Getting Into IT

sprkymrk

Kevy wrote:

hey guys just came back from the exam and just wanted to share the good news with you, i got a pass 569 bit disappointed i thought i was going to do well , but the good thing its a pass ,considering 3 months ago i didn't know anything about computer networking i'm somehow happy,the big question now is where do i go from here, i 'm thinking of taking the two way route to CNNA and skipping the A+

Congrats!

Best of luck on your CCNA. I think the 2 exam route is a good way for you to go. It takes a little longer, but you will be able to absorb the material better. The first of the CCNA exams will include some of what you picked up on the Net+, so it's a good "next step" in my opinion. You'll need to take it to the next level for the 2nd exam, but if you THINK you can do it, you CAN do it.

Once again, congrats and good luck.

HeroPsycho

I think it really depends on if you already have the knowledge you gain from each of them.

When I started out in IT, I had already done PC repair, troubleshooting, basic networking while working at a small computer shop to pay for college, which I was attending to start a career teaching. Computers were just a hobby of mine.

When I decided to switch careers and go into IT, I didn't bother going for A+ or Network+, etc. I already knew that information, and 4 years working in a computer shop doing that work gave me the relevant knowledge of A+ and Network+ certs. I skipped those and went for MCSA/MCSE. I found that the combination of the experience plus the MCP certifications allowed me to get side jobs doing AD implementations for small businesses, which got me of course better experience to back up my certs for my first full time IT job.

In two years after getting my first MCP cert, and months after getting MCSE, I was hired by Microsoft Product Support for Exchange. Two years after that, I was in six figures.

This thread, while getting a bit personal, does bring up the schism of "shoot for the moon" and "work your way up". However, it's all about what is going to get you the experience and certifications to get you where you want to go the quickest way possible.

The real universal truth is experience plus the right qualifications, whether it be college degrees or certifications, tend to work the best. In my situation, I leveraged my experience at the computer shop in college plus a higher end certification to secure experience doing side jobs and as a substitute for no A+ or Network+. However, I did have most of the knowledge that goes along with both of those certs.

Also, one of the primary goals of certifications is to learn. Ask yourself what would you learn by completing a certification? If little, do you really need that cert? Then look at your resume and see what proves you know that stuff without a certification. If there's nothing on there that does, you may need to consider getting it.