How do you know if you are cutout for getting certified?

sfetaz

I just started posting questions on this forum, as well as learning some material and taking practice questions where I can. I want to get my MCSA, but to be blunt I am scared right now. I honestly am not sure whether or not I am going to be able to do this. My issues are that I am not the memorizing type of person, and I do not enjoy reading. My computer skills come from hands on usage. Ask me questions about Windows Server 2003, and I will not know what to say. I'll be clueless. Give me Windows Server 2003 and ask me to setup a work environment and network hands on, and by the end of the day the network and client computers and such will all be setup properly and I will be able to work with Server 2003. But I still might not be able to answer specific questions, and even if I were to set it up, the questions I see seem so specific and so detailed about what sometimes is seemingly unnecesary information, and I do not know how I am going to get all the information I need into my brain when to be frank I hate reading. I have the XP book for 270 but theres no way I am going to be able to learn everything from it. So I am highly considering an MCSA package deal for classroom training. But something tells me taking the class alone will not help you to pass the tests. This is why I'm scared cause I don't want to embark on this journey if in the end I won't even pass one test. How do you know if you are cut out for this?

Megadeth4168

First of all, as much as it pains those of use who can't stand reading dry material, it is crucial to understanding the concepts that you will be tested on. Not only that but many times reading the material then applying it in a lab will cement an understanding the is needed in a work environment.
So, you have to suck it up and read.... I hate reading much of the subject matter myself, it does not get any easier to read the stuff as you get further along either.... Heck, I find that it gets harder

Anyway, Microsoft is offering their second shot promotion until June 30th.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/offers/secondshot/default.mspx


If you want to find out how ready you are, you can take the exam and if you fail it, you can take it again free while the promotion is still going on. I admit I did this with my last exam and it really showed me what I needed to study most.

dynamik

You're going to have to decide whether your dislike of reading is greater than your passion for IT. You need to know the facts in order to perform your job properly. I can't spend a lot of time in a book either. I alternate between reading, watching (CBT Nuggets), labbing (VMWare), and practice tests (Transcender). It breaks things up and keeps me interested. If you can read just five pages at a time, four times a day, you'll go through about 600 pages each month. Slow and steady. Overwhelming yourself won't accomplish anything.

sprkymrk

sfetaz wrote:

Give me Windows Server 2003 and ask me to setup a work environment and network hands on, and by the end of the day the network and client computers and such will all be setup properly

Setup and setup properly are two distinct modes and not always the same. My question is this:

If you don't READ the best practices and most secure way to set up any network, how do you KNOW it is actually set up properly and not just hacked together?

Now no offence is intended, I'm just giving my honest opinion and I'll state up front I have no idea of your skill level, so I am just throwing some random thoughts out there for anyone reading, not just the OP.

Anyone can insert an install disk, click NEXT past a few obvious choices, and get any Windows OS set up and running. Then with a little (very little) know-how, anyone can eventually get DHCP and a few shares going. Just because you can access shares on a server and access the Internet from all your computers doesn't mean you set it up PROPERLY.

Unless you read those big fat boring books (or the TechNet and KB articles, or whatever) you're not really going to know what the correct and secure way is. I also find it very hard to read the stuff, I can't seem to stay focused on one subject through an entire book. I'll get a quarter of the way through and then lose interest, pick up a book on something else, get part way through, lose interest, rinse and repeat....

Best thing to do is just try it with one exam first, like 70-270 or 70-290. Pick something you really like so it will make it a little less painful. Work with VM's as much as possible, even skipping chapters and doing the labs at the end can be helpful - then go back and skim the chapter.

