Future certs and opportunity...

mookytc

Hi all,

Long story short I started my first entry level job in IT a few weeks ago at the age of 43. How I got there is not important. I was off from work the last year and that is when I picked up some entry level certs. To prove I was serious about finding a new line of work.

Recently I started working in a level 1 help desk situation. Feels great to get a start. What I am doing is pretty simple as far as the technology. However the area for growth is huge. My question is what next? I have a five year plan so I need to make some moves (besides good job perfomance) to further my career. I am thinking about going the MCSE route. At least seriously starting with one exam. I notice some techs on the floor don't carry much weight regarding certs. I understand hands on but from what I see earning this cert would really give me at lot of options down the road. I can certainly create study lab (s) in my workshop so why not.

Would like to hear of your thoughts. I could take some college comp science courses but don't really feel that route would be beneficial.

Any thoughts?

DC

royal

Hello mookytc. It looks like you are off to a good start on improving your new career. Many people have difficult finding technical jobs even with Microsoft certs. Having the foundational certifications as well as a helpdesk job will definitely help you improve your knowledge on desktops as well as your troubleshooting skills. So, what to do now? First I would work on obtaining your 70-270. This is the first exam most individuals go for when starting their MCSE route. In your case, it makes the most sense since it'll immediately help you with your current helpdesk position. From there, I would proceed with the rest of the exams. Microsoft offers evaluation software for many of their server product offerings, and they also offer Microsoft Virtual Server as well as Microsoft Virtual PC which will help virtualizating server environments to better learn and understand the material.

Good luck on your new career!

mookytc

Thanks royal,

That is the vibe I am feeling. True there are a lot of good techs with certs out of work but I am in opportunity where I can grow due to the environment. That is a good thing for my short range plan.

Going to start the 70-270 prep. Might take a bit of time to prepare for it but I will get there.

DC

blargoe

Many use certs as either an expectation for higher salary or as a badge of competence. The best use of starting on your certs for you, right now, is to use the process as a learning tool. I have found no better learning tool for myself than picking whatever exam, running through the exam study materials, and immersing myself in one or two areas at a time that I am a little weaker on. Don't ever rely on just a single study guide, do the research, set up the scenario of yourself on real computers on a real network.

Yes, hands on experience does carry more weight and is more valuable IMO. But you can use the process of getting certified to your full advantage and I don't just mean having a piece of paper that says your certified. I think you understand this, but it never hurts to underscore this point.

I agree with you starting off with the 270, that will be a great "get your feet wet" cert study. From there I probably think differently from others in that I think getting entry-level LAN knowledge is essential to being able to grasp the most common problems in troubleshooting PC/Server networks. At some point early in your certification journey, I would strongly suggest dedicating your efforts to something like the Network+. This cert also has the added benefit of counting toward the MCSA as part of an elective credit.

Best of luck to you.

blargoe

Also wanted to mention that if you have no college education (really talking about ANY college here not necessarily IT) then you really need to strongly consider adding an 2-year IT degree from your local community college to your 5 year plan. Having no education beyond high school and not much experience will make it harder on you. Even if you do have college education, it would still be beneficial to have that AAS degree if you want to maximize your possibilities in working helpdesk/desktop support. But don't stop working to work on the degree, the experience is the most important.

mookytc

Thanks..I have a BS in Business Administration. I agree with you regarding using the job and cert training hand in hand. Something positive will happen if I go down that path. There is opportunity where I am employed. They promote from within and are not afraid to train if one displays the proper attitude and desire.

Thanks for the support.

DC

BigTone

blargoe wrote:

, I would strongly suggest dedicating your efforts to something like the Network+. This cert also has the added benefit of counting toward the MCSA as part of an elective credit.

Best of luck to you.

Looks like he already has the net+?

mookytc

Yes I do so I will take my time and start working on the 70-270. Why not..I do not have a time table so with start knocking off some chapters and labs and see how well it goes. If I feel progress is being made then I will continue.

Thanks for the replies.

DC

blargoe

Oops, sorry I missed that.

mookytc

No problem at all...

DC

milliamp

Also, as a FYI you can use the A+/Network+ combo as an elective for the MCSA.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcsa/windows2003/default.mspx

For MCSA you need:
1 elective (covered by A+/Network+)
1 core OS exam (ie. 70-270)
2 core network exams (ie. 70-290 & 70-291)

Tesl

Hey mookytc, it's good to see your enthusiasm and how much your willing to learn.

I would just suggest doing whatever your interested in, not necessarily what you think is best for your plan. I think in the end, if you follow your passion first you will get where you want to go in the end (and probably be paid more for that too)

If you enjoyed the Net+, it may also be worth looking down the Cisco route. I enjoyed getting my CCNA and found the material very useful in the real world too.