How to become a CCIE: Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert, career opportunities, scope and qualifications

This article mentions how to proceed for a CCIE course, the opportunities this course offers, future prospects, training facilities, examination charges and a lot more CCIE stands for Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert. It is a professional degree in network security awarded by Cisco Systems after the completion of a rigorous test. It is a highly reputed certification worldwide and in the whole globe there are approximately only about 100,000 certified CCIE professionals. It is considered a higher level of certification than the CCNA. Getting a CCIE degree is sort of guarantee for a bright future and high paying job. Taken on a average a CCIE professional gets about $25,000 higher pay than a CCNA professional and about $50,000 higher than an uncertified network professional.

Qualifications for becoming a CCIE professional

There are no prior certifications required to become a CCIE professional, you don’t even have to first get a CCNA certification for this. However, CISCO itself suggests that anyone interested in taking the exams should first get a 5 year experience at CISCO systems. If you are currently associated with the field of network administration and security and are interested in improving your job opportunities then for a CCIE certificate you should read the steps mentioned below:

• Whether to do CCNA or CCIE? Unless you already have a CISCO certification then you can also consider getting some other professional certificates in Network Security Credentials from CISCOs various certifications. Although CCIE is no doubt the most valued degree in Network Security Credentials but it is also one of the hardest exams out there. So before you get enrolled for the exams and take up the test manuals to mug is out you should try to find out if you can benefit similarly from a CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) certification. CCNA is a associate level certification and if sufficient to bargain for a higher pay from your employer. It is also a pre-requisite in many other professional certifications Cisco offers like CCNP, CCVP, CCDA, etc. CCNA tests are comparatively easier and are designed for those who have a limited experience of working on Cisco Network equipment. If your experience is limited then going for a CCNA certificate is better and then as you gain more experience you can apply for CCIE exam within 2-3 years when your CCNA certificate is going to expire.
• Choosing the right CCIE track Within the CCIE exam there are 6 tracks according to the network type to apply for. These are:
  • Routing and Switching
  • Security
  • Service Provider
  • Storage networking
  • Voice
  • Wireless
  Details description about each of these tracks can be found on the official Cisco website. You have to choose the track which pertains to your job need.
• How to apply for the written exam of CCIE? Whenever you feel confident of taking the CCIE exams you can do so. Application form can be filled on the Cisco website and the payment for each exam attempt is $350, otherwise students also have the option of giving the beta-version exam which costs $50. The exams will be on computers and are taken by a company called Pearson Vue. This company has its offices in all major locations as it is responsible for many other types of online examinations. You will find it in every college town and in every circle of 50 miles at least one center of the company is definitely located.
• How to apply for the lab exam of CCIE? You can take the lab exam of CCIE once you complete the written exam. You must complete the lab examination within three years of passing the written examination otherwise you will again have to clear the written exam. The cost of practical examination is $1400. The lab examination is an 8 hour test with hands on problem solving at the Cisco lab. You will be given a variety of situations related to setting up and troubleshooting network tasks. You can get blueprints for the practical examination on the Cisco website. As the practical examination is too costly most people sign up of coaching classes to prepare for the examination.
•  CCIE training centers CCIE training centers are Cisco lab simulated centers which will give you similar sample problems to solve under exam conditions. The problems too have to be solved on Cisco Network equipments. These training centers are highly effective but these are quite pricey too. Most of these centers will charge you anything from $2000 to $3000. To choose a good CCIE training center get the information about the expertise of the trainer, whether he/she has got a Cisco certification, has any previous experience, what is the success rate of the students from there etc. Try to get the accreditation of the institute from a reputed organization. As the training is given on particular track and they will assume advanced knowledge of the track, choose only that track with which you have experience and are best with.