Is the CCNA worth it in 2027?

The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) is one of the best-known first credentials in networking. Earning it takes a $300 exam and several weeks of study, so it’s fair to ask what you get back for that investment.

The short answer is that the CCNA pays off when it proves skills an employer can use right away, and it pays off less when it’s the only thing on your resume. Whether it’s worth it for you depends less on the certificate than on what you build around it.

This guide sets out what the CCNA costs in money and time, what it can return, and the choices that make the difference. It also covers how the new version of the exam, from February 3, 2027, changes what the certification says about you.

What the CCNA costs in money and time

The CCNA takes one exam, Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions (200-301 CCNA), and the exam fee is $300. That’s the only cost you can’t avoid. Courses, books, and practice exams are up to you, and the main lab tool, Cisco Packet Tracer, is free through the Cisco Networking Academy. Our guide to CCNA cost and vouchers breaks down the fee, vouchers, training, and retake options.

The bigger investment is time. Cisco describes the CCNA as “a starting point” that “assumes you have little to no networking knowledge,” but the exam covers a lot: IP addressing and subnetting, switching, routing, security, and network operations. Someone already working in IT may need only a few weeks to fill gaps, while a beginner should plan for longer. Our CCNA study guide lays out a 12-week plan for beginners.

Then there’s upkeep. The CCNA is valid for three years. To keep it, you pass the current CCNA or a higher-level Cisco exam, or earn 30 continuing education (CE) credits, before it expires. Count that in from the start, because a certification that lapses stops working for you.

What the CCNA can return

The return on a CCNA comes in three forms:

• A raise or a promotion: Cisco points to the Pearson VUE 2025 Value of IT Certification Candidate Report, a survey of 23,714 people in 150 countries who took IT certification exams, from Cisco and dozens of other vendors. In it, 32% received a salary increase after certification: of those raises, 31% were above 20%. In North America, about 23% of raises were above 20%. And 63% received a job promotion or anticipated one at the time of the survey.
• A way into IT: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), candidates for computer support jobs “may qualify with a high school diploma plus relevant information technology (IT) certifications.”
• A step toward networking roles: Network administrators earned a median of $99,000 in May 2025, and the BLS notes that employers may require them “to be certified in the products they use.” Our guide to CCNA certification jobs covers more roles and what they pay.

Keep in mind that these figures describe overall trends, rather than a guarantee. However, it’s clear that the certificate, when paired with relevant experience, can lead to measurable benefits for IT professionals.

Is a CCNA enough to get a job?

For the jobs people most link with the CCNA, usually not on its own. The BLS says network administrators typically need a bachelor’s degree in a computer or information science field, and that network architects, also called network engineers, typically need “several years of experience in a related occupation, such as a network administrator.” Cisco is direct about the limits too: the CCNA “is not equivalent to an academic degree.”

The CCNA earns the most when it’s paired with experience. Here are three common ways to do that:

• Start in IT support: A help desk or support job puts you in daily contact with networks and gives an employer a reason to trust you with more. The CCNA then shows you’re ready for network work.
• Certify in the job you have: If you already work in IT, the CCNA puts a name on skills you use and supports a case for a raise or a move into networking.
• Build proof alongside it: If you’re changing careers and don’t have an IT job yet, a home lab and a few documented projects show the hands-on skill the certificate claims.

Whichever path fits you, the idea is the same: pair the certificate with real experience, and you give employers a clear reason to say yes.

How the 2027 CCNA changes its value

Cisco moves to CCNA version 2.0 on February 3, 2027, and the current version, v1.1, can be taken through February 2, 2027. It’s still one exam, 200-301, at the same fee. What changes is what it asks you to do.

In announcing v2.0, Cisco said employers “told us they value someone who can isolate an issue faster than someone who can recite a configuration from memory.” The v2.0 exam topics reflect that: eight of the 29 topics ask you to troubleshoot or diagnose, while the current version’s topics mostly ask you to describe or configure. Version 2.0 also brings AI into the exam. You may need to “evaluate output and recommendations from agentic AI and digital network assistants” and choose prompts to send to a generative AI system. Our guide to CCNA exam topics goes through each domain.

For your return, that cuts both ways. The new exam is harder to pass on memorization alone, but a v2.0 CCNA says more about what you can do on the job, which is what employers pay for. If you’re already preparing for v1.1, Cisco’s advice is to continue on with it: both versions earn the same certification.

How to make your CCNA worth it

The CCNAs that pay off tend to have a few things in common:

• Practice hands-on: Spend time in a lab every week, configuring and breaking things on purpose so you learn to fix them. Our guide to CCNA labs covers the tools and exercises.
• Choose a direction: Cisco now also offers CCNA Automation and CCNA Cybersecurity, and above the associate level, the CCNP splits into tracks such as CCNP Enterprise and CCNP Security. Pick the one that matches the jobs you want. Our guides to the Cisco certification path and CCNA vs. CCNP cover the next steps.
• Keep it current: Plan your renewal before the three years are up. Cisco training and approved courses you take to grow your skills also earn CE credits, and our guide to whether the CCNA expires explains the options.
• Show what you can do: On your resume and in interviews, describe the networks you’ve built and the problems you’ve solved, not just the certificate. That’s the skill employers are paying for.

Build these habits as you go, and your CCNA becomes much more than a line on your resume.

Final thoughts

For most people starting or growing a career in networking, the CCNA is worth it. The $300 exam is a small cost next to the roles it can open, and the 2027 version ties the certificate even more closely to real troubleshooting skill.

What decides your return is what you do around the exam: hands-on practice, experience in a real IT role, a clear next step, and a plan to keep the certification current. When you’re ready to prepare, compare the best CCNA courses to find the one that fits how you learn.