The real benefits of Cisco certification

Cisco certification salary surveys show consistent gains in compensation among professionals who invest time mastering the networking company's technology. According to the editors of online journal TechRepublic.com, specialists with Cisco certifications often rank in the top three highest-paid slots on the website's annual IT Skills and Salary Report. Cisco's own research indicates that certified professionals often earn as much as 10 percent more than peers without Cisco credentials working in similar routing and networking jobs.

According to company officials, Cisco organizes its certifications into four broad tiers designed to help professionals measure their growth over time. In addition, professionals can earn highly specialized versions of each certification, validating their expertise in niche areas such as:

• Network design
• Routing and switching
• Voice
• Wireless
• Service provider operations
• System architecture

The demand for IT workers with Cisco certifications often outstrips the supply, according to TechRepublic.com. At many large employers, where IT and networking roles have been brought in-house, hiring managers often rely on industry certifications to verify a job seeker's skills and expertise. Because most Cisco certifications stack over time, professionals can often divulge their tenure in the industry just by revealing their highest certification level.

CCENT: Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician

Technicians getting started in network maintenance and deployment can earn Cisco's most basic certification. CCENT professionals often work in smaller companies or in branch offices of larger organizations. Cisco's internal research shows that CCENT professionals often earn $65,000, as much as $6,000 more per year than peers without certification.

CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associate

One of the most sought-after certifications among enterprise IT departments, the CCNA qualifies professionals for jobs as network technicians and support engineers. Experienced networking professionals often take the CCNA exam after two or three years of experience in a CCENT role. TechRepublic's salary survey estimates that most CCNA professionals earn more than $79,000 annually.

CCNP: Cisco Certified Network Professional

After earning a CCNA, many networking professionals pursue specialty training in security, design, or switching. CCNP professionals use their extra training to earn salaries of over $90,000 in roles as network security engineers, network designers and network engineers.

CCIE: Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert

Cisco certification salary surveys show that compensation packages often peak for professionals with either CCIE or Cisco Certified Architect status. According to company education materials, many CCIE certifications help professionals land jobs as network administrators and lead engineers. CCIE-level workers lead the charge to grow the Internet by deploying the IPv6 protocol throughout their companies while ensuring backward compatibility with retiring IPv4 systems. Salary surveys suggest most CCIE professionals earn more than $120,000 per year.

Earning a higher Cisco certification salary through exam prep

To prepare for Cisco certification exams, networking professionals can blend official training from Cisco with education from IT degree programs and skills development programs. Cisco recommends basic courses for each of the four most common certification levels. Even during tough times, employers can often find room in their budgets to help cover some or all of the costs for professional development courses.

By moving a trusted employee through multiple levels of Cisco certification, a company can save significant amounts of money compared to the high cost of recruiting skilled networking professionals. By investing in themselves or by enrolling in employer-sponsored education programs, IT workers can qualify for high-paying, recession-proof networking jobs.