Novell CNE

"Is the Original Premier Networking Certification and Still Desirable and Sought After by Everyone Wishing a Job or a Better Job Working with Novell Software"

Type of Novell CNE Certification for your computer career:

Vendor.

Background:

Novell is a good example of how being first into an industry does not guarantee you remain first. They were the true pioneers of networking technology using PC-based servers. They were doing that in 1983. At that time lots of people did not even believe that PC-based servers could handle network business applications.

At the time, they may have had a good point, but of course Novell improved its product and PCs became much more powerful.

Novell started the whole certification business too. In 1987 they started giving classes on using their software to their salespeople. They wanted their salespeople to know more about solving technical problems so the salespeople would give better service to their customers and therefore sell more products. The early CNE classes taught a lot of information on how to sell more software.

However, as word about the classes got around, Novell was astounded when its business started asking if they could send some of their technical employees to the classes, so their own employees could learn more about working with Novell's software.

Eventually Novell learned that training the employees (or, soon, wannabe employees) of their customers was terrific for its business. The more people who were expert at using their software, the more companies were willing to buy their software.

Novell eventually others take over the actual training, and set up the certification system as we now know. Not too many years ago, Novell's CNE was the most sought after networking certification around. A CNE was what every networking wannabe wanted.

Novell CNE

Worth it?

Standard disclaimer:

Whether or not any certification is "worth it" is an individual decision. You alone must decide what your career goals and needs are.

Look at certifications from a cost/benefit or Return On Investment (ROI) basis. If they help you get a better paying job or make more money at your current job, they are obviously "worth it."

The problem is, there is no real way of measuring how much you can expect your income to go up as a result of any given certification. It also depends on non-related job search skills such as how well you network.

Bottom Line:

Having a Novell CNE establishes that you are an expert in at least one type of Novell software product. Many businesses need to have Certified Novell Engineers on staff to keep their Novell NetWare LAN and WAN networks up and running.

You can get a Novell CNE in one or more of five different tracks:

Each of these software products has a different track, with 5 to 6 required tests and one elective exams. I wouldn't consider older versions of the software unless you know you need to use that on your job. Better yet, get your boss to upgrade. There is some overlap, if you wish to get CNE in both NetWare 5 and itraNetWare, a logical move.

NetWare 5 required exams:

intraNetWare required exams:

GroupWise required exams:

For each CNE track, you can choose from a variety of different exams for your elective.

These are the current Novell CNE certifications for computer careers.