MCSA 2012 R2 right for me?
JimSwe
Member Posts: 15 ■□□□□□□□□□
Hi all. I'm considering MCSA 2012 R2 certification, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for it. I'll try to be brief, because this is probably brought up all the time.
My background is that I've studied 2 years at a vocational school, a program called "network systems technician" and I also took the Cisco CCNA cert in 2013. I've been working for 3 years in an internal helpdesk supporting about 2500 users. Before that, I was a system administrator at a small company (~15 people) for about 8 months part-time, working mainly with Hyper-V, IIS, Exchange, AD etc. on Server 2008 R2 (I was the guy keeping things running day to day, so they wouldn't have to call in expensive consultants all the time).
I'm doing tech support on auto-pilot now and it doesn't give me any satisfaction, so I'm really looking for a way out. I know the MCSA is not an entry-level cert, and many that take it have probably worked in the field for 5-10 years. It's quite daunting since it's 3 separate exams. However it also seems to be a very valuable cert for someone looking to get into the field. Should I start with something easier like MTA 98-365 Windows Server Administration Fundamentals or one of the CompTIA certs, or aim for the 3 MCSA exams straight away?
My background is that I've studied 2 years at a vocational school, a program called "network systems technician" and I also took the Cisco CCNA cert in 2013. I've been working for 3 years in an internal helpdesk supporting about 2500 users. Before that, I was a system administrator at a small company (~15 people) for about 8 months part-time, working mainly with Hyper-V, IIS, Exchange, AD etc. on Server 2008 R2 (I was the guy keeping things running day to day, so they wouldn't have to call in expensive consultants all the time).
I'm doing tech support on auto-pilot now and it doesn't give me any satisfaction, so I'm really looking for a way out. I know the MCSA is not an entry-level cert, and many that take it have probably worked in the field for 5-10 years. It's quite daunting since it's 3 separate exams. However it also seems to be a very valuable cert for someone looking to get into the field. Should I start with something easier like MTA 98-365 Windows Server Administration Fundamentals or one of the CompTIA certs, or aim for the 3 MCSA exams straight away?
Comments
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Itrimble
Member Posts: 221
I would definitely pursue the MCSA. The MTA exams are all still geared towards Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2. If you want to get your feet wet in the Microsoft testing methodology, I would definitely take the MTA 98-365 exam. You can take it for free if you sign up here. They will provide you with a voucher for any MTA exam you would like and a free practice test from Measure UP.Goals for 2015 : Finish BS Network Administration at WGU
Become CCNA, CISSP, CEH, VCP5-10 Certified
Possible Start Masters in Information Security -
ssnyderu2
Member Posts: 475 ■■■□□□□□□□
I would definitely pursue the MCSA. The MTA exams are all still geared towards Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2. If you want to get your feet wet in the Microsoft testing methodology, I would definitely take the MTA 98-365 exam. You can take it for free if you sign up here. They will provide you with a voucher for any MTA exam you would like and a free practice test from Measure UP.
Do you need to be a member of anything or student to do this?2019 Goals: 70-698, CCENT, MCSA 2016
Certifications: A+, Network+, Security+, CIW Foundations and MTA OS Fundamentals
Cisco Lab :3x Cisco 2811 Routers, 3x Cisco 3750 Switches and Cisco 2620 Router with NM-32A module
Windows Lab: Dual CPU Hyper-V server with 12 Cores/24 Threads, 96GB RAM and 2TB HDD.
CANCER SURVIVOR! In Remission Since September 2016! -
Jon_Cisco
Member Posts: 1,772 ■■■■■■■■□□
I don't think you are giving yourself enough credit. MTA exams are entry level. I expect to take the 98-365 this winter just so I can show I have some basic knowledge of servers. If you have been working for a few years in IT you can definitely go for the MCSA. By now you should have some idea of your focus and if this fits your goals then don't be afraid to try it.
Good Luck!