Facing redundancy again

Goragon

I will be made redundant from my job in July the company I work for is closing ☹️

I've worked in manufacturing most of my life and need a change.

I have a number of basic computer qualifications.
MCP, MOUS, CompTIA A+

I have some training funding at my disposal.

I think I've narrowed it down to 2 courses, they are with Pitmans training

Network Support Technician Diploma with CompTIA

• Network +
• MTA Security Fundamentals
• MTA Server Administration
• Communication Skills for IT Specialists

Recommended Electives – choose ONE:
• Project Management
• MTA Database Administrator Fundamentals
• CompTIA Cloud Essentials

OR

Server Support Technician Diploma with MCSA there are five core subjects:

• Server+
• Network+
• Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012
• Administering Windows Server 2012
• Configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 Services

Which diploma would you guys pick, the funding will cover the cost of either.

UncleB

To help it would be really useful to know:
1 - what is your IT background (areas, years of experience)
2 - what actually interests you.
3 - your age group

The reason is that for the server route, it is going to be tricky to get into this without previous experience.

If you have been in IT for quite a long time then you may want to move into an area that is more suitable to leverage your accumulated experience - both in IT and manufacturing - and look at project management. PMP would be something to think about seriously and should be much faster & cheaper than doing a diploma.

For making the most out of current trends and future developments then the former course would be a good option as security is a growing field and shows no signs of peaking in demand yet. It is likely to become saturated at some point but that is often the way in IT, so if you can make 5 years of decent money then it is worth the effort in my opinion.

If you can, let us know the answers and we can give more targeted advice.

thanks
Iain

TheFORCE

Go for the MCSA, the 1st track is all too basic and theoretical, the 2nd one will be a bit more practical and has more value in the work force.

636-555-3226

do you want to be a server admin or network admin? Network admins in my area make a bit more money, but to keep progressing you're going to need to work on the hard skills like Cisco/Juniper/etc that CompTIA won't deliver in the long run. Don't get me wrong - CompTIA is great for entry-level stuff, but it's a bit too generic for the "hard" technical skills that you can immediately use the second you sit down in front of a piece of equipment. That's where the MCSA will be more targeted

thomas_

If it was me I would probably go with the Server Support Diploma with MCSA, just because that is where my interest lies. Also, I think if hou get good with servers there is a lot of opportunity to do work on the side frome home. I don't see as much opportunity for side jobs for network stuff(at least where I am looking). With that being said I'm currently looking for network positions because I have some experience with it. I'm looking for a position that would get me more exposure on the server side of things.

A lot of it comes down to what interests you and what is in demand in your job market. If one particular thing comes up quite a bit in job postings, then I would lab and study for that cert(unless you are absolutely miserable studying for it.)

techfiend

MCSA is likely the only cert in the list useful on a resume. They're difficult exams even with experience. What's the policy if you fail an exam?