What Certification Should You Take After CompTIA Network+?

The certificate arrives, the CE clock starts ticking, and within a week most new CompTIA Network+ holders are staring at the same three-way junction: CompTIA Security+, Cisco CCNA, or something cloud-shaped. The frustrating part is that all three are sensible — which is exactly why "which one is best?" is the wrong question.

The rest of this article turns that one-liner into a decision you can defend — including the cases where the popular advice is wrong for you.

Why Network+ is a fork, not a rung

CompTIA designed Network+ (currently exam N10-009, live since June 2024) as vendor-neutral groundwork: addressing, routing and switching concepts, wireless, network security basics and troubleshooting. Because it deliberately avoids committing you to any vendor or specialism, nothing after it is an automatic next step. That is a feature. You now hold a credential that three different career tracks all accept as their starting assumption, and each track has a different "obvious" follow-up:

• Security track → CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)
• Network infrastructure track → Cisco CCNA (200-301)
• Cloud track → a foundational-then-associate cloud path on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud

CompTIA itself points in the first direction: its recommended background for Security+ is Network+ plus experience in a security or systems administration role. Cisco, meanwhile, sets no formal prerequisites for the CCNA at all — Network+ simply makes studying for it far less painful. Both doors are genuinely open.

The three paths, honestly compared

Path 1: Security+ — for people who want a security job title

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701 as of August 2026) covers general security concepts, threats and mitigations, security architecture, security operations, and programme management. It is the natural continuation of the CompTIA ladder: same exam style you already know (up to 90 questions, 90 minutes, multiple-choice plus performance-based items), same Pearson VUE delivery, same three-year CE renewal cycle. US retail pricing was $439 as listed by CompTIA's authorised resellers after the June 2026 increase — it varies by region, so confirm on comptia.org before booking.

Two practical points tip the scales for many people. First, Security+ is widely used to satisfy US Department of Defense workforce requirements, which matters enormously if government or defence-contractor work is anywhere on your horizon. Second, CompTIA's renewal model is stackable: earning Security+ automatically renews your Network+, and you only pay CE fees for your highest certification. Taking Security+ within your Network+ window quietly solves your first renewal.

Demand context is favourable too. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median salary of $124,910 for information security analysts (May 2024 data) with projected employment growth of 29% from 2024 to 2034 — though remember these are medians for an occupation, not a payout for holding any particular certificate, and pay varies widely by location, experience and role.

One caution: CompTIA's provider page lists SY0-701 with an estimated retirement "in 2026" and no fixed date. A successor is expected but unannounced, so if you go this route, start soon rather than letting the version question stall you.

Path 2: CCNA — for people who want to run networks

The Cisco CCNA (single exam, 200-301, exam topics v1.1 since August 2024) goes deeper into routing, switching, and network configuration than Network+ ever did, and its v1.1 refresh added generative AI awareness, cloud network management and expanded automation coverage. The exam runs 120 minutes and costs US $300 (plus regional taxes and fees), booked through Pearson VUE. Cisco does not publish the question count or passing score — treat any specific numbers you see online as community estimates.

Choose this branch if the work you actually enjoy is the network itself: VLANs, routing decisions, wireless rollouts, firewall interfaces, packet captures. The CCNA is the credential hiring managers most commonly associate with hands-on network roles, and the Skillsoft IT Skills and Salary Survey (fielded 2024, published 2025) reported US CCNA holders averaging $112,333 — again, an average across respondents shaped heavily by experience, not a promise.

Expect a step up in effort. There is real content overlap with Network+, but CCNA demands configuration-level fluency rather than concept recognition. If you fail, Cisco's policy imposes a five-calendar-day wait and a full fee for each retake, so benchmark your readiness before booking — working through timed CCNA 200-301 practice questions is a low-cost way to find your weak domains first.

If a network engineering career is the goal — not just the next exam — the full ladder from here through CCNP is mapped out in our network engineer certification path guide, so this article will leave the rungs above CCNA to that one.

Path 3: Cloud — for people whose networks live in AWS or Azure

If the infrastructure you support (or want to support) is predominantly cloud-hosted, a third branch beats both of the famous ones. The entry points are inexpensive relative to the alternatives: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner costs $100, and Microsoft's Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) costs $99 — and Microsoft Fundamentals certifications never expire. From there, the associate tier is where hiring value concentrates: AWS Solutions Architect – Associate ($150) or Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104, $165, renewed annually via a free online assessment). CompTIA's own vendor-neutral option, Cloud+ (CV0-004, US retail $399 via authorised resellers), exists too, though most employers advertising cloud roles name AWS or Azure specifically.

Your Network+ knowledge transfers better here than people expect — cloud networking is still subnetting, routing tables, DNS and firewalls, just defined in a console. Choosing between the providers is its own decision with its own trade-offs, and our comparison of the best cloud computing certifications handles that question properly.

A four-question decision framework

Work through these in order; stop at the first decisive answer.

1. What job title do you want in two to three years? Read ten live postings for it. If they say "SOC", "analyst" or "security" — Security+. If they say "network engineer", "routing", "Cisco" or "firewall administration" — CCNA. If they say "AWS", "Azure" or "cloud infrastructure" — the cloud path. Job adverts are the only vote that counts.
2. What does your current employer run? A certification you can apply at work within a month compounds fast: you get lab access, real problems and a promotion case. A certification with no outlet at your job stays theoretical until you change employers.
3. Which study style suits you? Security+ rewards broad conceptual study; CCNA punishes anyone who avoids hands-on configuration practice; cloud associates sit in between but expect console time. Pick the grind you will actually finish.
4. What can you spend? As of 2026: Security+ roughly $439, CCNA $300, an AWS or Azure foundational-plus-associate pair roughly $250–265 — all US figures that vary by country, so confirm current fees on each provider's official page. None of these gaps should override questions 1–3, but they can break a tie.

A realistic tiebreak scenario: a service-desk analyst with eighteen months' experience, a fresh Network+, and a company standardised on Azure asks whether to take Security+ "because everyone says so". Questions 1 and 2 both point at Azure — the security postings in her city all list cloud experience anyway, and AZ-104 skills are usable at her desk on Monday. The popular answer would have been the slower one.