Technology is constantly changing our world. Staying ahead in your career means not just keeping up with the pace, but staying one step ahead. In this article, I have compiled a list of ten reasons why you should become a Cisco Certified DevNet Expert. This is a rewarding achievement that not many have accomplished yet. Whether you are looking for career advancement, increased job security, or the satisfaction of passing this challenging exam, this article is for you. So, without further ado, let’s get started with the ten reasons (plus a bonus reason at the end)!
10 Reasons to Become a DevNet Expert
This are the top 10 reasons to become a Cisco Certified DevNet Expert:
- Growing industry demand
- Increase your salary
- Enhance your career opportunities
- Earn professional recognition
- Learn cutting-edge skills
- Greater job security
- New networking opportunities
- Personal growth and confidence
- Vendor independent knowledge
- Contribute to the success of your business
Growing Industry Demand
Demands on the network are increasing while there is a widespread shortage of skilled workers. Agile approaches are almost standard in software development, with many large companies releasing new versions on a daily basis. This is in stark contrast to the network. We often have to plan our changes well in advance, and then we are only allowed to make changes during a specific change window. These changes are often rolled out manually. The individual commands are saved in a text editor and then applied one at a time. It is easy to forget a command or apply commands to the wrong device.
As a result, the demand for network automation continues to grow as more companies recognize the benefits of automation. Automated changes can be applied quickly, in minutes rather than hours. In addition, automation ensures consistent configuration, eliminating the errors that can occur with manual copy/paste from a text editor. Applying changes automatically reduces the likelihood of errors because your script does exactly what you tell it to do.
The need for network automation continues to grow, and as a DevNet Expert, you will play a vital role in this.
Increase Your Salary
The DevNet Expert certification is at the same level as the other CCIE certifications. This certification is highly valued by companies, with some even referring to a CCIE as the PhD of Cisco certifications. In my opinion, the DevNet Expert certification is even more prestigious. While there are thousands of “regular” CCIEs worldwide, there are less than 100 DevNet Experts. Achieving this certification will almost certainly result in a salary increase.
But if your only motivation for obtaining the DevNet Expert certification is a pay raise, I do not believe this is the best approach. You will need to study for several hundred hours and you will probably need to take multiple attempts at the exam. So if money is your sole motivation, there may be better options.
Enhance Your Career Opportunities
Companies are looking for individuals with network automation experience. A quick job search on LinkedIn reveals over ~800 open positions in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) and ~500 open positions in the United States. As a DevNet Expert, getting one of these jobs shouldn’t be a problem.
Earn Professional Recognition
The DevNet Expert certification is highly prestigious. The DevNet certification track is relatively new and only a few people have managed to reach the Expert level. The exam has been available since May 2022. However, only about 70 people have passed it in just over a year and a half. The exam is notoriously difficult, and even individuals who hold multiple CCIEs and CCDEs have stated that it’s one of the more difficult exam. In my opinion, this adds to the value of the certification.
Although the exam may seem daunting because of its difficulty, there are significant benefits to passing it. If anyone can easily get a certificate, its value is limited. This is not the case with the DevNet Expert certification, which has much greater value.
Finally, people will listen to you better. Even if you have excellent technical knowledge, others may not be aware of it. You must first prove yourself and demonstrate your skills, which can take time. However, with the DevNet Expert certificate, people will immediately recognize your skills and experience. So it’s easier to convince people of your expertise.
Learn Cutting-Edge DevNet Skills
As you prepare for the DevNet Expert certification, you will learn many new technologies. This includes software development using Python, interacting with APIs, and applying device configurations using RESTCONF or NETCONF and much, much more. I mean, take a look at the DevNet Expert Blueprint, the lab exam format, or the DevNet Expert Equipment and Software List. You need to be familiar with all of these tools and technologies because the lab exam tests more than just superficial knowledge.
Some people have expressed disinterest in the DevNet Expert certification due to its perceived focus on Cisco. While there are a few topics that focus on Cisco technologies such as NSO or ACI, the certification also covers open source technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, Ansible, and Terraform. By studying for this certification, you will gain a lot of knowledge that will also help you automate devices from other vendors (assuming that they also have a proper API).
Greater Job Security
I work for a small company and have never been worried about losing my job, even before becoming a DevNet Expert. However, I have heard about waves of layoffs at other companies, where hundreds of people are fired at once. With a DevNet Expert certification, you are likely to be one of the better trained employees, and companies may think twice before letting you go.
Additionally, if you do get laid off, finding a new job should not be a problem (see “Enhance Your Career Opportunities” above).
