The roadmap, certificates and your lab
Lesson 6 of 6
6The roadmap, certificates and your lab
The big pictureYou have reached the end of the junior stage. You now have the whole picture: from the cable to the cloud. The question left is how to turn it into a skill the job market recognises. The answer is a clear plan, a lab you practise in every day, and one certificate that fits your goal, not all of them.
What the picture shows: The suggested order: a clear base, then daily practice in the lab, then small projects, then a certificate that proves what you know, then a specialisation.
Map of this part
The concepts in order, click any one to jump to it:
Two ways into the same idea
The plain path is for understanding, not a job: two weeks, an hour a day. You get the big picture, learn your home network, secure the Wi-Fi and fix common problems yourself. The technical path is for working in networking, security or the cloud: sixteen weeks in seven phases, each with an exercise and an exit check, ending in a certificate.
CompTIA Network+ N10-009 (launched 20 June 2024): up to 90 questions in 90 minutes, a pass mark of 720 out of 900, valid for 3 years, and vendor neutral. Cisco CCNA 200-301: 120 minutes, about US$300, focused on Cisco gear with simulation questions. Version 1.1 is available until 2 February 2027, and version 2.0 from 3 February 2027 with weights of 25/25/20/20/10, adding AI and operations. The lab: Cisco Networking Academy and Packet Tracer for free, Wireshark, then GNS3 or Containerlab for advanced work. Always check the issuer's page before booking.
Before You Start
🕸️The whole track
This lesson organises what you learned in the earlier lessons.
The Core Idea
1The two paths
Pick your path by your goal, not your excitement. You can always start with the plain one and carry on into the technical one; the plain path is roughly its first two weeks.
| Days | Plain path | The exercise |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | The big picture: networks, layers, addresses | Draw your home network on paper |
| 4–6 | Your home network: router, DHCP, DNS | Find your address, gateway and DNS server |
| 7–10 | Wi-Fi and safety | Turn on WPA3, change the router password, update it |
| 11–14 | Fixing problems | Use the ladder on a real fault |
2The technical path: seven phases
Each phase has a goal, an exercise and an exit check. Do not move on until you pass the exit check, even if it costs you a week.
| Weeks | Phase | Exercise | Exit check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Layers and devices | Capture a site opening in Wireshark and name every layer | You explain OSI with an example, no notes |
| 3–5 | Addressing and subnetting | Split 172.16.0.0/22 into 8 subnets | A /24 question in under two minutes |
| 6–7 | Transport and services | Set up DHCP and DNS servers in Packet Tracer | You explain the whole site-opening trip |
| 8–10 | Switching and routing | VLANs, a trunk, inter-VLAN routing and OSPF | A 3-router network where everyone reaches everyone |
| 11–12 | Security | A guest ACL, SSH and Port Security | Guests reach the internet but not staff |
| 13–14 | Automation and cloud | A script that builds config from JSON, and a test VPC | A change to ten devices with one script |
| 15–16 | Exam preparation | Practice exams and reviewing weak spots | 85% or more on two practice exams |
Change the start date to see when you finish and which CCNA version you will meet.
from datetime import date, timedelta
start = date(2026, 11, 9) # a Monday: change it to your own start
phases = [("Layers", 2), ("Addressing", 3), ("Transport", 2), ("Switch & route", 3),
("Security", 2), ("Automation", 2), ("Exam prep", 2)]
day = start
for name, weeks in phases:
end = day + timedelta(weeks=weeks) - timedelta(days=1)
print(f"{name:<15} {day:%d %b} -> {end:%d %b %Y}")
day = end + timedelta(days=1)
ccna_v2 = date(2027, 2, 3)
print("exam window opens:", day, "| CCNA v2.0 starts:", ccna_v2,
"| book v1.1" if day < ccna_v2 else "| study v2.0")3Network+ or CCNA?
The two certificates are less rivals than tools for different goals. Network+ proves a broad understanding of any network and fits IT support and security. CCNA goes deeper into switching and routing on Cisco gear, and is the best known for anyone aiming to be a network engineer.
| CompTIA Network+ | Cisco CCNA | |
|---|---|---|
| Exam code | N10-009 | 200-301 |
| Length | 90 minutes | 120 minutes |
| Questions | Up to 90, with performance-based items | Multiple choice and simulations |
| Pass mark | 720 out of 900 | Not published by Cisco |
| Valid for | 3 years | 3 years |
| Focus | Vendor neutral | Cisco gear and commands |
| Good for | IT support, a start in security | Network engineer, data centres |
| Upcoming change | — | Version 2.0 from 3 February 2027 |
4Your free lab
You do not need to buy any equipment to start. These tools cover almost the whole technical path.
| Tool | What you do with it | When |
|---|---|---|
| Cisco Networking Academy | Free courses including Networking Basics and CCNA | From day one |
| Packet Tracer | Build full networks of switches and routers and type commands | Phases 3 to 6 |
| Wireshark | See real packets from your own machine | From phase 1 |
| Python | Subnet sums and automation scripts | Phases 2 and 6 |
| GNS3 · Containerlab | Run real device images virtually | After the basics |
After the basics, pick one specialisation: security (Security+ then CyberOps), the cloud (AWS or Azure networking certificates), automation (DevNet), or going deeper into enterprise and provider routing (CCNP). All of them build on what you learned here.
Worked example
The task: you work in IT support and want to move into a junior network engineer role within six months, at a company that uses Cisco gear. What is your plan? The answer: the full technical path (16 weeks) at one to two hours a day, with the Packet Tracer lab from week three. The right certificate is CCNA, because the company uses Cisco. If you start a month from now you finish after 3 February 2027, so study version 2.0 straight away; check it by changing the start date in the script above. In the last weeks build one complete project (a small company network with VLANs, OSPF and ACLs) and show it in your interviews.
Myth vs Reality
| Myth | Reality |
|---|---|
| You must get Network+ before CCNA. | It is not required; many go straight to CCNA after a solid base. |
| A certificate alone gets you the job. | The certificate opens the interview door; the lab and projects get you through it. |
| Networking is an old field the cloud made obsolete. | The cloud is networking under new names, and demand for people who know both is growing. |
Where you meet it at work
🎧IT support
The plain path with Network+ is a common first step.
🛰️Network engineer
The technical path with CCNA, then CCNP.
🔐Cybersecurity
Networking underlies every security job; then Security+.
Test your understanding
How long is the Network+ N10-009 exam?
Up to 90 questions in 90 minutes.
When does CCNA version 2.0 start?
Version 1.1 is available until 2 February 2027.
Which certificate is vendor neutral?
CCNA is built on Cisco gear and its commands.
What is the best way to lock in subnetting?
Speed comes from repetition; the calculator is only for checking.
Which CCNA 2.0 domain ties for the largest with "Network Infrastructure and Connectivity"?
Both are 25% each in the official exam topics.
What is the new domain in CCNA 2.0?
10% covering agentic AI in network operations, SNMP, syslog and Ansible.
Quick review cards
Check Your Understanding
Why does each phase have an exit check?
Each phase builds on the last, and a gap grows if you skip past it.
A friend wants to work in cybersecurity. What do you advise first?
A strong networking base (this track, maybe Network+), then Security+.
What makes an interview go better than a certificate does?
A complete lab project you can explain, and solving subnetting and troubleshooting live.
Resources for this lesson
Grouped by type. Start with the official docs for precision, or an article or video for the explanation.
Official docs2
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