam [Implementing and Operating Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies (ENARSI)]

3. A concentration exam (300-415 ENSDWI)

What will you learn in the CCNP Course?

You will get to learn the following skills in CCNP Enterprise training-

1. Enterprise infrastructure

2. Virtualization

3. Assurance

4. Security

5. Automation 

What are the requirements for the CCNP training?

1. You must have a CCNA certification before enrolling in the CCNP course.

2. It is good if you already have 1-2 years of experience in the networking industry.

What are the job opportunities after CCNP Enterprise?

You can land the following jobs after completing the CCNP Enterprise certification training-

1. L2 Network Engineer

2. TAC Engineer

3. NOC Engineer

4. Network Security Engineer

5. SD-WAN Engineer (must clear the 300-415 ENSDWI exam)

• Cisco Certified DevNet Professional

If you want to master software and network infrastructure, this Cisco certification is for you. You will master the skills to develop and maintain apps built on Cisco platforms.

Exam: You need to take the following exams-

1. A core exam, 350-901 DEVCOR exam

2. A concentration exam, DEVCOR exam

What will you learn in the DevNet course?

1. Implement network applications

2. Software designing to diverse system integration

3. Testing and deploying automation

What are the requirements for the course?

You must have CCNA certification.

What are the job opportunities after DevNet training?

1. DevNet Architect

2. Network Engineer

• CCNP Security

You can prove your skills in the cybersecurity domain with the CCNP security certification. You can protect the networks and the data that your clients rely on. 

Exam: You need to take two exams:

1. A core exam, 350-701 SCOR exam

2. A concentration exam, SCOR exam

What will you learn in the CCNP Security course?

You will learn the following skills with the CCNP Security certification training-

1. Infrastructure

2. Virtualization

3. Assurance

4. Security

5. Automation

What are the requirements for the CCNP Security training?

There are no formal requirements for the course. You must have CCNA certification and 1-2 years of hands-on experience.

What are the job opportunities after CCNP Security?

You can become a Network Security Engineer.

• CCNP Service Provider

With the CCNP Service Provider certification, you can prove your skills in configuring, verifying, and optimizing service provider IP infrastructure. You get to learn how to improve networks.

Exam: You need to take two exams:

A core exam, 350-501 SPCOR exam

A concentration exam, SPCOR exam

What will you learn in the CCNP Service Provider course?

You can expect to master the following technologies in this course- 

1. Core architecture

2. Services

3. Networking

4. Automation

5. QoS

6. Security

7. Network assurance

What are the requirements for the CCNP Service Provider training?

There are no prior requirements for the CCNP service provider course. You must have a CCNA certification.

What are the job opportunities after the CCNP Service Provider certification?

You can land a job as a Network Engineer specializing in Service Provider.

What are the Expert-Level Cisco Courses?

The expert-level Cisco courses are the highest-level of Cisco courses. It is best to go for these courses only when you have achieved associate and professional-level certifications. You must have around three to five years of experience in networking technologies.

To qualify for these expert-level certifications, you need to pass two exams, namely-

• Qualifying exam

The qualifying exam tests your knowledge of a particular technology through performance-based or multiple-choice questions.

• Lab exam

The lab exam tests your overall hands-on knowledge through practicals, i.e., the lab exam. 

Since CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure is the most popular expert-level Cisco course, let us understand it in detail.

• Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Enterprise Infrastructure

You can master enterprise infrastructure technologies and become a skilled professional in working with complex enterprise infrastructure solutions with the CCIE Enterprise course.

Exam: You need to clear for two exams, namely-

1. A qualifying exam, the 350-401 ENCOR, exam tests your knowledge of enterprise networking infrastructure.

2. A lab exam, CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure v1.0, is an 8-hour practical lab exam that tests the end-to-end lifecycle of complex enterprise network understanding.

What will you learn in the CCIE course?

You will learn the following with the CCIE certification course-

1. Enterprise network lifecycle

2. Designing enterprise networks

3. Deploying enterprise networks

4. Operating enterprise networks

5. Optimizing enterprise networks

What are the requirements for the CCIE course?

1. You must have at least associate and professional-level Cisco certifications.

2. You must have at least 3-5 years of experience in the networking industry.

What are the job opportunities after CCIE Enterprise training?

You can apply for the following job roles after completing the CCIE course-

1. Infrastructure Architect

2. Senior Network Consultant

3. Cisco Network Administrator

4. Network Engineer

5. Senior Network Engineer

Why choose Network Kings to learn the Cisco courses?

Network Kings is an online education platform aiming to make education accessible for all at the most affordable pricing in a rare yet evolving domain like networking. Our constant efforts and growth defy conventional notions of learning that education must be expensive to be most effective. 

Physical learning is student-centered and whatnot. Our classes are online and cater to learners’ schedules primarily. Secondly, we provide live Cisco course training to avoid any doubts. You will learn directly from the experienced industry engineers, who bring their real-world experience of about 12+ years to the table. We aim to generate employment for all. 

Wrapping Up!

So far, we have discussed all the popular Cisco courses that have led to millions of successful careers in the tech industry. You can also begin the journey of your dream career by taking the online Cisco course provided by Network Kings!

Feel free to reach out to us for assistance.

HAPPY LEARNING!