When it comes to IT certifications that help build a foundation of skills for a career in computer networking, CompTIA Network+ is the best place to start. While other certifications, such as Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), cover computer networking skills, they don’t place an emphasis on mastery of baseline skills. Here are four reasons we think CompTIA Network+ is the first step for people looking to start their computer networking career.
CompTIA’s vendor-neutral certifications prepare IT pros for job roles at any organization, using any vendor equipment. The skills covered by CompTIA Network+ lay a foundation for IT pros who want to build a career in IT infrastructure and need skills that support multi-vendor networking. This gives them a competitive advantage over their peers and business skills that will grow their career.
| CompTIA Network+ | Cisco Certified Network Associate |
|---|---|
| Broadens an IT Pro’s Ability to Support Any Equipment Prepares candidates to work with any tool or product, regardless of vendor, which makes an individual’s networking capabilities limitless. | Focuses on the Skills Needed for Cisco Solutions Trains candidates to work with Cisco’s tools and products exclusively, which limits their networking capabilities. |
| Prepares IT Pros for Specific Job Roles Provides deep knowledge of networking and imparts networking skills needed for specific job roles: | Prepares a Candidate to Support Vendor Solutions Covers general networking skills related to Cisco products but is not tied to specific job roles. |
| Trusted Validation of Skills Is well-known and respected by employers as a certification designed to advance the IT industry and give IT pros the skills they need to work on any products. | New Approach to Validating Skills Employers are unfamiliar with the revamped CCNA, which was created primarily to support Cisco hardware, and may not know what to expect from certified technicians. |
| Provides Technical Skills Plus Essential Business Skills In addition to ensuring IT pros possess critical, multi-vendor networking skills, CompTIA Network+ also provides business skills demanded by today’s workplace. | Offers Technical Skills Only The new CCNA provides candidates with technical skills alone. It doesn’t pair them with the business skills, such as change management, incident management and troubleshooting. |
Ready to take the first step toward earning CompTIA Network+? Download the exam objectives to get started.
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