[mikester]

I've been Cisco Certified for nearly 10 years now. The CCNA/DA tests are nice primers and while without a doubt good if you really know the stuff - you can get them if you don't (via things like the testking). Not all hiring managers take them seriously, the CCNA will help to qualify you for a lower level network admin position but you have to go further than that I believe to get into a higher position.

The professional level certifications are quite good at doing that (CCxP) and of course the CCIE is the king. I haven't quite made that myself but I've passed the written and am preparing for the lab.

In most cases the Cisco materials do not cover it all while the aftermarket do. When I did the NA 10 years ago I used Sybex - not even sure they still do it. Now I use the white papers for whatever technology I'm trying to master.