Get your CCNA RIGHT NOW!! (before the new CCNA 200-301)

NetworkChuck Technology Careers Career & Money

About this video

Chuck urges anyone mid-way through any old CCNA track (Routing and Switching, Security, Wireless, Collaboration, etc.) to finish before February 23, 2020, ahead of Cisco’s single new CCNA launching February 24, 2020. He explains the migration payoff as described by Cisco certification staff he interviews (including Yusuf and Joe): holders keep their existing CCNA until its normal 3-year expiry, also receive the new CCNA, and get a specialty training badge for LinkedIn, whereas holding only ICND1/CCENT converts to essentially nothing. He outlines the study stack he recommends — a book (Wendell Odom’s Official Cert Guide or Todd Lammle), video training (CBT Nuggets, David Bombal’s Udemy course), labs (Boson NetSim or Packet Tracer), and practice exams (Boson ExSim, AlphaPrep) — and says eight months is doable from zero. He then walks the new exam blueprint: roughly 60-70% overlap with old Routing and Switching per his sources, plus new wireless, virtualization, and security fundamentals pulled from the retired tracks, OSPFv2 as the focus in IP connectivity, and about 20% automation/programmability (JSON, REST APIs, DNA Center, Ansible/Puppet/Chef concepts — no Python coding required for CCNA itself). He contrasts CCNA (about 80% networking / 20% programmability for network engineers) with the new DevNet Associate (roughly the reverse, for software developers), notes CCNP will have no CCNA prerequisite and can be reached via core plus a concentration exam, and covers recertification via 30 continuing-education credits as an alternative to retaking the exam.

Key takeaways

Finish any in-progress old CCNA before Feb 23, 2020: per Cisco staff cited, you keep the old cert to expiry, gain the new CCNA, and earn a specialty training badge; CCENT alone does not convert
Chuck’s recommended prep stack is a cert guide book, video training, a lab (Boson NetSim or Packet Tracer), and timed practice exams
New CCNA overlaps ~60-70% with old Routing and Switching but adds wireless, virtualization, and security fundamentals from the retired tracks
Automation/programmability is ~20% of the new CCNA — concepts, JSON, REST APIs, and tools like Ansible/Puppet/Chef, not Python coding
CCNA targets network engineers (~80% networking) vs DevNet Associate for developers (~80% programmability); CCNP drops the CCNA prerequisite, and CCNA recertification can use 30 continuing-education credits

Episode details: published June 23, 2019 · 51:16 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.

← Previous: What happened to the CCNA? CCNP? CCIE? - An Overview (2019) · Next: HOW TO get your CCNP in 2020 (no CCNA required) →

All NetworkChuck videos · NetworkChuck profile · NetworkChuck on YouTube