Question

Do I have to get an MCP or MCSE before getting into Cisco certifications?

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I have been in the telecommunications field for seven years working for cable companies and now AT&T. I am A+ certified and working on Net+. I study a lot on backbone and network protocols ATM, MPLS, SONET, SNMP etc. I am wondering what path to take next. Do I have to get an MCP or MCSE before getting into Cisco or can I jump right into Cisco cert's without having any Microsoft cert's and knowing active directory etc. and Microsoft servers? Thank you.

No you don't have to get an MCP or MCSE before attempting a Cisco certification like the CCNA. The CCNA does not touch on anything Microsoft related. It's strictly network fundamentals and concepts with topics on configuring Cisco routers & switches.

From Ed Tittel (IT Certification Guy):
The preceding poster is absolutely correct in asserting that there's no direct dependencies between the MCP/MCSE (or better yet, MCTS, MCITP, and so forth). Nevertheless, it's not at all uncommon for local network admins to get MS credentials first, and then move on to Cisco, or for infrastructure network admins to go for Cisco first, and then move on to Microsoft credentials. Given your background, however, unless you're dead set on doing MS Server and network management (AD, DHCP, DNS, and so forth) I'd suggest jumping straight into the Cisco stuff to see how you like it first.

HTH,
--Ed--