CCNA or COLLEGE? - Become a Network Engineer

NetworkChuck Technology Careers Career & Money

About this video

Chuck compares college versus the CCNA for breaking into IT, judging both on cost, time, and worth, with the stated goal of accelerating a career and earning more money. On cost, he puts a four-year degree at roughly $6,000 per year for an accelerated online option like WGU up to about $40,000 per year at a standard brick-and-mortar school, while his premium self-study CCNA path totals about $1,790: roughly $1,000 a year (or $84 a month) for CBT Nuggets, about $60 for the official cert guide books, around $400 for a lab kit, and $330 for the exam. On time, he estimates two to four years for a degree versus two to three months for the CCNA with existing experience, six months from scratch, and up to a year if life interferes. On worth, he argues a degree mainly lands an entry-level help desk job and shows general knowledge, while vendor certifications reflect current, job-specific skills. His core claim is that experience is king: start in help desk, ideally at a small-to-medium company where you can touch enterprise equipment, and use the CCNA to get noticed and rise. He stresses he is not anti-college, but for his own path self-study certification, not finishing his WGU degree, moved him from help desk to network engineer.

Key takeaways

Cost comparison presented: about $1,790 all-in for a premium self-study CCNA versus $6,000 to $40,000 per year for college
Time comparison presented: 2-4 years for a bachelor’s degree versus 2-3 months to 6 months for the CCNA, up to a year worst case
Chuck argues experience is king in job postings, which often ask for a degree or equivalent experience
His recommended path is to start in help desk at a small-to-medium company where there is less red tape and access to enterprise gear
He frames certification as the faster route to promotion and higher pay, while noting degrees that embed certifications, like WGU’s, add extra value

Episode details: published February 24, 2017 · 19:24 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are NetworkChuck’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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