What cert next?

ocriggins

I just got my MCSA. A little worn out. I took 4 exams the last 6 weeks.

Anwyay, I was thinking about going for my MCSE, CCNA, or taking Security+.

What does everyone think? I am leaning toward the CCNA or taking Security+.

Thanks,

OC

royal

Definitely go for MCSE. Then go for CCNA.

DirtySouth

Depends on what you want to do. If it was me, I'd definitely go for the CCNA cause thats what I'm doing now. Are you planning on doing both of them eventually?

Young Fred

Well i agree with dirty south but seeing that you just did all of those ms certs. I say do the ccna just for a change of pace.

mikej412

CCNA, then MCSE, then CCNP!

Plantwiz

In what capacity do you plan to work or are you currently working? Focus on the areas that are of interest to you and something that you enjoy.

Treg

4 Exams in 6 weeks? I dont understand how some of you do this, do you work in IT? It frustrates me reading posts of people passing an exam every 2-3 weeks. I find it hard to study with a full time job in IT (taking me months per exam). Im just steaming as I want to get this MCSE out of the way

Congrats anyway on MCSA, i'd keep going to MCSE while the content is fresh and then go Cisco.

Plantwiz

Treg wrote:

4 Exams in 6 weeks? I dont understand how some of you do this, do you work in IT? It frustrates me reading posts of people passing an exam every 2-3 weeks. I find it hard to study with a full time job in IT (taking me months per exam). Im just steaming as I want to get this MCSE out of the way

Congrats anyway on MCSA, i'd keep going to MCSE while the content is fresh and then go Cisco.

If it's material you work with, some review should be all that is necessary. Start your day an hour earlier and review a topic, certainly in a week or two (for material you use) is sufficient to prepare. If 'Study' is required, then sure it will take more time.

Hang in there

blargoe

GET A JOB, then worry about more certs after you have some experience. Don't become another paper MCSE.

RATTLERMAN

I agree with those that said get a job to get some experience.
Nothing beats experience and a little luck.
Also network you A$$ off let evertbody you meet know what you are trying to do. Join some IT organizations to meet some people.
This year I am trying to get out more and meet new people. I met 2 of my best job references at the bar watching football talking trash

Slowhand

mikej412 wrote:

CCNA, then MCSE, then CCNP!

I completely agree with mikej412 on this, except I'd push Security+ in between CCNA and MCSE, since you're going to need it or another elective for MCSE. Personally, I think it's a better way to go, taking Security+ as the MCSE elective, since you get both Security+ and MCSE in "one" package, instead of simply taking another elective exam that gets swallowed up by the MCSE.

And I also agree with the other statements made, go out and work and get yourself noticed, get yourself some good experience. Go to IT conferences, join IT job boards, make sure you have business cards, etc. . . It all sums up to helping you find the job you want for the kind of pay you want. No one thing, be it certs, experience, social networking, stands alone. This is especially true when you're going for more than one specialization path, like doing MCSA/MCSE and CCNA/CCNP, where you're not "just a Windows admin" or "not just a Cisco engineer" but you have workable experience in both fields.

blargoe

An MCSE, CCNA, Security+, etc with no work experience means squat.

Slowhand

blargoe wrote:

An MCSE, CCNA, Security+, etc with no work experience means squat.

I tend to agree with you, but it also has to do with who it means something to. Depending on where you are and the company you're applying with, having work experience alone doesn't get you in. I've been turned down for jobs that I'm perfectly qualified to do, but someone with a cert beat me to it. (Hence the reason I work, go to school, and also work on getting certified, these days.) It's a tough market out there, and sometimes it's downright unfair that someone with little or no experience can beat you to a job because they have a piece of paper that says they learned something.

My advice still stands for ocriggins: work on those certs while you're trying to find work and do some of that social networking. The technical knowledge you gain in studying for certs will help you when you're working and getting experience. On the other side of the coin, that experience will help reinforce the knowledge you gain while studying. The MCSE coupled with the Security+ will serve you well in getting to where you want to be, and they will give you the opportunity to learn a lot and give you a better chance of working with the very same tools and technologies you study.

The Security+ doesn't make you a security expert, by any means, but it does give you a very good overview of security practices and methods. It also is an excellent stepping stone towards other security certs and a broader security field. If that's your interest, the MCSE and CCNA experience will help you all that much more. (Some Unix/Linux experience wouldn't be a bad idea, either.)