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Thread: Cisco Certs? Or Nah?

  1. #11
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    Just don't do the CEH...

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by khat17 View Post
    CISCO certification - IMO - is for persons that intend to work with companies using those devices, or already working in a company that supports or uses them. This gives upward mobility or specialization in that field. CISCO is one of the highest paying certificates worldwide.

    https://www.globalknowledge.com/us-e...ertifications/

    Even a quick Google search will show that. It's at #7, #8 & #9 in the link above - all CISCO. Oh and #13 as well. It even gets honorable mentions.
    Those are good salaries. Very impressive. How many CISCO certified people do you know who are earning this?

  3. #13
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    In Jamaica? None. Nobody in Jamaica earns half of what they should. I've worked in IT for 20+ years and never earned half of what I'm certified for.

    http://www.payscale.com/research/US/...y_Company_Size

    That lists salary based on company size. The last two companies I've worked for have much more than 9 employees. That's USD$52k per year. I don't make even half of that. My net is maybe close to 1/4 of that. So yeah. And that's just A+. I'm also N+ certified, HP certified, Lexmark certified, have local other certification, plus the years of experience. My resume includes that fact that within the 20+ years I've setup multiple networks - the one I'm most proud of is a law firm that has not been down in 12 years. The only down-time they've had was routers getting fried or power supplies going bad. It would have been 13 years but this year one employee caught a Crypto Ransomware and messed some stuff up. Had disaster recovery and backup in place so after it was identified the business was back up fully in 2 days. Each person was able to work within a few hours, but to eliminate the threat totally and re-secure the network took time.

    Couple all of that and the fact that call center persons overseas make more than me, It's grounds to leave the country. But I'm stupid and patriotic. I'm not going anywhere. Don't like traveling - did too much of it when I was younger. And - IMHO - live is better here. First-world countries have better health care and opportunities, but life and lifestyles are better here IMHO.

    So. Back on topic. Why bother with certification? Well - it's good for upward mobility. Your pay will probably increase by about 10k-20k unless you get into a management position. But I know of nobody in Jamaica that earns even half of what they should based on their certifications. Maybe - MAYBE - persons that work in direct US or foreign companies - like at an Embassy. I think those pay you what you're certified for.

    http://www.payscale.com/research/US/...y_Company_Size

    There's your CCNA. That's about JMD$660,000 per month - gross - let's take out 25% for government - that leaves about JMD$495,000. I don't know anyone that's not in a management position making more than JMD$400,000 per month - or JMD$300,000 for that matter.

    On average, IT persons in Jamaica make between JMD$80,000 - JMD$150,000 per month net. Gross is between JMD$960,000 - JMD$2,500,000 depending on the company and the position you're in.
    Last edited by khat17; Apr 17, 2016 at 08:33 AM.
    Knowing the solution doesn't mean knowing the method. Yet answering correctly and regurgitation are considered "learning" and "knowledge".

  4. #14
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    Okay... So we both agree that the CCNA certification does not result in higher salaries in Jamaica.

    Think about the companies that hire I.T. staff. Which is more likely to get you a job with them? Microsoft and A + or CCNA?

  5. #15
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    Again. That depends.

    Larger companies may like the fact that you have the papers. Experience or whether or not you'll use it isn't the thing. Companies are not usually run by IT people - it's run by accountants.

    The route I'd give people is this. Personally.

    A+ → Network+ → WORK → Decide Your Path

    REPAIRS?
    Electronics → Related Courses / BSc in IT
    General Hardware → Related Courses / BSc in IT
    Software → BSc in IT (usually has a lot of programming focus)

    NETWORKING?
    Specialized: CISCO / Juniper
    Telephony: CISCO / Linux (Asterisk) / Avaya

    PROGRAMMING?
    Related Courses / BSc in IT.

    That's a quick and dirty run-down. Digicel will probably hire you if you can prove you know stuff about telephony where mobile technology is concerned. I have material for that - but I'm not really interested. Just for my own purposes.

    Anyways. Specializing depends on what you want to do. You can do repairs and installations on a number of things - PBX (old style) - IP Telephony - ATMs - Printers (ink/laser/thermal) - Cameras - PCs - Servers - NAS - SAN - Laptops - Macs - Phones - Tablets - Monitors - Motors - Cars - and the list goes on and on.

    The thing I advise ANYONE to do is find what you like. Stick to it. Dabble in the rest. Don't go for the "big money" when it's something you don't like or find tedious/hard. That's a waste of time. Do something you like. Less stress for you in the long run.

    If you find yourself in a large company and they aren't very family-like then do things by the books. Don't go above and beyond if it's going to stretch you thin. If you work on a call assignment basis, don't allow yourself to be assigned multiple calls in a single day that you can't complete. Worse if you have to drive to each location.

    Don't under-charge for your skills, certification or experience. Start at what the market price is. Tier your pricing based on the customer type - residential, SOHO/SMB or commercial.

    NEVER go into a situation hoping that you'll get what you want - make sure your resume' states what your salary based on your US/overseas counterparts would earn and state that.

    Example: Salary: USD$35,000 p.a. negotiable (based on certification/experience)

    You won't get that, but you set the premise that you have the experience/certification and could make that or more based on your geographic location.

    Anyways. Going off.............

    Don't do unnecessary certifications. Do what you NEED for the job you WANT. If you're already in a company and they will PAY FOR the exams, then do as MANY AS YOU CAN. It's always good to have them as it makes you more marketable. But don't make yourself miserable. If you won't want to do it - DON'T.

    That's my 10 cents.
    Knowing the solution doesn't mean knowing the method. Yet answering correctly and regurgitation are considered "learning" and "knowledge".

  6. #16
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    For anyone who was already preparing for the Cisco CCNA R&S, note that the syllabus is changing, and the final day to take existing exam is in August. The books and material for the new exam are coming out shortly.

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by 5dB View Post
    For anyone who was already preparing for the Cisco CCNA R&S, note that the syllabus is changing, and the final day to take existing exam is in August. The books and material for the new exam are coming out shortly.
    Good heads up ... so for anyone already studying with the "old" syllabus they better take a shot at the exam before the new syllabus kicks in.
    Team Leader
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  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris View Post
    Good heads up ... so for anyone already studying with the "old" syllabus they better take a shot at the exam before the new syllabus kicks in.
    Too late for me i guess ! I just haven't been able to get it together lol, Oh well guess i'll have to start from scratch again.
    Shhhh!I see dead people!

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