Is the Cisco CCIE worth it? What 176 job postings say
176 open job postings from 85 employers name Cisco CCIE. 37% require it; the rest list it as a nice-to-have. It's asked for most in networking jobs, where 14% of postings name it.
37% of the 176 postings that name it require it. It signals experience: 100% of the postings that state a level are senior or above.
- Employers name it
- 8522nd of 40 we track
- Require it
- 37%of postings that name it
- Level
- ExpertCisco: “Expert”
- Exam fee
- $2,000 (core + lab)official price
- Valid for
- 3 yearsthen renew
Who should take it?
Built from what the 176 postings ask for, not from opinions.
Take it if you…
- aim at networking jobsNamed in 14% of networking postings
- target employers that screen for it37% of the postings that name it require it
- already have years in the field100% of these postings are senior or above
Skip it (for now) if you…
- want it to land your first jobAlmost none of the postings that name it are junior or intern roles
Recognition: recognised by a narrower set of employers, 22nd of 40 by the number of employers that name it (85). We can't yet measure whether Cisco CCIE gets a particular person hired: that needs outcomes from people who earned it.
How much it counts in each kind of job
Share of each job family's postings that name Cisco CCIE, and how many of those require it.
Job titles
Cisco CCIE shows up most in Network Engineer, Sales Engineer and Solutions Architect postings. Ranked by the number of different employers, so one big hirer can't fill the list.
| Job (level and location removed) | Employers | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Network Engineer | 30 | 34 |
| Sales Engineer | 3 | 13 |
| Solutions Architect | 3 | 3 |
Required or a plus?
How the 176 postings that name Cisco CCIE ask for it.
Who it's for: seniority
Level stated in the job title, 114 postings.
Who asks for it
Employers with the most postings
- Zscaler · 19
- Meter · 9
- Netskope · 7
- AHEAD · 6
- Forward Networks · 6
- Computer World Services · 5
- AGE Solutions · 4
- ePlus Technology, inc. · 4
- Myriad360 · 4
- SpaceX · 4
Where the jobs are
54% are fully remote (of 80 postings that say).
72% of the postings are in the United States: the job boards we read lean towards US tech companies, so other markets are under-represented.
What these jobs pay
Advertised US base pay in postings that name Cisco CCIE and publish a salary range (85 postings).
Often asked for together
Other certifications named in the same postings as Cisco CCIE.
Share of the postings that name Cisco CCIE. Postings often list several certifications as alternatives (“CISSP, CISM or equivalent”).
Compared with similar certifications
Cisco CCNA and Cisco CCNP are named by more employers.
| Certification | Level | Exam fee | Employers | Required | Senior or above | Junior or intern |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco CCNA | Associate | $300 | 197 | 35% | 83% | 11% |
| Cisco CCNP | Professional | $400 + concentration exam | 162 | 37% | 95% | 3% |
| Cisco CCIE | Expert | $2,000 (core + lab) | 85 | 37% | 100% | 0% |
Exam and requirements
CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure: core exam plus lab exam. From the official Cisco pages, checked 14 November 2026. Formats change: confirm before you book.
What it costs
- Exam
- $400 for the core exam plus $1,600 for the lab (travel not included)
Official prices only. Courses, practice tests and retakes come on top; their prices vary too much between providers to average.
Sources: Cisco: CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure exams, Cisco certification exams.
How we count
- Source. 199,799 unique open postings from company job boards on Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, crawled November 2026.
- Named only. A posting counts when it names Cisco CCIE, not the bare word “certified”. Certifications offered as a benefit (“we pay for your exam”) don't count.
- Required or a plus. Read from the section and the sentence the mention sits in.
- Checked by hand. In 150 random matches the extractor had never seen, 148 named the right certification and 147 had the right type.
- Minimum sample. Seniority, locations and pay are shown only with at least 30 postings behind them.
- Limits. A posting is what an employer asks for, not who they hire. The boards lean towards tech companies and the US.
FAQ
Is Cisco CCIE worth it in 2026?
It depends on the job you're aiming at. 85 employers name it in 176 open postings, most often in networking (14% of that family's postings). 37% require it. For those jobs it can decide whether your application gets past the first screen.
Will Cisco CCIE help me get an entry-level job?
Rarely on its own. Only 0% of the postings that name it and state a level are junior or intern roles; 100% are senior, lead or staff. Employers treat it as a mark of experience, not a way in.
How much do jobs that ask for Cisco CCIE pay?
US postings that name it and publish a salary advertise a median base pay of $175K (middle half $164K–$213K, 85 postings). That's what the jobs pay, not what the certificate adds.
Which certifications are asked for together with Cisco CCIE?
Most often Cisco CCNP (named in 73% of the same postings), CISSP (named in 36% of the same postings) and Cisco CCNA (named in 23% of the same postings).
Does Cisco CCIE expire?
3 years.
How much does Cisco CCIE cost?
CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure: core exam plus lab exam: $400 for the core exam plus $1,600 for the lab (travel not included), according to the official page as of 14 November 2026. Prices change, so check before you pay.
Not sure a certification is your gap?
See all 40 certifications side by side, or check the skills employers in your target role ask for.