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I am just wondering if any of these CWNA, CWSP, CWAP certification worth anything in the market. I did a search on Dice.com and found no job that require CWSP or CWAP.

I have been doing security for a number of years and want to expand my skills into Wireless side due to growing trend in this technology. There is no point in just doing CWNA as it is very rudementary and one I think CWSP and CWAP provide require good level of understanding and could prove to be usefull.

But the question is, Are these certifications worth anything to invest in terms of the effort and money that goes into acquiring them.

It may be the wrong question to ask in this forum but I though someone may have done the necessary research and would be willing to share the results in this forum on the usefulness of the CWNP group of certifications.

Kamran

Hi Kamran:

Earning the CWNP certifications made me an expert in a nascent industry poised to grow to epic proportions and positioned me for a career change if I want it.

The Wi-Fi industry is fast moving and each CWNP product is somewhat stuck at the time it was created. CWAP is fresh. CWNA is on the verge of being fresh again. CWSP will be refreshed before the year is out. Use them to learn; you can't help but earn.

I hope this helps. Can you add your location to your forum profile? Thanks. /criss

Thanks Chris for the response. I am also updated my profile.

I am trying to guage various wireless certifications offered and their usefull ness. I am not looking into any entry level certification as I can attain those skills fairly easily and quickly. CWSP and CWAP look good from the course coverage.

Since you mentioned that CWNA and CWSP are due to refress soon, I am thinking if I should wait a little.

I would go with the route of self study and willing to set up a lab at home rather than paying big bucks for attending each class. My question to you and all on this forum is:
What equipment is required to setup a lab to study for CWSP and CWAP certificaitons other than Cisco and Proxim APs, Odyssey from Funk and various sniffing and scanning tools. If someone has put together a list and would like to share, either reply to this post or send me an email directly.

May be the CWSP book covers the equipment for lab but since I don't have the book I don't know if it does.

Kamran

As far as the certs being worth anything, check out the December Salary Survey from CertMag:

http://www.certmag.com/articles/templates/cmag_feature.asp?articleid=981&zoneid=9

CWSP is #2, right behind CCIE in earning potential.

A job may not require a CWNP certification, but your earning potential and hiring potential will only improve by having the cert.

If you are building a home lab to study for CWSP, in addition to what you mentioned you will need an enterprise wireless gateway, a wireless LAN switch, and an IDS. All of these are used in the class. Even with discounts from our partners, the cost of the hardware used in the CWSP class far exceeds the price of the class. It is more economical to take the class than build a home lab for CWSP.

For CWAP, inside of the study guide is a link to download free trials of packet analyzers from Network Chemistry, AirMagnet, AiroPeek, and CommView.

I have in the past got interviews on the basis of certs I have held. My perspective though is that you do get an edge in the performance of your day to day job by studying for an exam. My experience is you get to understand concepts that you dont usually have time to delve into by just doing the job.

Personally I am with Kamran on there being no point in just doing the CWNA - but as a foundation for further study it is great. I know/understand the basics well enough to build further.

I have chosen the CWAP route as the next step - I passed the CWNA first time by self study and am hoping to be able to do the same with CWAP.

Good luck with your efforts!

The CWNP program is worthwhile to pursue. I have 20 years tech experience and 15 years of wired networking experience. I am currently billing over $150/hr for a client to do Cisco based QoS enterprise wide. I mention this to level set my direction.

A couple of years back I wanted to learn wireless but was learning it in a fragmented unstructured way. Picking up pieces here and there on sites and forums, reading some docs, vendor papers etc.. I was all over the place and really did not "know" wireless. The CWNA helped me learn to "know" the basics of wireless in a structured and focus manner.

From the CWNA I have learned much on my own but with their foundation I am so much more confident and comfortable in planning, designing and troubleshooting wireless networks. The CWAP helped take me up to a serious level and I loved it. Very structured and focused. The CWSP is the same, especially from a security perspective. There is sooooo much to learn, grasp and keep up with on the wireless security front that the CWSP helps one get the basics down in a structured and focus manner.

So even though you may consider the CWNA rudimentary, and maybe so for a professional RF engineer, but to most data guys it is a foundation and a good one at that.

FYI, I turned down a six figure offer from a major vendor to grow their wireless practice last year and the CWNA was helpful in getting me to that interview.

As Criss had mentioned wireless is growing and it is all about positioning yourself for the future.

The CWNP program is worth it, as soon as I am done with this gig I will finish the CWSP and get ready for the CWNE..

Good Post /JS. You motivate me man!

Keep it up!

Thanks for all the comments. In general, I agree with them all except the salary survey by CertMag. I am not discounting on the skills acquired in preparing for cwsp or cwap and carefully reading through the coure outline and going through the cwap book I now can say that they would provide a stong foundation on wireless networking and are worth considering.

But it is very difficult to understand how can CWSP come 2nd to CCIE when I search for jobs requiring CWSP and the results are zero. A quick search on hotjobs and dice reveal no results. Monster.com reveal only one job requiring cwsp. So what source did CertMag used to come to the conclusion that cwsp comes second to CCIE. Perhaps the iPlanet folks or cwnpadmin can shed some light on this as they might have some insight.

Who do you recommend for cwsp training in NorthEast (New Jersey / New York) area that would provide insane discounts?

Kamran

I meant Planet3 Wireless not iPlanet :-)

kamran Escribió:

Thanks for all the comments. In general, I agree with them all except the salary survey by CertMag. I am not discounting on the skills acquired in preparing for cwsp or cwap and carefully reading through the coure outline and going through the cwap book I now can say that they would provide a stong foundation on wireless networking and are worth considering.

But it is very difficult to understand how can CWSP come 2nd to CCIE when I search for jobs requiring CWSP and the results are zero.

Kamran

I totally agree with you. I do not see how CertMag came up with their numbers. I can't see how the CWSP would provide a larger return on investment than my ISSAP or my CISSP, especially with the certification being fairly new.