Which cert should i take first ?

I just got my 70-270 cert along with the MCP certification as it was the first test ive taken.

Im planning on studying for the next cert which i think should be 70-290 although i would like to get my a+ certification also. Which certification should i finish first. The 70-290 or the A+

I was thinking about taking the 70-290 because alot of ppl on this forum say the 70-270 and the 70-290 are fairly similar. From that i thought it would be a good idea to just take the 70-290 since the material is still fairly fresh. Although i dont have very much experience using windows 2003 server, but i do have years of experience using windows XP Pro.

Although, i would like to get A+ out of the way since it should be easier then the 70-290. Is it ??? and i could add another certification to the list.

So what do you guys recommend i take first, A+ or 70-290

Thanks for any advice

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Comments

tonydotigr

That's a question you'll have answer for yourself. Figure out where you are in your I.T. path, where you want to be, and what's important to learn at the time.

With that said, 70-290.

Megadeth4168

Tough Question!
I do think however that while the material from the 270 is still very fresh in your head that it might benefit you to pick up a 290 study guide and get that out of the way first.
That is just my opinion.

Hektik1n

Megadeth4168 wrote:

Tough Question!
I do think however that while the material from the 270 is still very fresh in your head that it might benefit you to pick up a 290 study guide and get that out of the way first.
That is just my opinion.

Why do you think that ?

Hektik1n

Is there a time limit to when i need to finish my MCSA / MCSE before a certain time like before 2008. I thought i read somewhere that since they are taking away the MCSE 2000 and the release of Server 2008. Is this true ?

Megadeth4168

Hektik1n wrote:

Is there a time limit to when i need to finish my MCSA / MCSE before a certain time like before 2008. I thought i read somewhere that since they are taking away the MCSE 2000 and the release of Server 2008. Is this true ?

Next year the 200 MCSA/MCSE exams are being retired... This is not the case with the 2003 MCSA/MCSE exams. The 2003 exams will probably be around for a while.

I suggest taking the 290 before the A+ because you already have taken the 270 and can benefit from the overlapping material between the 2 exams.

ajs1976

No time limit on when to take the exams, you just need to complete them before they are discontinued. With the 2000 exam being discontinued in March of '08, the 2003 exams should be around for a couple of more years.

nel

if i could change anything i have done so far it would be to miss the comptia exams. the a+ is very pricey for what you get.and its not worth it to me. i think comptia shud bring their entry level exams into entry level pricing! and you will need your net+ or sumthing to count as an elective ontop of the a+ for an elective exam for the mcsa. and this combination does not count for the mcse.

i would rather go for exchange 70-284 or sumthing and at least it will count towards your mcse aswell.

opie6373

Do you have any work experience? I think the A+ is for someone who is just trying to get started in IT-probably desktop admin. You've already got a server level exam done, I'd continue on that track. I think you will find that microsoft certs are much more valuable than comptia exams.

I think the comptia stuff has alot of stuff that you won't use in the real world--like the OSI network model. I don't recall one time that knowledge of that helped me on the job.

Ronald Howe

Hektik1n wrote:

I just got my 70-270 cert along with the MCP certification as it was the first test ive taken.

Im planning on studying for the next cert which i think should be 70-290 although i would like to get my a+ certification also. Which certification should i finish first. The 70-290 or the A+

I was thinking about taking the 70-290 because alot of ppl on this forum say the 70-270 and the 70-290 are fairly similar. From that i thought it would be a good idea to just take the 70-290 since the material is still fairly fresh. Although i dont have very much experience using windows 2003 server, but i do have years of experience using windows XP Pro.

Although, i would like to get A+ out of the way since it should be easier then the 70-290. Is it ??? and i could add another certification to the list.

So what do you guys recommend i take first, A+ or 70-290

Thanks for any advice

theseman

opie6373 wrote:

Do you have any work experience? I think the A+ is for someone who is just trying to get started in IT-probably desktop admin. You've already got a server level exam done, I'd continue on that track. I think you will find that microsoft certs are much more valuable than comptia exams.

I think the comptia stuff has alot of stuff that you won't use in the real world--like the OSI network model. I don't recall one time that knowledge of that helped me on the job.

I can safely say understanding the OSI model helps with everyday troubleshooting. If you don't understand the various layers involved in networking, you can wasete a lot of time before you figure out the problem (ie. an application issue vs. a network one).

My 2 cents

Travis