progression?

nel

Hi,

i wanted some advise on what to do next? my goal at this moment in time is to get into system admin. so i thought what the heck i'll go for my a+ (which im halfway there, just need to take the OS part) then i will go for the network + to count as an elective towards an mcsa. my question is how valuable is the the MCSA (career wise) to have and would you recommend the path i want to go down into sys admin? i am asking this as alot of ppl in the industry value mcsa but it doesnt have great credibility?is this true or should i try another path?

cheers

jpeezy55

nel wrote:

Hi,

i wanted some advise on what to do next? my goal at this moment in time is to get into system admin. so i thought what the heck i'll go for my a+ (which im halfway there, just need to take the OS part) then i will go for the network + to count as an elective towards an mcsa. my question is how valuable is the the MCSA (career wise) to have and would you recommend the path i want to go down into sys admin? i am asking this as alot of ppl in the industry value mcsa but it doesnt have great credibility?is this true or should i try another path?

cheers

It's not a bad path to take, however, don't stop at MCSA, continue on to get the MCSE, this one holds a little more clout in the industry.

I am working towards that myself and am 1 exam away from having MCSA. I will be using A+/Network+ as an elective and then I plan to also get Server+ and Security+ (which can be used as an elective for MCSE).

I'd have to let someone who has MCSA or MCSE tell you if it helped them or not...I'm hoping it does, which is why I am getting both. Also, you may have to start out at Help Desk and do that for awhile before it opens up into a Network Admin job (which is where I am looking to be also.)

Certs and Education go a long way it seems (which would explain why I am going back to college to get a BS in Information Technology).

Good Luck!

nel

thanks for the advise.....

i have been a helpdesk IT tech for 4 yrs now....thats why i am trying to move up abit more! because i am sick of doing the same mundane jobs of ...yes sir i will unlock your account etc etc. mind you it has been a decent first step in the ladder and i am hoping doing a degree and having sum certs pays off as i wish to achieve a sys admin job.
how did you find the microsoft exams? difficulty etc?

would anyone else have thoughs on this matter?

Danman32

I believe the certs will help. That bundled with experience says your cert is not just paper. Without the cert, it's harder to show the value of your experience.

Munck

If you don't have any experience managing servers, stop with MCSA. A MCSE without experience is not a good idea. When you get some experience, go for the MCSE, as it is far more respected/recognized.

I would add CCNA and some sort of Linux cert to the mix. When I was in the sysadm business, it was very valueable to me. Good luck (and remember to don't stay in helpdesk positions too long)

jpeezy55

Munck wrote:

If you don't have any experience managing servers, stop with MCSA. A MCSE without experience is not a good idea. When you get some experience, go for the MCSE, as it is far more respected/recognized.

Excellent point. I know I had said I was continuing on through MCSA to MCSE, but I should've clarified that it may not be right away. I thought about doing Server+ and Security+ first and maybe MSDBA and get some experience working with Database Management.

However, like Munck said, an MCSE without the hands on experience with servers is asking for trouble. You will definitely be more respected if you not only tell someone you can do the work, but can actually do it.

jpeezy55

nel wrote:

how did you find the microsoft exams? difficulty etc?

would anyone else have thoughs on this matter?

I did not think they were too difficult. Sure, the questions are wordy, but you get plenty of time to go through them at a nice pace. I think for my 290 I had almost 60 minutes left. 291 was about the same (granted, I did not pass that one.) The main thing is to relax and settle in to a pace that works for you, if you find yourself staring at one for too long, mark it for review and move on. You'll have time to come back...

nel

thanks for the suggestions.

i thought for the first target would be mcsa ( to hopefully get me onto the sys admin ladder) then once i am there to gain experiance for the mcse and eventually go onto that as a long term target.

does anyone have any gd websites for guides regarding system admin for 2003? to try and get sum hands on using VPC as i have all the legitiment software to set this up?

thanks for the help again.

12thlevelwarrior

i would think mcsa, linux+, ccna is a good foundation for a well rounded cert base for sys admin, obviously this person would be more windows focused cause the linux+ is shallow.

mikey_b

Well, I just passed my 70-291 today for my MCSA and told my supervisors' boss about it. An extra $2200/year for me. And I have plenty of clout around here. But that's probably just because I'm loud and slightly obnoxious! Actually, I'm a technical lead for our field services branch so it proves I know what I need to know to make decisions in the best interests of my team.

But there is no stopping, architect jobs abound! Good money! Go all the way to MCSE for me, with CCDA thrown in to show a grounding in Cisco technologies.

blargoe

You should right away try to go ahead and start finding some IT work, get a mundane bottom of the ladder helpdesk job and get started with practical work experience. You have to start somewhere. During this time work on your MCSA.

nel

hello agen...blargoe, i am already bottom of the ladder on a IT helpdesk role lol

keenon

no actually the bottom is computer operator or being a cable b@$ch .. both i have done

keatron

keenon wrote:

no actually the bottom is computer operator or being a cable b@$ch .. both i have done

Lol. amen.

nel

i cant argue there