Is the Cisco CCNA worth it? What 440 job postings say
440 open job postings from 197 employers name Cisco CCNA. 35% require it; the rest list it as a nice-to-have. It's asked for most in networking jobs, where 24% of postings name it.
35% of the 440 postings that name it require it. It also appears in early-career postings: 11% are junior or intern roles.
- Employers name it
- 19711th of 40 we track
- Require it
- 35%of postings that name it
- Level
- AssociateCisco: “Associate”
- Exam fee
- $300official price
- Valid for
- 3 yearsthen renew
Who should take it?
Built from what the 440 postings ask for, not from opinions.
Take it if you…
- aim at networking jobsNamed in 24% of networking postings
- target employers that screen for it35% of the postings that name it require it
- are early in your career11% of the postings that name it are junior or intern roles
Recognition: recognised by a narrower set of employers, 11th of 40 by the number of employers that name it (197). We can't yet measure whether Cisco CCNA 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 CCNA, and how many of those require it.
Job titles
Cisco CCNA shows up most in Network Engineer, Technical Support Engineer and Systems Administrator 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 | 33 | 35 |
| Technical Support Engineer | 7 | 12 |
| Systems Administrator | 7 | 8 |
| Solutions Engineer | 6 | 8 |
| Network Administrator | 6 | 6 |
| Systems Engineer | 5 | 6 |
| Network Security Engineer | 5 | 5 |
| Sales Engineer | 4 | 14 |
Required or a plus?
How the 440 postings that name Cisco CCNA ask for it.
Who it's for: seniority
Level stated in the job title, 172 postings.
Who asks for it
Employers with the most postings
- Verkada · 27
- Computer World Services · 21
- EOS · 21
- Agile Defense · 14
- SpaceX · 13
- Anduril Industries · 11
- Zscaler · 11
- NETGEAR · 10
- Meter · 9
- Megaport · 7
Where the jobs are
32% are fully remote (of 201 postings that say).
70% 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 CCNA and publish a salary range (185 postings).
Often asked for together
Other certifications named in the same postings as Cisco CCNA.
Share of the postings that name Cisco CCNA. Postings often list several certifications as alternatives (“CISSP, CISM or equivalent”).
Compared with similar certifications
Cisco CCNA is named by more employers than any other certification in its group.
| 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
CCNA 200-301. From the official Cisco pages, checked 14 November 2026. Formats change: confirm before you book.
What the exam covers
Share of the exam, from the official exam outline.
What it costs
- Exam
- $300
Official prices only. Courses, practice tests and retakes come on top; their prices vary too much between providers to average.
Sources: Cisco: CCNA v1.1 exam topics, Cisco: CCNA exam, 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 CCNA, 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 CCNA worth it in 2026?
It depends on the job you're aiming at. 197 employers name it in 440 open postings, most often in networking (24% of that family's postings). 35% require it. For those jobs it can decide whether your application gets past the first screen.
Will Cisco CCNA help me get an entry-level job?
It appears in early-career postings more than most certifications: 11% of the postings that state a level are junior or intern roles. Most still ask for experience alongside it.
How much do jobs that ask for Cisco CCNA pay?
US postings that name it and publish a salary advertise a median base pay of $140K (middle half $109K–$170K, 185 postings). Compared with a job without a certification at the same company, same job family and level, they advertise 13% less. That's what the job pays, not what the certificate adds.
Which certifications are asked for together with Cisco CCNA?
Most often CompTIA A+ / Network+ / CySA+ / CASP+ (named in 44% of the same postings), Cisco CCNP (named in 41% of the same postings) and CompTIA Security+ (named in 36% of the same postings).
What is on the Cisco CCNA exam?
The official outline weights ip connectivity (25%), network fundamentals (20%) and network access (20%) most.
Does Cisco CCNA expire?
3 years.
How much does Cisco CCNA cost?
CCNA 200-301: $300, 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.