Cisco Certification

I work in the information technology field. I have a bachelors of business administration degree with a concentration in computer information systems. There are a wide variety of jobs in this field. There is everything from programming (even that has a wide variety of programming languages and platforms) to technical support personnel to network engineers. Currently I work with a telecommunications company as an Information Technology Customer Service Representative. Even though there are so many different types of jobs in this field, there is also a lot of competition for these jobs. When I graduated from college, I spent months trying to find a job. I had many interviews but no offers. So during this time I decided to further my education with IT certifications. Basically these certifications require that you pass a test proving that you have a comprehensive knowledge about the subject matter. There are many different types of IT certifications out there, but I decided to concentrate on the basic entry level certifications of CompTia A+ and CompTia Network+. I did a self-study training for these and then passed the required tests. It was not long after obtaining these certifications that I received several job offers. Having these certifications proved to the potential employers that I had the necessary knowledge to perform the job duties required and changed the outlook of my job search. I have been at my current job for a little over three years now and am starting to look for something more. While working with this telecommunications company, I have become much more interested with the networking side of the IT field. I am thinking about training to obtain Cisco certification to help me to further my career in this field. Cisco is the industry leader in networking technology and equipment. I am thinking about trying to get the CCENT (Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician) or the CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate). These certifications give the skills needed to design, manage, and optimize an enterprise wide network. I feel like this certification could prove that I am capable and prepared for a more advanced career than the one I have now. There are many different training materials, courses, and learning libraries to assist you in obtaining these certifications. I just have to sort out the best way for me to approach these Cisco Certifications that will allow me to stand out from the crowd and further my career.