What Certs to Pursue after A+

Nafe92014

Hi all,

I currently have just 13 months on IT experience and have my MTA: OS Fundamentals and Strata IT Fundamentals certifications. I will be attempting my A+ rewrite in 12 days and was wondering what kind of certs I should pursue after. I live in Manitoba, Canada, and was interested in getting into the Server/Storage Networking part of IT. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Raisin

Get away from the entry level MTA and Comptia certs and move up to something that will stand out on a resume. Something like a MCSA, CCNA, or RHCSA would all be good certs to pursue depending on what interests you the most.

Verities

Raisin is right; you should pick your niche with either Windows or Linux and then move forward with learning either one. Later on down the road you can branch out if you want. You're also going to need to focus on understanding virutalisation and storage concepts. One step at a time though because each field has a ton of information you need to absorb.

Nafe92014

Hmm. Good point. Here in my area (Manitoba), it's rather hard to find work in areas that support Virtualization and Storage credentials. My last workplace at my local Regional Health Authority for 3 months had techs that had just a college degree and no certifications. In regards to CCNA, I did take the courses through a college program when I was pursuing my degree but it was rather hard once the final exam came. Heres a list of my desired certifications that I wish to achieve within the next 5 years:

1. Network+
2. MCSA
3. Storage+
4. CCNA

It's also a bit frustrating seeing more companies in the US have positions that seek the above certifications. Many companies in Canada and my province, just look for the basic certs and nothing higher.