New Networking Opportunities
As a DevNet Expert, you will gain global recognition. After passing the exam and sharing the plaque on LinkedIn, my post received almost 400 reactions and more than 22,000 impressions. People from all over the world will notice you, congratulate you, or want to talk to you. I even received an invitation to dinner from Cisco Switzerland and I was given a custom plaque. Meeting new people was not the only highlight; these are moments that I will never forget!
And as a cherry on top, you get access to the “DevNet Expert Exclusive Group” here on LinkedIn, which is only available to DevNet Experts.
Personal Growth and Confidence
During my bachelor’s degree, I completed a CCNA R&S course. Although it was amazing at first, I soon realized that there were many people who were more knowledgeable and had higher certifications. So I decided to go for the CCNP. After I passed it, I felt great again. However, I soon realized (again) that there were many people out there with CCIEs. Now, as a DevNet expert, I can confidently say that I have in-depth knowledge in this area and that not many people have achieved this yet. But I also realized that there’s still a lot I don’t know yet, so the journey is far from over…
When you are preparing for this certification, you need to exceed your own expectations. You can only take this exam at a Cisco Test Center, and there are not many of them. For example, the closest test center for me was in Brussels. To take the exam there, I also had to book a flight and a hotel. This was my first CCIE level exam and I found the whole thing a bit intimidating. But I still remember walking into the Test Center on my first attempt in the morning and thinking, “I never thought I would ever do this.”
In my blog I wrote about each of my attempts. Here you can read about my first, second and third attempts.
Vendor Independent Knowledge
As mentioned earlier, the network automation skills that you learn can be applied in various areas. Sure, there are some Cisco-specific questions, for example about NSO or ACI. But in my opinion, many of the technologies required are open source and can also be reused outside of the Cisco domain. For example, Terraform, Ansible, Git and GitLab as well as Docker and Kubernetes come to mind here. This knowledge is very useful, no matter which vendor you work with.
For the exam, I had to learn Terraform and the “ciscodevnet/aci v0.7” provider. Although this is Cisco-specific knowledge, I was able to use Terraform to create VMs on VMware vSpheres in my company. So even though I originally learned Terraform for something Cisco-specific, I was able to use that knowledge for something completely different.
Contribute To The Success Of Your Business
As a DevNet Expert, you will be one of the most highly certified employees. Your deep understanding of network automation and software development will enable smoother workflows and more efficient problem-solving strategies. Your expertise will put you at the forefront of technological innovation within your company. You will help streamline processes and automate routine tasks, significantly reducing operational costs and ensuring that changes are not only implemented more quickly, but also more securely and consistently.
Bonus: With DevNet You Gain Cross-Disciplinary Expertise
Software Is Eating The World
– Marc Andreessen
This quote is over 10 years old, but I think it is even more relevant today. When I look back to university, most of the other students were interested in software development. Although the network is a key infrastructure for any business, few young people are interested in it. Out of 100 students, no more than 15 chose the networking specialization. And if you look at the largest companies in the world, you will also find many technology companies, followed by oil and pharmaceutical companies. Cisco is the biggest networking company, but it’s only number 54. But all the other 53 companies need a stable and reliable network to keep running smoothly. If there was a fault in the network, nothing would work anymore.
Much like DevOps, DevNet combines the two worlds of software development and networking. As a DevNet or network automation engineer, you write software that automates network devices. You are the link between the software and network engineering domains. In this “new world,” a network engineer might still create a sample configuration. Your job is to use software to automate that configuration so that you can automatically configure hundreds or even thousands of devices. With your help, changes can be applied not only very quickly, but also consistently and securely.
Conclusion
My journey to becoming a Cisco Certified DevNet Expert has shown me that it is an investment in the future, both personally and professionally. In a rapidly evolving world where technology plays an increasingly important role, there are few things more valuable than having the knowledge and skills to be at the forefront of that evolution. Whether it’s to secure your professional future, expand your network, or simply for personal growth, the DevNet Expert certification can play a crucial role. I invite you to consider this path not only as a way to advance your career, but as an opportunity to establish yourself as a leader in the dynamic world of network automation.
Can you think of any other reasons why someone might want to pursue the Cisco Certified DevNet Expert certification?
After passing the exam I have created an e-learning course that contains all my knowledge. This course will prepare you perfectly for the DevNet Expert exam by teaching you all the necessary technologies. You will have access to all the lessons, quizzes, and exercises. And on top of that I will also be available as a personal coach and mentor. If you are interested, check out my DevNet Expert E-Learning to find out more!
