| What is the Cisco Certificate? |
The purpose of Cisco Network Specialist certificate CCNA is to teach students the principles, practices and skills needed to design, build, and maintain small to medium-size local area networks and wide area networks capable of supporting national and global organizations. In addition, this technical certificate of credit (TCC) will prepare students for the CompTIA Network+, and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification exams. |
| Semester Program Begins |
Fall and spring semesters. |
| Application Process |
Apply to Gwinnett Technical College at GwinnettTech.edu, submit all transcripts from high school and previous college work, and take the ACCUPLACER test, if required. |
| Program Prerequisites |
- Diploma level proficiency in English, reading and math.
- CIST 1001
- CIST 1401
- Students applying for this program must be accepted into the Cisco Networking Specialist CCNA certificate, Networking Specialist degree, or diploma program.
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| Program Deadlines |
You may enter in the fall or spring semesters. |
| Program Cost and Requirements |
Tuition and books. |
| For more information, contact: |
Lorenzo Clarke, program director, LClarke@GwinnettTech.edu, 678.226.6335. |
| For admission and enrollment, contact: |
Enrollment Support Center in Building 100 at the Lawrenceville campus, or Building A at the Alpharetta-North Fulton campus, or email CISTeam@GwinnettTech.edu. |
Quick Facts
| 2016 Median pay |
$62, 670 per year / $30.13 per hour |
| Entry level education |
Associate degree |
| Number of jobs, 2014 |
181,000 |
| Job growth, 2014 - 2024 |
9% |
Nature of the Work
Analyze, test, troubleshoot, and evaluate existing network systems, such as local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and Internet systems or a segment of a network system. Perform network maintenance to ensure networks operate correctly with minimal interruption.
Work Environment
Most CCNA Network support technician, network engineer, and network administrator work full time and are frequently required to sometimes be on call outside of normal business hours in case of an emergency at their organization. While there is some work from home jobs, most are on-site in an office, Network Operations Center, or Data Center.
Employment
Because computer network support is important for businesses, many network support specialists must be available 24 hours a day. As a result, many support specialists must work nights or weekends. A bachelor’s degree is required for some computer support specialist positions, but an associate degree or post secondary classes may be enough for others.
Computer network support specialists work in many different industries, including information technology (IT), education, finance, healthcare, and telecommunication. Many help-desk technicians work for outside support service firms on a contract basis and provide help to a range of businesses and consumers.
Faster computer networks are making it possible for some support specialists, particularly help-desk technicians, to work from a home office. However, a few specialized help-desk technicians may have to travel to a client’s location to solve a problem.
Earnings
The median annual wage for computer network support specialists was $62,670 in May 2016. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $37,040, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $105,910.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition, Information Security Analysts, on the Internet
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm (visited April 29, 2016).
Gwinnett Technical College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. Lisa Richardson, Title IX, and Section 504 Coordinator, 5150 Sugarloaf Parkway, Building 100, Room 407, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, 678-226-6691, LRichardson@GwinnettTech.edu.
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