CCNA salary, jobs and career value
Most pages about CCNA salary quote a single number. Cisco does not publish a CCNA salary figure, so this page does not invent one. It sets out what Cisco does say about pay and roles, what that means if you are starting out, and how to judge whether the certification is worth it for you.
See the CCNA practice questions →
CCNA salary: what Cisco publishes
Cisco publishes no CCNA salary, no average CCNA salary and no salary range for the certification. The closest it comes is a statistic on its CCNA page, answering the question “How much can I make after earning my CCNA certification?”.
There, Cisco cites the Pearson VUE 2025 Value of Certification Report: 32% of respondents received a salary increase after certification and 41% were hoping to receive one; 31% of the raises received were above 20%. Cisco adds that this data is more general to Cisco certifications — it is not a CCNA certification salary figure, and it describes raises, not salary levels.
Source: Cisco — CCNA certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
Why we do not quote an average CCNA salary
Figures you see for the salary of CCNA holders come from job boards and surveys, each with its own sample, country mix and job titles. They disagree with one another because they measure different people, and none of them is Cisco’s statement about the credential.
Pay for a networking role depends far more on the country, the employer, the job title and your experience than on the certification alone. A Cisco CCNA salary figure that ignores those variables tells you little about what you will be offered.
What jobs can you get with a CCNA certification?
Cisco names the roles itself. Its CCNA page says the certification is designed for entry-to-mid-level IT professionals, and that it is for you if you are aspiring to become a network engineer, administrator or technician and want to validate your skills in installing, configuring and troubleshooting Cisco-based, enterprise-level network infrastructures.
So the jobs with CCNA certification that Cisco points to are network technician, network administrator and network engineer roles. The 200-301 exam topics — network access, IP connectivity, IP services, security fundamentals and automation — describe the work those roles involve, and these are the CCNA certification jobs Cisco itself has in mind.
Source: Cisco — CCNA certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
Entry-level jobs with CCNA certification
CCNA has no prerequisites, so you can earn it before your first networking job. That makes it a common first credential for entry-level jobs with CCNA certification listed as a requirement or a plus — in Cisco’s terms, technician and administrator roles.
What about CCNA entry level salary or CCNA starting salary figures? Cisco publishes none, and entry-level pay varies widely by country and employer. If you have no experience yet, the certification shows you have covered the exam topics; employers will still weigh lab work, support experience and how you explain your troubleshooting.
Source: Cisco — CCNA certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
CCNA salary with no experience
There is no official CCNA salary with no experience, for the reasons above. What you can do is make the certification count for more: build and document labs for the configure-and-verify objectives, and be ready to walk through a subnetting or routing problem in an interview. Cisco’s own advice is that “you can’t pass the CCNA by just reading a book”, and employers hiring without experience tend to look for the same thing.
Source: Cisco — 200-301 CCNA exam page. Checked 9 October 2026.
Network engineer roles and the CCNA
Network engineer is one of the three roles Cisco names for CCNA. Searches for a network engineer CCNA salary assume a fixed premium, but there is no official CCNA network engineer salary either: network engineer pay depends on seniority, specialisation and location, and CCNA is usually one of several things an employer looks at.
For engineering roles beyond entry level, CCNA is often the first step of a path rather than the end point: Cisco’s levels run associate (CCNA), professional (CCNP) and expert (CCIE). Passing a higher-level Cisco exam also renews your CCNA.
Source: Cisco — Recertification. Checked 9 October 2026.
CCNA job requirements
The certification itself has one requirement: pass exam 200-301. Cisco lists no prerequisites. Job requirements are set by each employer, and an advert may add practical experience, other certifications or a degree.
Read the advert closely: “CCNA or equivalent” and “CCNA required” are different asks, and either way, being able to do the tasks in the exam topics is what the certification is meant to show.
Source: Cisco — CCNA certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
Is the CCNA certification worth it?
Weigh the published facts. Cost: $US300, or Cisco Learning Credits. Exam: 120 minutes, pass/fail, results within 48 hours. Prerequisites: none. Validity: three years, renewable by retaking the exam, passing a higher-level exam or earning 30 Continuing Education credits.
Is CCNA certification worth it for you? It is most clearly worth it if you want to work with Cisco or enterprise networks and need a recognised way to show it — especially without much experience. It is less useful if your work is moving away from networking altogether.
Source: Cisco — 200-301 CCNA exam page. Checked 9 October 2026.
Is CCNA still worth it in 2026?
Cisco still offers the certification, with exam 200-301 at version 1.1, and still describes it as the credential for aspiring network engineers, administrators and technicians. The exam has also moved with the field: automation and programmability is one of its six areas, at 10%.
If you read an older article asking “is CCNA worth it in 2025?”, check its figures against Cisco’s page today. As checked on 9 October 2026, Cisco lists the exam at $US300 with no prerequisites and three years’ validity.
Source: Cisco — CCNA certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
Preparing efficiently
Certsqill offers expert-developed CCNA practice questions with an explanation for every answer option and a readiness score per exam domain, so you can see which of the six areas still needs work. It comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
CCNA salary & career value: questions people ask
What is the average salary with CCNA?
Cisco does not publish one. Its CCNA page cites a Pearson VUE report on raises across Cisco certifications, not a CCNA salary figure. Checked 9 October 2026.
What is the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) salary in the U.S.?
Cisco publishes no country figures. The CCNA Cisco Certified Network Associate salary you see quoted elsewhere comes from third-party surveys, not from Cisco.
What jobs can I get with a CCNA certification?
Cisco names network engineer, network administrator and network technician roles, and describes CCNA as designed for entry-to-mid-level IT professionals. Source: Cisco, checked 9 October 2026.
What job can I get with a CCNA certification and no experience?
Cisco names technician and administrator roles among those CCNA is designed for. CCNA has no prerequisites, so you can earn it before your first networking job.
CCNA salary, no experience: what should I expect?
There is no official figure. Without experience, the offer depends on the role, country and employer more than on the certification; documented lab work strengthens your case.
What is the CCNA salary entry level?
Cisco publishes no entry-level figure, and pay varies widely by country and employer, so we do not quote one.
Is CCNA worth it in 2026?
For networking careers, it remains Cisco’s associate-level credential: $US300, 120 minutes, no prerequisites, valid three years. Whether it pays off depends on whether networking is where you want to work.
Is a CCNA certification worth it without a degree?
Cisco sets no education or experience prerequisites for CCNA, so the certification is open to you either way. Employers set their own requirements.
