Cisco Cert Changes

[Nerm]

Anyone else catch the cert changes announced today? I am still reading up on all the changes so not sure how I feel about them yet.

[Dieselboy]

Just seen the email about it when I started my day a few minutes ago. Logged into the cisco.com site to read:

In the new CCNP program, each CCNP certification requires only two exams: one core exam and one concentration exam of your choice, so you can focus on your interests and needs. And core exams in each technology track also serve as qualifying exams for CCIE lab exams.

I need to read more into this. On one hand, I just completed CCNP Collaboration back in March (I explained to my gf at the time that I need to keep up the pace because I was expecting changes!).
Historically in my experience over the last 14 years the exams have changed in a sense that they get split out. One CCNP became more. The CCNP R&S removed some topics which created other CCNP tracks and reduced from four to three exams.

When taking exams I do feel like it's just another revenue stream for Cisco and Cisco Press. I tried contacting Cisco Press recently to inquire about one of the CCNP Collab cert books... It is pending being published. I think it would be nice if the material could be made available at the time the exam is. Current experience is that, the book might not make it out before Cisco retire the exam! And Cisco Press which is a Chinese company?

When I go to the CCNP Collab page, there's a migration tool. As I just passed all four current exams in March, I tick all the boxes there where it says "If you pass these exams by February 24:". On the right then it says:

Then after February 24:

You will receive the new CCNP Collaboration certification and these Specialist certifications:

    Cisco Certified Specialist - Collaboration Core
    Cisco Certified Specialist - Collaboration Applications Implementation
    Cisco Certified Specialist - Collaboration Call Control & Mobility Implementation
    Cisco Certified Specialist - Collaboration Cloud & Edge Implementation

So looking at that, after Feb 2020 I will have made progress to CCIE Collab (with the Collaboration Core). I'm not sure if this is a requirement. Currently people can take the CCNA, then pay a trainer sums of money to train specifically for one lab and one written exam to achieve CCIE with no or limited working experience.

So in summary, looks like existing certification holders are not being wiped out. There is a plan to keep learning and to migrate into the new tracks. For someone whom doesnt want their certs to expire, they would need to do this anyway. Hopefully it's good news all around. Although the 2-exam CCNP -  Theoretically, you could have multiple CCNP Collab certs?

[Otanx]

So just listened to a talk on this at Cisco Live. Basically they are going to a single CCNA again, and I feel it is going to be more CCENT focused. The CCNP level is going to 5, but each of those have a bunch of specialty exams that will make everyone different depending on which exam you used to get the CCNP. I was not clear on the CCIE, but one slide I saw showed only two CCIE tracks. I think that may have just been an example. I can't see them getting rid of all the CCIE tracks.

The cool new stuff is the DevNet certs. Basically certs in automation, python, API stuff. Depending on exactly what they test if it will be useful.

-Otanx

[deanwebb]

Looks like it will be easier for VARs to maintain A/P/IE certs, but now there are more certs for more specialties, but getting a specialty seems to keep all the other certs at that level valid for another 3 years.

[Dieselboy]

I would be well into the automation stuff. I was looking for that on the CCNA cloud track.

I feel that CCIE is the new CCNP where CCNP is as common as CCNA now, CCIE is the step forward. Whats others opinions on this?

I hope employers and recruiters are across the ccnp changes, because I can see that becoming confusing. "I have CCNP R&S but I dont know that CCNP Tech you're talking about because I went via this path..."

Part of me feels satisfied and happy that I completed the current ccnp collab track, with the CCNA and four CCNP exams, not including the ccna and ccnp re-takes. At $400 each exam, it cost me at least $2k in exams. I think I done 2 or 3 retakes due to exam track changes / expiry. Plus the study books and training videos. It's tax return time this month, however

But the other part of me feels like CCNP = 2 exams = less effort and expenditure = it could have been easier if I waited?

Mixed feels, but I think on the whole the changes will be good.

[wintermute000]

I'm overall supportive, it certainly bridges a lot of the old gaps, and let's face it, all the CCNA specialisations are a joke.

The automation ironically is stupid - multiple choice questions on syntax and/or features is no way to test programming. Labs or GTFO - you seriously can't certify people on slinging code via multiple choice, its ridiculous. I've seen some of their automation exams to date (NPDESI for example) and you could be crash hot at the actual programming but fail the exam due to not memorising features or platform specific things that IRL you'd look up anyway, its retarded, like testing some on python via asking them about properties of specific class attributes for a particular library. It should be practical like the RH ansible cert, no other substitute.

