To CCNA, or not to CCNA, that is the question.
I work is a CISCO Enterprise Environment, and I am an Electronics Technician 2nd Class in the Navy.
IMHO, CCNA is a good cert that gets abused. So I'm gonna spread a bit of my knowledge/opinion for those whom are curious.
Computer Tech Bootcamps, for the most part, do not care if you know the material. They only care if you know the test answers, because that is what you are paying them to do. My "agency" sent me to a CCNA prep course (not a boot camp, $2000 also), and I still don't have my CCNA. Could I pass the test? Probably. But I work around the equipment all day, configuring enterprise class 4000 & 7000's, as well as workgroup switches (2912's/2950's), and even remote travel ISDN packages (3000 routers).
You do not need to ANYTHING about computers or networks to get your cert from a bootcamp. They will spoonfeed you, and make you memorize the answers.
The same goes for MCSE, and all the other Boot Camps. Now... When you get hired by <any company larger than a mom & pop>, and they hire you based on your CCNA, and ask you to configure thier 2950, you will not have a clue. Maybe you could eek your way by referencing the book... If you're working with other IT professionals, they will see right through you... We had a guy with CCNA, CCIE, and CCMP interview for a bigger position here, but he couldn't answer any questions about CISCO CAT-OS, or even simple bridging questions... Hell, I know that, and have no cert. Granted I am very lucky due to my military position to have over a year of CISCO OJT, and over four years left...
So would my "agency's" $2000 have been better spent on sending me to a boot-camp? I think so, because I have experience with CISCO... People whom have a bit of networking experience (anything more than HOME networks), may or may not survive the job market after a bootcamp and cert. People coming from highly NON-technical backgrounds, this is a good way to waste $2k. The cert's expire in 3 years, so if you get the cert, and don't get a job soon to reinforce what you just eeked into your brain from bootcamp, you'll forget it... no job... no more cert... no dinero... Non-techs should go to a decent tech-university specially designed for them, DeVry or ITT Tech to name two. They "loan" you the tuition, and you earn it back going through the schools. You get your associates/bachelors, plus the experience of a high-tech specialized school, which focuses a bit more on the reality of the job you'll be doing, not just the "theoretical" implications of what you may be doing in years to come.
Just my 222 cents...