There are three levels of Cisco career certifications - Associate, Professional, and Expert. The Associate level includes the CCNA and CCDA certifications. The Professional level includes certifications like the CCNP, CCDP, CCSP, CCIP, and CCVP. These require prerequisites like the CCNA. The Expert level is the CCIE, which has specializations in areas like Routing & Switching, Security, Service Provider, Storage Networking, and Voice. The CCIE involves passing a written and hands-on lab exam to design and implement a network in a timed test environment.