CCNA vs Network+ certification – which is better?

CCNA vs network +

CCNA and Network plus both are specialized networking certifications that are very popular especially among fresh graduates because they offer the technical expertise of basic to advanced computer networking. Graduates are quite worried about shaping their career, so these courses provide a great threshold to move forward towards a promising career path. Though, due to very limited knowledge most fresh college students aren’t much familiar with these certifications. Hence, during the initial stage it becomes confusing for them to decide which one of these certifications is a better choice as both these exams somewhat offer similar skills. For this reason, students are often required to take a good look into the technical skills they cover and see which one suit them better as per the industry requirements. Nonetheless, both are networking certifications and are quite popular among IT organizations.

Below are the main differences in both the certifications:

  1. Network + exam is not vendor specific. However, CCNA is launched by Cisco which is a leading manufacturer of the networking devices.
  2. Network + covers just the theory of networking. On the contrary, CCNA exam covers both the theory as well as practical configuration and implementation of network devices.
  3. Network plus certification does not include in-demand technologies like Cloud and automation. In a revised curriculum, CCNA exam now includes automation and cloud technologies.

Recommendations:

As per our recommendation, CCNA exam is a better choice than Network plus due to the following reasons:

  1. CCNA exam covers configuration of Cisco devices, so you will learn to configure networking devices in a real environment. It will help you get practical networking skills as well. Although CCNA is a vendor specific certification but Cisco is the leading networking device manufactures. Hence, majority of organizations use Cisco hardware. Even if some don’t use Cisco devices, it would still help you to have important practical knowledge and experience for stronger technical knowhow.
  2. CCNA certification adds more weight to your resume. It is considered a superior certification. You will see people preferring CCNA more than Network plus.
  3. After completing CCNA, you can pursue advanced Cisco certifications and prepare towards specialized exams like CCNP and CCIE as per your requirement.

It’s even better to clear both certifications as some companies want Network + certifications and others prefer CCNA certification.
If we have a good understanding of networks and our basic concepts are clear then it’s not hard to clear both certifications.
We will have an attractive CV than other applicants when applying for any networking job in IT companies.

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