Why Pursue Cisco Certifications ?

Demand for professionals who can manage the tools that keep information flowing and communications humming continues to grow. It's no surprise that demand is growing. Especially in challenging times, making the best use of technology can increase efficiency, decrease costs and build a competitive advantage. That's why networking jobs are recession-proof jobs.

The need for IT professionals is expected to grow.

* According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, IT networking is one of the fastest growing occupations with expectations of job growth of 27% in the US by 2012. Over 400,000 new networking jobs are expected to be added by 2016.
* A skill gap of 3 million networking professionals worldwide is expected by 2012.*
* New, evolving networking skills in voice, security and wireless are adding to the demand. In the next five years, the demand for these job roles is expected to grow more than 70%.

Cisco, the leading provider of networking technology, offers Cisco Career Certifications to certify IT professionals in a wide range of networking disciplines to assure employers have the right talent they need at the right time. Cisco Career Certifications allow employers to validate that job applicants and employees have the skills needed to run their networks. Certifications validate your experience and bring valuable, measurable rewards to your career as well. Learn more about certifications and training at the Cisco Learning Network.

Why Pursue a Cisco Certification?

* Higher Salaries:
Network professionals with certifications can demand significantly higher salaries.
o In Certification Magazine's 2008 Salary Survey, an associate-level Cisco CCNA earned a worldwide average US$80,890. Those progressing onwards to the Cisco professional level CCNP earned a 15 percent salary premium over CCNA certified professionals, $91,870 while at the expert level, salaries averaged $120,330.
o Certifications boost average salaries at least 10% while those with over 10 years experience can see salaries increase almost 20% above those without certifications. Source: Payscale.com 1/09
* A Competitive Advantage:
o In 2007, Network World Magazine rated wireless and general networking as the top two "hottest" job skills for career seekers.
o Cisco Career Certifications validate technical knowledge and skills in many areas including routing and switching, security, voice, and wireless technologies and give candidates holding a certification a competitive advantage over those with an equivalent level of hands-on experience.
o A survey by Forrester Consulting of IT hiring managers, commissioned by Cisco, found certifications second to only a college degree to qualifying for jobs and the top criteria used in determining ability to perform the job.
* New Career Options:
Networking skills are in demand across a wide range of industries, including high tech, manufacturing, finance, healthcare, media, transportation, and utilities.
o Dedicated wireless specialist roles are expected to increase from 36% today to 66% within five years.
o Dedicated security roles are expected in 80% of the companies studied within the next five years. Today, 46% of the surveyed companies have these roles.
o 65% of companies expect dedicated voice specialists within five years while only 40% currently have dedicated roles today.

*Analysis by Cisco based on IDC Skills Gap data, Bain 2007 Global Job Market Analysis