Good luck.

elvant

Frankly, if you have enough passion on getting involved in the IT industry, you probably will not raise up a question like this. I believe at least some of us here do not like very much of reading those thick IT books. People who love to read might choose other topics instead of IT books.
Passion is what move us forward. Getting those certs after months of tasteless reading, only can put you on a helpdesk job if you have no exp. But it is a good start anyway.
Ask yourself seriously, IT career is a long road, not worthy turning back later.
I'm not discouraging you but this is what you going to find in the jungle out there. (Try read more testimony on the forum, see how people going through those hard time)

Mishra

sprkymrk wrote:

sfetaz wrote:

Give me Windows Server 2003 and ask me to setup a work environment and network hands on, and by the end of the day the network and client computers and such will all be setup properly

Setup and setup properly are two distinct modes and not always the same. My question is this:

If you don't READ the best practices and most secure way to set up any network, how do you KNOW it is actually set up properly and not just hacked together?

Now no offence is intended, I'm just giving my honest opinion and I'll state up front I have no idea of your skill level, so I am just throwing some random thoughts out there for anyone reading, not just the OP.

Anyone can insert an install disk, click NEXT past a few obvious choices, and get any Windows OS set up and running. Then with a little (very little) know-how, anyone can eventually get DHCP and a few shares going. Just because you can access shares on a server and access the Internet from all your computers doesn't mean you set it up PROPERLY.

Unless you read those big fat boring books (or the TechNet and KB articles, or whatever) you're not really going to know what the correct and secure way is. I also find it very hard to read the stuff, I can't seem to stay focused on one subject through an entire book. I'll get a quarter of the way through and then lose interest, pick up a book on something else, get part way through, lose interest, rinse and repeat....

Best thing to do is just try it with one exam first, like 70-270 or 70-290. Pick something you really like so it will make it a little less painful. Work with VM's as much as possible, even skipping chapters and doing the labs at the end can be helpful - then go back and skim the chapter.

Good luck.

Agreed. To add to this, when you become a sysadmin they don't just stick you in a room with a bunch of equipment and tell you to make it work. There are much other duties involved with the job that you have to be prepared to take on. A true and solid understanding of IT helps you prep for those duties.

nel

How do you know if you are cut out for this?

Well for a start you have to try it!...no disrespect but it sounds like you are trying to be defeated even before you start!

Lighten up man, if you enjoy IT and want to learn the material give it a shot! honestly once you get in the swing of things you will be fine.

Which level of education have you studied at so far? if you are studiying at degree level then you should find your techniques etc you use to study your modules will transpire across to your certs.

most people use some of these:

1. read from more than one source (books). in each forum here read through the posts because there recomendations for books for each exam. use google, techexams, technet etc for further references.

2. cbt nuggets is a nice video training package that is used by thousands of ppl who have done there certs.

3. LAB, LAB, LAB and more lab work will help embed more of the concepts into your brain and help you understand the process better.

btw, i wouldnt recommend spending the type of money on class room courses (unless you have tons of money and dont really care!) and use it for the exam fee costs. i would rather save my cash, use it to attain which ever cert you want and most of all enjoy it!

Loads of people were in the same boat as you, so dont think your alone! if you post on TE you always get a good response.

So buckle up and go for it bud! Good luck

cacharo

I am also going to stress the importance of CBT Nuggets when it comes to understanding the tough or dry material. I have made it a regular part of my studies since my COMPTIA tests and have been very happy with the results. It has been very helpful to learn the material in a simple and sometimes mildly humorous way before opening up the test curriculum. This way when you actually read the curriculum, your brain will make the connections to the anaolgies learned in the videos.

kd7eir

I supported Windows 2000 for Microsoft starting on the day it was launched. I received the best possible training, from Microsoft trainers. I avoided taking certification tests because I "KNEW" that the test was too complicated, and tested your ability to decipher the test more than testing your knowledge. SEVEN years and a few jobs later, I took the 70-290 test and passed it on the first try. My wife, who also supported Windows 2000, kept telling me to take the tests, but I kept making excuses. If I had started taking the tests back in 2000, my career would be in much better shape today. My fear was unfounded, and everything I "knew" about the tests was proven false.

Study, actually USE the product that you plan to test on, study some more, and you WILL be able to pass the tests. They are tough, but I believe that anyone who is motivated can pass them. You can get 90 day trials of almost any Microsoft product to install and learn with.

Good luck!