I'm disenchanted with the CCIE Enterprise:
- You can't be serious if you expect any depth to making a 5 hour lab exam cover STP/RIP/OSPF/EIGRP/BGP/MP-BGP/LDP/L3VPN/DMVPN/ipv6/multicast AND Viptela AND SD-Access. It will completely devalue the exam because you can't go anywhere near as deep as the CCIE badge should indicate.
- Ironically, you can't be serious expecting people to find a way to lab SD-Access (or even Viptela). Pay out the orifice for official rack rental - how much crap do you need (none of it virtual aside from ISE/WLC) again? DNA centre (physical only, natch), physical 9Ks, WLC, ISE, WAPs.... at least Viptela can be done purely with VMs, but how you going to get that license file? There's talk of training bundles/solutions but lets see what that actually consists of (like the ACI simulator... nice idea until you see the price tag).

I like that finally there is a design element for CCIEs, however, it should replace the CCIE written, not cannibalise the 3 hours whilst you shove more topics in, topics that are also impossible to lab at home.   

They should have split off SD-Access and/or Viptela into their own CCIE SDN or whatever, would be fair, and then actually allow the space to test the shit out of it. Now we're going to get CCIEs who don't know how to read OSPF LSAs or troubleshoot address families in BGP but hey they can clicky clicky around DNA centre. ugh (and as usual they smash shit together that you are interested in with shit that you are not interested in).

Not happy how regular NX-OS/VXLAN-EVPN, ACI and UCS are still smashed together for the DC track. The number of DC guys I know (including CCIE DCs) who actually know their stuff on both Nexus and UCS is vanishingly small, most of them work on one or the other and have almost completely forgotten the 'useless' half, and/or their company is HP/Dell/Nutanix etc. I would actually go for it if there was a way to only cert up on Nexus and VXLAN-EVPN, but I have to study not only ACI but also UCS, no thanks.

The CCIE recertification treadmill has also become a bit of a money grab. 3 specialisation exams or 120 points of continuing education. Before you could re-cert after 1 NP level exam, now you gotta do 3. But the CCNPs only need to do 2 exams now.

[deanwebb]

Could they be dropping the bar on certs to get more of them out there?

From a sales side of things, more Cisco certs = more people willing to lock into wall-to-wall Cisco. Never mind what HR does - "Look, kid, we want a CCNP. *ANY* CCNP, all right?" - or if the certs mean anything technically beyond someone who knows his sh run from his write mem. Get everyone and his cousin with a cert and reclaim that market share!

[Dieselboy]

CCIE re-cert is any ccie level exam. You could recert by taking the written OR the lab. People take the written to re-cert. CCNP exam doesnt recert a ccie, however.

CCNP recert should be any ccnp level exam. So thinking about that, would it be beneficial to keep taking new specialist exams? So over time you would rack up multiple CCNPs?

[deanwebb]

CCNP recert should be any ccnp level exam. So thinking about that, would it be beneficial to keep taking new specialist exams? So over time you would rack up multiple CCNPs?

I think that's what Cisco wants to happen.

What will actually happen is "hey exam $NAME is real easy, re-cert on that one!"

[DesertFox]

In one of the fb groups there was info from Cisco guys that CCNA CyberOps would stay and info on the web is wrong. Not sure if it is true, but is going to be nice, I am a huge fan and it is more or less vendor neutral.

[Nerm]

After further research it looks like my plan for the rest of 2019 and 2020 are totally screwed up. May plan was to do CCDA in the fall and then CCDP/CCNP in 2020. Now that CCDA and CCDP no longer exist I guess my only path forward is the new CCNP Enterprise.

[wintermute000]

You can still do a CCNP Enterprise via the ENCOR exam (basically route/switch) then doing the design specialisation. It would be like doing ROUTE+SWITCH+ARCH i.e. the same as CCDP effectively.

So if you bum rush the CCDP now you convert into a CCNP Enterprise (design specialisation), no real loss except for the extra CCDA exam.

[deanwebb]

Meanwhile, all the dump sites are budgeting for the project plan to get the new tests...

[icecream-guy]

Meanwhile, all the dump sites are budgeting for the project plan to get the new tests...

NP there, with the influx of people wanting to get certs in before the deadline, without study, will provide the needed cash.