Guidance needed. Fresh graduates

larciel

Howdy everyone.

I joined this forum long time ago when I first took my A+ exam. Thanks to great info from great people here, I was able to pass the test. Now I need another help from you deciding which paths to take.

Briefly about myself.

I'm 26yr old. Will graduate this June getting BS in Economics. I've skipped school and went to work for couple years so I'm about 4 years behind regular schedule.

I've always had interest in computers, especially in hardware. I consider myself an average computer geek who knows stuff because he handled so many computers and situations but doesn't really know in 'detail'. I'm the guy whom everyone calls for help when there's problem in computers. Everyone thinks I'm good, but if you think about it most of the times I say "Let me reinstall windows"

I decided to get certification and took courses for CCNA 3-4 years ago. I didn't finish it; I only got half of A+ which is nothing after changes to A+

Currently, I'm planning to start my own business after I graduate. And I'd like to have several certification before I get real busy with my business. My old folks were right; It's better to study when you're young.

I would like opinions from anyone about my situation and what paths I should take. You could point at anything as I'm getting more clueless with fast-changing tech field.

I was wondering whether I should take A+ again. I'm more interested in Windows server and setting up small LAN with permission and access control. (Something I can use for my own business later on) But I heard that any certfication in IT starts with A+ and Security,Network +
so I'd appreciate your educated opinions and suggestions about what paths and test I should be considering.

Thank you

*And recommendations on good books/vouchers/dc would be awesome

KGhaleon

Sounds like you would be interested in System administration, managing windows server/domain controllers, perhaps? You would need to study up and take the microsoft exams like the 70-270 and 70-290 to get a good understanding of what you're likely to see on the market.

What kind of business did you want to open? They are a lot of work depending on what you'll be doing. Service? Retail? Advertising and getting customers is a real pain starting out.

You can always try getting your A+ again, as it is still an entry-leve cert. You could pass it easily if you drilled for a couple weeks. I like to go study in coffee shops.

brad-

i was a non-traditional college student too. I thought all my studies would be over when i got out...not understanding the certification world. I actually find it easier to study now, because I'm self motivated, and have reachable short term goals.

I dont understand why the industry respects the a+/n+ certs so much, but they do, and they are a good building block.

That said, so many people have them, that its the other certs you get that can set you apart. Depending on what you want your business to be, you should tailor your goals to that. CCNA is hot right now, I'm working on MCSA which seems to be needed in my area.

MS has a slew of new certs, all expiring in 3 years...I dont know how well they're catching on...I havent see anyone require any of the new MCTS or MCITP around here. IMHO, they are more relevant to the development world.

dynamik

larciel wrote:

I'm 26yr old. Will graduate this June getting BS in Economics. I've skipped school and went to work for couple years so I'm about 4 years behind regular schedule.

Don't let that time line nonsense get to you. If you lived in a trailer and did meth for four years, you probably wasted some time. Just because you decided to work and/or experience life instead of grinding through college doesn't put you behind. I'm going to have my degree when I'm 26 because I got married and worked full-time. I slowly chipped away at my degree over the years, and that's simply when it will be done. I don't consider myself behind in the least.

larciel wrote:

I've always had interest in computers, especially in hardware. I consider myself an average computer geek who knows stuff because he handled so many computers and situations but doesn't really know in 'detail'. I'm the guy whom everyone calls for help when there's problem in computers. Everyone thinks I'm good, but if you think about it most of the times I say "Let me reinstall windows"

If you're passionate about it, pursue it. Nobody knows every little detail; that's an unrealistic goal. It's good to have a working knowledge of many technologies, but you will likely need to specialize in a narrower range of technologies to really stand out. Don't worry about your ability to repair Windows. Malware reaps havoc on Windows, and most of the time, the best solution is to just install it. Once your system has been compromised, you'll never really know if you got everything off of there anyway.

larciel wrote:

Currently, I'm planning to start my own business after I graduate. And I'd like to have several certification before I get real busy with my business. My old folks were right; It's better to study when you're young.

What type of business is this? I would discourage you from starting some sort of IT business without having any real world experience. That's just setting yourself up for trouble.

larciel wrote:

I would like opinions from anyone about my situation and what paths I should take. You could point at anything as I'm getting more clueless with fast-changing tech field.

Start studying something. Now! The longer you wait, the further behind you will get.

larciel wrote:

I was wondering whether I should take A+ again. I'm more interested in Windows server and setting up small LAN with permission and access control. (Something I can use for my own business later on) But I heard that any certfication in IT starts with A+ and Security,Network +
so I'd appreciate your educated opinions and suggestions about what paths and test I should be considering.

Those three certifications will provide you with a solid foundation. If you're an expert tech or have a solid understanding of networking, you could probably move on to something else. However, if that's the case, you could also just breeze through them and pick them quickly. They're definitely not going to hurt you. I would encourage you to play around with as many different technologies as you can. Pick up a book of each type of technology and read through the old threads here; they contain a lot of valuable information. The first step is to decide where you want to go.

brad- wrote:

MS has a slew of new certs, all expiring in 3 years...I dont know how well they're catching on...I havent see anyone require any of the new MCTS or MCITP around here. IMHO, they are more relevant to the development world.

I'm not sure why you feel that way. While there are developer certifications, there are also certifications for Vista, Server 2008, Exchange 2007, Sharepoint, etc. A lot of these are quite new, so I wouldn't expect to see a lot of demand for them right now. That doesn't mean you shouldn't start working on them though.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcitp/default.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcts/default.mspx

As far as the expiration is concerned, I don't think that three years is a hard limit. My understanding is that they will require recertification once there have been significant changes in that technology. I think they just threw out three years as their estimate for their software cycle. I don't know if they're doing this for all their certifications either. I was reading about the MCITP: Server Administrator and MCITP: Enterprise Administrator, and the reason they said they are requiring recertification is because they are going to continue to use those titles into the future (which is why they don't include the software version in the title). For example, if you're an MCITP:EA, and Windows Server 2011 comes out, you'll have to recertify your in order to keep that designation. It might just be for the MCITP designations. It doesn't make sense to require recertification on the MCTS like Vista. I'm not sure about that though.

You can read more about this here: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/newgen/lifecycle/default.mspx

larciel

Thank you very much to all of you for thoughtful replies. Looks like I missed an important point in my original thread: opening my store of sports equipment store

Yeah it's not related to IT to say the least. I'm passionate about soccer as much as I'm about computers/networks.

Currently, I'm looking at books that prepares you for 70-270 because I've been asked a friend to setup a LAN in his pawn shop and I think it'd be best to go with Windows Server rather than simple file sharing. (There are about 11 PCs)

KGhaleon is probably right; The field I'd be interested in would be System Admin. One of reason I'm trying to get cert is to get ready just in case my business folds. Plan without a backup plan is not a plan, I believe.

I'd be looking at new 2006 A+ and hopefully breeze through them. Net+/Sec+ would be next or I'd just try 70-270 as I'm studying for it anyway because of this part-time job I have at the moment