There’s been a lot of talk about the upcoming changes to Cisco’s certification program, which makes sense. It has been a while since Cisco has made such drastic moves; it’s a big deal IT certification-wise. If you’re working toward your CCNP or starting soon, you need to know what these changes mean for you and your path. But, it is recommended that you all keep studying and gain the CCNP by February 23, 2020! Similarly, if you’re just beginning your Cisco certification journey, this piece will help you understand the certification track changes.

Let’s take CCNP Routing and Switching as an example. You meet the prerequisites by having the CCNA Routing and Switching certification. You start looking into the CCNP and how to prepare for the exams. There are three exams you are required to take: 301-101 Route, 300-115 Switch, and 300-320 Arch. Once you pass these exams, you’ll receive your CCNP Routing and Switching certification. Before discussing the preparation, let’s have a short overview of the changes which are going to be there in the future. Also, if you wish to have it, you should gain the study dumps offered at the SPOTO Club for better results.

CCNP Changes: the future

On Feb. 24, 2020, the CCNP requirements will change quite a bit. Here are the certifications that you’ll see available starting next year:

CCNP Enterprise

CCNP Data Center

CCNP Security

CCNP Service Provider

CCNP Collaboration

Cisco Certified DevNet Professional

You’ll notice several changes. The first major one being that the list no longer includes CCNP Routing and Switching, CCNP Wireless, or CCDP. If you have one of these CCNPs, or you are working toward completing them, they will be integrated into CCNP Enterprise under the new CCNP program. If you’re interested in planning for the CCNP before February 24, you can use the CCNP Migration Tools to help you.

Are You Currently Working on the CCNP?

What if you’re in the middle of your CCNP and you’re thinking about waiting for the changes to go into effect? You shouldn’t. You should shoot to get certified before the changes Feb. 24, 2020. If you’ve already begun the work, don’t slow down. There’s plenty of time for you to prep and sit for the current exams.

The certifications aren’t going away, you just won’t be able to follow these programs moving forward. What this means for you is that if you complete the program before the change, you’re CCNP-certified. Your existing certification would be carryover, and you would gain credit for a new certification.

Let’s use our earlier example to explain. Say you earn your CCNP Routing and Switching before next year. You’ll have your CCNP Routing and Switching cert until it expires in three years. You’ll also get a new CCNP Enterprise certification on top of it. If this isn’t making sense or you want to see how it works for other specializations, refer back to the CCNP Migration Tools.

Cisco Certified Specialist

With CCNA establishing a baseline of knowledge and the CCNP moving into specialization, there’s a pretty big gap between the two certifications. That’s where the Cisco Certified Specialist comes in. These certifications will give you a badge that will allow you to display your skills in that area. Also, probably, more importantly, it will give you the needed experience to build toward your CCNP from the CCNA.

Final Thoughts

Observing briefly at the CCNA, the elimination of specializing in this certification would be encouraging the people to go through the program while meeting the current market demands. The CCNP would be also accomplishing something similar by providing focus and direction at the point it is most needed. It makes the path you need to follow easier to track for those in the future that will be looking for their CCNP. Also, if you wish to have this certification, try to grab it before the changes hit the market and for that, you will require SPOTO Club’s CCNP Study Dumps to ensure your success.