Should I go For CCNA or FCP?

[bessad]

Hi guys, I am deciding to go for a cert but confused which one. I have always worked on Fortinet products. Never worked on Cisco routers and switches or any other vendor.I did went through a CCNA training then I got myself into a company where they only have Fortinet projects. So , question is should I go for CCNA or FCP(Formerly NSE4 ) ? or both ? Is CCNA even a good cert for me ? Currently I have 1 and half year of experience.

[AlexC-FTNT]

Depends on what you want to do in your life.

CCNA is networking. Knowing CCNA material is a fundamental brick in your development for any direction you chose. FCP/NSE is an exam that covers FortiOS (operation and security features). Very little networking invoved because you are expected to know that already. Both certificates open some doors, but CCNA is probably more widely recognized, and even without knowing the Cisco device commands, the content applies to all network devices. So with or without CCNA exam, make sure you know the study material well.

And if you already worked with Fortinet products, the exam may be easier to take and boost your confidence for CCNA. My choice would be "take both", and keep on studying, improving yourself, and earning the most important certificates for you! For what YOU want to do.

And don't let others decide your life for you - you are looking for life and career advice on an internet forum ;)

[gilinvom1]

CCNA has, atleast historically, been more about learning the network protocols, giving you a solid foundation to stand on. Fortinet certificates assume you already know the network protocols and instead focus on teaching you about their products. So I say to go for the CCNA first, but it's also been 10+ years since I passed that exam myself.

[parteeksharma]

Hi bessad,
Hope you are doing good.
Actually, this situation to  go for which certification solely depends on you. CCNA is basics of networking fundamentals and cover the topics and basic understanding of networking concepts and protocol behavior according to Cisco products; however FCP is bit advanced and specific to the Fortinet products and its behavior and it guides to deploy and use networking concepts for  specific Fortinet product/model. Hence it depends on your opinion to choose which certification to go for.  Always its a voluntary commitment to learn new skills or acquiring new knowledge, so "Keep Learning".

Regards,
Parteek

[AEK]

Hi Bessad

Both is better. You start with the highest priority depending on your current job, so I guess you start with NSE4.

[Toshi_Esumi]

I think everybody's comment above is valuable to consider. But as @parteeksharma said it's about you, what kind of career you're envisioning through the future and in what order.

Your current company seems to be a FTNT shop. But then you might find a good opportunity and move on to another company in the future where is a Cisco shop, like Firepower/routers/switches and VM server hosts and management products. Or maybe the company uses/deploys Palo Alto FW products. They have their own complete set of certification. Or maybe Juniper, they have JNCP certification programs.
But it's not so easy to take those without hands on experience. That's why I got a set of Cisco 2511s, I think from eBay, to practice various routing protocols 20+ years ago before taking CCNA. At that time, I know almost nothing about them. That was my career changing point so I was so desperate to get the certification.

Just think about that and take any opportunities, like your company might pay for your FTNT certifications, going along. They're not cheap for reason.

Toshi