The CCIE Security is often considered as the Ph.D. of Cisco certifications. We would be discussing its value to your career and the demands which would be required to achieve becoming a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert Security in a previous blog post. It would be an amazing accomplishment and once you have done it, there comes an inevitable question, and that is what do you do next?

Here are a few things to do for the progression of your career, once you’ve accomplished CCIE greatness.

Start Recertification:

Now that you’re rested up, the time has come to face the cold hard truth of Cisco certification. Without recertifying, the certification would expire, and all your time and effort which would be down the tube. Don’t get afraid though, Cisco is very clear about what would be required for their recertification. It would be benefitting you to start planning now, so the two-year deadline doesn’t sneak up upon you.

The first option for recertifying would be to earn credits through the Cisco Continuing Education Program. Participants would have to take courses to earn credits, and 100 credits within two years would be able to re-certify you. The course offerings would be included a variety of breakouts, technical seminars, as well as instructor-led labs that would be designed to keep your skills sharp and diversify your skill set.

Recertifying with Cisco Certs:

Another option, through which you could recertify your CCIE Security Exam, is to take another CCIE. Like the CCNA and CCNP, the CCIE would also have separate certifications for different concentrations. You may have your CCIE in Routing and Switching or in Voice, or Data Center next. Each CCIE Certification would be able to provide a unique layer of specialization to your resume, which you have already impressive. But the question again lies, and that is which certification to choose.

CCIE Data Center After CCIE Security:

Mostly the candidates who have just completed their CCIE Security Exam goes for the CCIE Data Center Certification. CCIE Data Center Certification would always have been top-notch in terms of minimal power consumption, efficient processing capabilities as well as ease of management through means of its software which would be based Data Center managers. Gaining a CCIE Data Center Certification, wouldn’t just consider the best way to recertify to the CCIE Security certification, but it would also help you out in gaining the jobs, which you were unable to gain it with the CCIE Security Certification. Not to mention that two CCIEs would be able to earn you more salary, reputation, job opportunities, than that of one CCIE Certification. Also, once you have cleared the CCIE Security Certification, it would definitely help you out in your CCIE Data Center Certification.

CISSP After CCIE Security Certification:

Here’s the first thing that you should know, and it is quite important. The CISSP certification is unachievable if you’re just beginning out in a security role. Sure, you would be able to take and clear the exam. But you won’t be able to earn the certification until you have achieved five years of paid work experience. There would be ways to shorten that time by a year.

On the bright side, there are great reasons for earning the CISSP if you don’t have earned the five years of paid work experience. You could still become an (ISC)² Associate by just clearing the CISSP certification exam. CISSP Associates gain exclusive access to (ISC)² career resources as well as networking groups. They’re also considered to be more desirable to employers, especially federal ones.

Also, both of these certifications are related to Security. Having a CCIE Security would help you out in achieving the CISSP Certification, as both of them are similar to some extent.

Now, whichever way you choose, if you have faced difficulty in achieving the CCIE Security Certification, you don’t have to face it again. Join the courses offered by the SPOTO and obtain the next course, whichever it would be, i.e. CCIE Security and CISSP.