What certs/degrees to go for + WGU vs B&M in Canada

nster

Hey guys, (my old thread in '12 for nostalgia's sake)

What I have:

- 3 years as basic IT support for a grocery store

- Associate's Degree in Network Administration and Support (9 months + 3 month internship) - fair amount of Cisco, intro to Linux and lots of Microsoft (Windows 7 and Server 2012 ). Supposedly prepares you for CCNA, Linux + and a few Microsoft exams

- 1.5 - 2 yrs experience at current job: mostly as in-house support, getting to play with Active Directory, Exchange and general Windows Server 2012 stuff as well as Citrix (Terminal servers). Will be transitioning to part time for studies soon to have time for studies.

So far, I've liked working with Windows server and Citrix a lot. I really like the optimization part of anything really as well, idk if it is possible to incorporate it in my work. I'm thinking of getting my CCNA first, as it is still somewhat fresh in my mind. After CCNA, I was thinking of getting my MCSA:2012 and a Bachelor in Computer Systems (preferable from Concordia in Montreal), however, WGU does look like an interesting alternative. I'm not sure how well this program is seen in Quebec though. Something that looks interesting with WGU is that you are doing certificates at the same time as a Bachelor's, saving some time and making it more interesting. B&M is interesting because of experiences to be had, not more expensive than WGU in my case, and discipline is less of a factor.


Here are the certs that interest me, if you could give your opinion on how useful it would be for me:

- CCNA to demonstrate my understanding of Networking, as well as giving me a bit of diversity
- Linux + just to say I can do basic things on Linux and again, diversity
- MCSA - This really interests me, hopefully it is part of the core of my future jobs
- MCSE - same as above
?- VCP - VMWare is a very popular cert to have, would help for Terminal server environments
??- a Citrix one, I do like Citrix
??- ITIL A lot of the jobs I seem to be interested in ask to be familiar or have this cert. A few of my friends working in IT think this cert is BS, is this true?
??- Security + for diversity and to not be a total idiot about security

smokeyalien

WGU is only for American citizens.

VCP requires a VMware class for several thousand dollars to get the cert. If you don't work with VMware then you won't get a VMware job with just the cert.
ITIL is nice to have as it is a framework used by management to deliver services. This is a nice to have but not a job creator with a very few exceptions.
Security+ is good for some government jobs but otherwise it isn't something people look for. This is a nice to have.
Citrix requires working with their gear to really know the test. This isn't something you can study for without hands-o administration and then the value of the cert is low unless you are in a traveling implementation job.
MCSA/MCSE are good if you want to work with windows servers and can help you get a foot int he door for a junior admin position.
Linux+ is a nice to have but if you want to do linux you really need a highr level cert. Even then most people don't look for certs in linux side. They want work experience.
CCNA will show a knowledge of networking but if you don't want to do networking then it isn't worth it. People will expect a baseline understanding of networking in most IT jobs.

If you want to keep playing with servers that are primarily Windows then get the MCSA and build out into other things.

discount81

I wouldn't be doing an MCSA in Server 2008 now, it is on the way out.

GAngel

WGU most certainly has Canadian students from just about every province.

nster

smokeyalien wrote: »

WGU is only for American citizens.

VCP requires a VMware class for several thousand dollars to get the cert. If you don't work with VMware then you won't get a VMware job with just the cert.
ITIL is nice to have as it is a framework used by management to deliver services. This is a nice to have but not a job creator with a very few exceptions.
Security+ is good for some government jobs but otherwise it isn't something people look for. This is a nice to have.
Citrix requires working with their gear to really know the test. This isn't something you can study for without hands-o administration and then the value of the cert is low unless you are in a traveling implementation job.
MCSA/MCSE are good if you want to work with windows servers and can help you get a foot int he door for a junior admin position.
Linux+ is a nice to have but if you want to do linux you really need a highr level cert. Even then most people don't look for certs in linux side. They want work experience.
CCNA will show a knowledge of networking but if you don't want to do networking then it isn't worth it. People will expect a baseline understanding of networking in most IT jobs.

If you want to keep playing with servers that are primarily Windows then get the MCSA and build out into other things.

Actually, there have been a few Canadians who have done WGU on this forum, it is US and some parts of Canada.

I've heard MCSA is often paired with CCNA, and I know I can do CCNA in a few weeks. Should I get it just because I can anyways?

I would have thought VCP would be a nice compliment to an MCSA and Citrix experience? I see this cert asked for a lot in job postings.

I've had a bit of experience with Citrix but I haven't seen many jobs mentionning it let alone asking for a cert. So ITIL, Citrix, Security+ are a bit niche it seems and not worth my time until I get the more import certs out of the way.

I'm not sure how frequent it is to be communicating with or using a bit of Linux when you primarily work with Windows, so I figured it would give me any basic knowledge I would need to know in suh a case and show I am well rounded. I don't really want to work with Linux but I wouldn't mind have a few side-tasks that require some basic knowledge. Is this rare in the real world?

nster

discount81 wrote: »

I wouldn't be doing an MCSA in Server 2008 now, it is on the way out.

oops I meant 2012 thanks

You have any insight on the Montreal job market? Assuming I get an MCSA Server 2012, what kind of salary is expected? How much does a Bachelors influence job opportunities and salary with what you've seen so far in Montreal?