compTIA papers.. nessercary?

Hey

I've been working in the industry for about a year now... also studyed for 2 years for a DipICT.

Do you think papers such as Network+, Security+ will be nessercary to start off with?

My current job is only a 2year contract so im hoping to get my MCSE 2003 +Security in this time.. So i don't wanna muck around with anything else at the moment..
Fair play?
Or should I get myself a good package of compTIA books and start there?

Thanks in advance

-Chapt3r

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tibul

The comptia certs are good starter certs, i.e. the network+ cert is a good starter for CCNA and the MS stuff and the security+ cert is a good cert to get started in security etc.

It depends on your experience and what interests you the most, i usually go for the things that interest me the most and try to gain the experience in that area at work, with labs and studying etc

Slowhand

In reality, no certs are "necessary". The CompTIA certs won't hurt you, if you choose to get them, but there's no need to do them before doing MCSA/MCSE, CCNA/CCNP, etc. If you feel like you're ready for the Microsoft exams, for example, just go ahead and do them. It's really up to you, your level of experience, and what direction you want to head in. CompTIA certs are great for people who are just starting out, who are just getting into broader concepts beyond "just what they work with", and for anyone looking to get into something they may not have worked with before. They don't hurt your resume, chances are they'll have lots of topics you've never really gotten into, but they are not required in order to push for things like the Microsoft or Cisco certs.

My recommendation would be to take some practice exams, such as the ones on this site, and see how comfortable you are with the exam you're getting ready to study up for. If you feel like all the questions are away over your head or they're all about things you've never even heard of, you might want to look for something that's listed as a prequisite or "recommended knowledge" by the vendor. The reason Microsoft, Cisco, Red Hat, and the others recommend CompTIA certs as a starting point is because they feel you should have that amount of cumulative, vendor-neutral experience before beginning on the road to the more difficult certifications.

5no-yt

Awsome, Thanks heaps guys.
Will just keep studying for my 70-270