Not sure which direction to take in IT...

Matt_Smi

I have noticed that when many people ask what certification they should peruse next, they are asked which direction they want to take, networking, security, network administrator, ect. Well I myself seem to enjoy a bit of everything. I love hardware, building and troubleshooting computers for people and myself and also enjoy troubleshooting OS issues and getting rid of viruses, spyware, ect. I have had many friends bring there comp to be full of crap and running much worse than its specs would suggest, once I am done with it they cant get over how much faster it is. I am also interested in networking, from physically installing the cables and configuring computers for networking access and such to administering a small client/server LAN. And security is something I am fascinated in and want to learn more about.

I will be taking Net+ within a few weeks, I am almost ready for it, after than I will be studying for 70-270 for my MCP since MS is offering the second chance offer right now. Once that is done I will need two more tests for MCSA so I would like to pursue that and also security+. CCNA and a more advanced security cert are others that I would like, but feel I would need some hands on experience on a job before I could handle it. I don’t want to have any “paper” certs than I can’t backup with real knowledge. So my question, is there anything wrong with having certs from many different areas from different vendors, or it is better to just focus on one area/path and stick with that? I don’t see a problem with being well rounded but I don’t know if employers look at it the same way.

filkenjitsu

Sometimes studying and practicing for the CCNA will give you what you need, along with any entry level experience you have, to get an entry level job in networking.

Judd

Here's a great article addressing the situation of being well rounded in the IT industry from NetworkWorld, highly recommend this article for you to read and recommend them as a great reference.

http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/edu/2006/0123ed1.html?t5&story=4-0217

I think your interest in multiple facets of IT is an asset. Many arguments are for and against either being specialized or diversified. Net Admins in smaller companies sometimes end up as the only IT person there, so you would have to know multiple areas of IT. The same can be said for Desktop Support in specific instances; many support people have a widespread knowledge base, but generally don't get into the deeply technical areas of any one aspect.

So the choice is yours, sometimes just experience in industry will help you decide. As an intern, I performed desktop support for a company of 800, quickly realizing that I preferred a more specialized path, that of Net Admin. But that experience demonstrated to employers that I was capable of mastering desktop support, boosting their confidence that hiring me as a Net Admin would be a safe investment due to that experience.

Hope this helps.