Progression from Desktop Support..

Syy

Hi Guys,


Hope you can help. I am an experienced Desktop Tech. I have worked in 1st/2nd line support for 7 years for and i am looking to progress my career.


My goal is to become to SharePoint Administrator/Consultant. I have worked with the technology for a number of years and it is a technology that i am passionate about and would like to specialist in. During my previous role i was considered an SME within my department and i have a number of measurable achievements and projects which are SharePoint related. However unfortunately i didn't have a SharePoint related job title and i didn't have full administration access to the platform. (i did manage site collections though)


I have interviewed for a SharePoint Analyst position recently and i have feedback from the potential employers that i lacked skills and experience related to administer the platform (particularly around Central Administration and Powershell)


With the above in mind my first question is.


1) Would perusing an MCSE in SharePoint potentially bridge the gap where my skills lack and help me to reach my goal?
2) Could anybody suggest any other possible positions/progressions paths in terms of my next role which will help me to gain that vital experience to help me reach my goal?


Appreciate all feedback, Thanks in advance guys


Simon

beads

Windows 2016 is heavily dependent on powershell so that's baked in right there. Pursuing the MCSE 2016 is a safe bet as it indicates but like any other cert doesn't prove mastery, only that you can pass a test on a particular given subject. This is why certs have become somewhat of a delimiter of second or last choice in some markets.

As for the experience thing. Isn't this the way it always goes in IT? Can't get the position without the experience but need the experience to get the position? Always feels a bit cart before the horse. With that its always easier to get up that next rung on the latter when the economy is good and applicants are fewer. Take advantage of those times and hunker down a bit when they aren't. Its a strategy that has worked very well for me since the 80s.

- b/eads

Syy

I agree PowerShell seems to be prevalent in most MS technology recently and as such its something i am learning as we speak via MVA. I agree certs do not prove mastery, experience is the major factor. My aim is to bridge the gap where my experience lacks to show my dedication to my goal and hopefully find a prospective employer who will be willing to give me the chance to gain valuable experience and work with the technology day to day

Solid advice B/eads and yes 100% agree with you re Cart before the horse and its something that I have always struggled to overcome. I am always keen to hear feedback from others to understand how they overcame that situation.

Out of interest in your experience what would you suggest to be a good natural progression path from Desktop Support to my goal?

NetworkingStudent

Q&A - How to Move Up the Ranks In I.T. (Ie. Desktop support to Administrator)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAM_ahaJ9ak

Published on Nov 3, 2016
In this episode, I talk about how to move up the ranks in the I.T. world. Example. How to move from a desktop role to an admin role and also what certifications needed to be a Network Admin & Windows Admin.


This video should help answer your question

knownhero

Syy

Welcome to the wonderful world of SharePoint. Take a seat and enjoy the ride! I too was a help desk support tech. That's when I first fell in love with SharePoint (MOSS 2007). I was like you I had no input on how it was run/deployed to users and didn't have the word SharePoint in my title.

Fast forward 6 years and I am now in a job I absolutely love as a SharePoint Analyst.

How I got here:

1. Luck (personally speaking)

I'm currently studying my MCSE: SharePoint 2013 (Final exam in December) and its helped me massively. MS have recently changed the goal posts on the requirements for the MCSE as a whole. It's now called Productivity.

Personally I would go the O365 route now with SharePoint 2016.

I went with MCSA server 2012 as I was working with them at the time (before my SharePoint role). Let's talk about the exam. It's not as heavy with PowerShell as one would make you think, it's a massive bonus to know it but you can get by.

What you will need to know though are things like:

- Service Applications (creation and management)
- Authentication
- Web Applications (creation and management)
- Each type of Service application and what they do (UPS, Secure Store etc.)
- Installation of SharePoint/Prerequisites
- Content Type hub
- Trusts between farms

The list does go on.

You really need to know how SharePoint works that includes SQL and IIS. By the sounds of it you would have been classed as a "Power User" which means you wouldn't have seen CA at all (unless you had rights given to you to manage a service). It's a bit unfair to say PowerShell if I was honest. You'd only really need it to get information about things in the farm and can be learnt on the job.

I feel like I have just rambled on and none of the above makes sense.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I'm more than happy to help.


*EDIT:

I should mention the type of work I actually do with SharePoint so you can get an idea. Administer SharePoint 2010 and maintain it for over 500 users. I also create bespoke event receivers/workflows in visual studio (so minor development), Use PowerShell to build tools to help us do repetitive tasks.

Recently I was given the task to build a SharePoint 2016 extranet farm in a DMZ for external clients can browse to over the internet. This is the type of work I do with SharePoint so as I mentioned before I'm more than happy to help with any questions