Beginner I.T professional here, need some advice.

Ceelic

I'm not exactly sure if this is supposed to go here or in the cert forum but I'll ask anyway. I'm new to the I.T field, I've got about 3 years of school behind me with a Certificate in Computer Information Systems and 8 months of practical experience in internships. I'm close to a diploma but still have to knock off some math-related courses which are a pain, hence the added year.

Anyways, I've got my A+ and am currently studying for my Network+. The A+ seems to be getting my resume noticed along with my educational experience. It seems however that I'm always knocked off for not having some extra added knowledge like maintaining domain controllers or administering a small Ubuntu Server. I was just wondering if the following cert path would be ideal for somebody who wants to be a Sys. Admin down the road. I would be doing them one after the other.

A+ (finished), Network+ (in progress), MCSA: Windows 7 or 8 and Server, Linux+.

Obviously I don't expect to jump straight into something 'super cool' right away, but I feel like this would round off my skill set nicely for a potential entry level job and then I could go for higher level certs later on after a few years of working. I feel like I've got more then enough practical experience for the A+/Network+, some practical for Windows 7 Client/Server from my internships and mostly educational experience for Linux+. What do you guys think?

tahjzhuan

It's a good path, but adding Sec+ or similar would enhance it.

Nemowolf

I would add that the comptia certs are great foundational certs as they are not in depth and vender neutral. That being said, they are just foundation certs and will be trumped soon by your experience in the field for closing the deal over just your resume alone for recruiters and hiring managers to bring you in for interviews.

As with anyone getting into the IT field, education and experience are going to be your two big factors here. If you can handle a couple of years into your career with a help desk or even desktop role, that should give you a good understanding of the roles and how things work. Then you can make your decisions on where you want to go.

techfiend

I'd stay with the path you are on, however I would only use MCSA workstation to obtain a job, if you get a job before you finish it I'd jump to MCSA 2012 or linux+

kurosaki00

With previous IT education I would drop the Net+ and go for CCNA.

IIIMaster

Well you answer your own question. You are always look over with someone with DC or Linux knowledge. You have your A+ now go after what pays MCSA SERVER and Linux +. MCSA is cool but those are for client machines. You are getting looks from employers so thats also a positive so one major cert will put you where you want to be.

Ceelic

Thanks for the advice guys! I was just scheduled for another interview but this Junior position also requires server experience, so we'll see what happens.