Should I take Network + or CCENT? My path Im thinking about pursing a career is Network/Sec Administration
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Network + or CCENT?
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This depends on your experience with networking theory, concepts and hardware. If you're new to networking in general, you'll want to pursue the CompTIA A+ and Network+ to provide the foundational knowledge of working with computers and working with computers on in a LAN setting. Usually this will help provide you with enough background for your pursuit of the CCENT and CCNA if you're headed that way.
If you've already got previous networking knowledge and experience with computers in a networked environment, then I would say pursue the CCENT. This covers much of the material that CompTIA Network+ would cover but from a Cisco perspective and much of that background will be assumed on the CCENT exam, then working quickly and accurately to be able to perform router and switch configuration will be required. CompTIA requires you to be familiar and even have some working knowledge of what needs to be configured and how to do some configuration but because it is vendor neutral, it doesn't require a candidate to complete a configuration and troubleshoot a configuration. Cisco's Entry Level exam may require you to identify, configure or reconfigure based on what you know about the device itself because it is a vendor specific exam. They expect you to have a more than a cursory knowledge of the their product to a working knowledge of it.
Cordially,
Ronnie Wong
Host, ITProTV
