CCNA DevNet, I Finally Pass It!

  • Wed, Mar 1, 2023
  • 4-minute read

To be honest, it makes me very happy and proud writing this post 😊

I created this blog [thetechguy.it ] in order to share my experiences, adventures and private thoughts about my career and the tech environment.
Do you remember my first blog post regarding technology? It was about CCNA DevNet, here the article … And now, after 8 months I’m here to announce that I finally passed this exam! For me it’s like seeing a circle closing… 😉

It has been a long journey, but I reached/completed the first stage. It took more than expected, because I had to learn a lot of new stuff, but here I am, talking with you about this exam. My first ETA was summer 2022…then the ETA has moved to December 2022 and finally to CiscoLive 2023 Amsterdam.
I took the exam Exam during the CiscoLive. Thanks to the “Full Conference” pass you could do a “free” exam, so I decided to take the CCNA DevNet exam here. I posted here a small tweet about CiscoLive Experience .
The experience was great, huge room with an hundred of stations full of skilled engineers. The admission procedure is the same (photo, signature, IDs).

Blueprint

The Cisco CCNA DevNet certification validates a candidate’s knowledge and skills in software development and automation for Cisco platforms. The certification exam covers topics such as programming concepts, APIs, software development, and infrastructure and automation.
The CCNA DevNet certification is designed for network engineers, software developers, and IT professionals who want to build their skills in software development and automation. It is a valuable certification for individuals looking to advance their careers in the networking and IT industry.
Preparing for the CCNA DevNet exam requires a good understanding of programming concepts, as well as experience working with Cisco technologies. Cisco offers study materials and courses to help individuals prepare for the exam.

Today (02-28-2023) topics are divided as per the following criteria:

  • 20% Understanding and Using APIs
  • 20% Infrastructure and Automation
  • 15% Application Deployment and Security
  • 15% Cisco Platforms and Development
  • 15% Network Fundamentals
  • 15% Software Development and Design

You can find some general information here : https://developer.cisco.com/certification/devnet-associate/
And more details here: https://developer.cisco.com/certification/exam-topic-associate/

Resources

Courses/Blogs:

Exam Thoughts

PREMISE: I strongly believe that the automation skills will be mandatory for any network engineers in the near future
ARE AUTOMATION SKILLS IMPORTANT IN OUR WORLD? YES

I want to be extremely honest with you, I wouldn’t say I liked the exam. I liked the preparation and the mindset that this exam gives you, but I didn’t like the exam itself and the questions within it. I found too much theory and way fewer practical questions. I would have preferred to see many more coding puzzles than DNA (example) APIs and docker questions.
For this reason, it will be probably the first and last exam about DevNet. I will focus on Python, Ansible, Terraform and more without the exam pressure and traps. This is my actual feelings, maybe I’ll change my mind and I’ll continue the DevNet path, but for now I need to stop it.
This does not mean that I will not program/write code, but it does mean that I am not planning to take another Cisco exams related to DevNet.

Overall, the CCNA DevNet exam can be a valuable certification for IT professionals who want to build their skills in software development and automation for Cisco platforms. I’ll keep all the positive skills and working methods (this is the real added value).

Here my GitHub page , maybe you can find some interesting and useful scripts!

Thanks for your time I hope that you’re enjoying my blog!
If you have some questions, please drop me a message through social networks!😊
👈 You can find the relative icons here on the left of the page

Riccardo

CCNADevNetCiscoCertificationCareerDEVASC200-9012023