Is The MCSE Worth It?

New user (long time lurker, signed up so I could post this), hello everyone. This board has some really great information.

I'm currently taking MCSE classes. I've been a Windows admin for a few years, but I'm not familiar with a lot of the topics that are covered. The instructors fully admit that 95% of us will never see/use a lot of the stuff on these exams. That is mind boggling to me.

From looking at the IT market, it appears that MCSEs are severely undervalued considering the amount of time and effort put into acquiring this certification. So, to those of you who have this cert, is it worth it?

I'm considering going the Cisco route. I've done some elearning stuff for the CCENT/CCNA exam and after a week of study and playing with sims, I feel that I am ready for the CCENT exam. I have taken classes for the 290 and 291 and I don't feel remotely close to being ready for those exams. I'm considering dropping MS and going for a CCNP. It doesn't seem that the ends are worth the means with Microsoft certs.

Thoughts, anyone?

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Goldmember

Godfather?

I thought you were dead.

I'll make you an offer you can't refuse.

I will give you second shot to Microsoft exam.

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

Gracia

cacharo

First of all, welcome to the forums.

Sounds to me that your instructors think 95% of you will never be working in the field you are in school for. It is pretty well known that there are certain third party products out there that do a better job than certain tools MS includes in their different versions. Is 95% of the product garbage? I don't think so.

I agree in certain geographic areas MCSEs are not always compensated fairly. In my area, I think it is worth it. I have done the research, know what positions are available within my company along with others in my area. You have to do the research before you can make an educated decision. For instance, my wife has a hard time finding work using her master's in biological anthropology with the ground frozen a great deal of the year here in MN.

Don't sell Cisco short. That is not an easy series of tests either. Alot of time and labwork go into those tests as well. All in all the common consensus here at TE is do what you like/love, but take the time to look into things first.

royal

Depends on the business. Many company's will still require an MCSE. If you don't get it, many jobs can pass you up that you otherwise would have had. It's the same for a Bachelor's. Not having either will not prevent you from finding a job, it will limit your opportunities though.

I learned many new things from studying from my MCSE that I would not have otherwise learned on the job.

Vito_Corleone

cacharo wrote:

First of all, welcome to the forums.

Sounds to me that your instructors think 95% of you will never be working in the field you are in school for. It is pretty well known that there are certain third party products out there that do a better job than certain tools MS includes in their different versions. Is 95% of the product garbage? I don't think so.

I agree in certain geographic areas MCSEs are not always compensated fairly. In my area, I think it is worth it. I have done the research, know what positions are available within my company along with others in my area. You have to do the research before you can make an educated decision. For instance, my wife has a hard time finding work using her master's in biological anthropology with the ground frozen a great deal of the year here in MN.

Don't sell Cisco short. That is not an easy series of tests either. Alot of time and labwork go into those tests as well. All in all the common consensus here at TE is do what you like/love, but take the time to look into things first.

The instructors aren't saying that 95% of it is garbage, per se. They are saying that a lot of the features just aren't used by anyone. Not that they aren't useFUL. They also say that we will never go as DEEP with most features as we will in class and on the exams.

Also, I'm not taking Cisco lightly, just saying that the information seems more practical, and that Cisco certs seemed to be valued much higher than MS.

Thanks for your replies, and LOL at the Godfather reference.

snadam

Vito_Corleone wrote:

The instructors aren't saying that 95% of it is garbage, per se. They are saying that a lot of the features just aren't used by anyone. Not that they aren't useFUL. They also say that we will never go as DEEP with most features as we will in class and on the exams.

Also, I'm not taking Cisco lightly, just saying that the information seems more practical, and that Cisco certs seemed to be valued much higher than MS.

Thanks for your replies, and LOL at the Godfather reference.

They are right, because NOBODY USES DNS nor Active Directory AT ALL!

while the statement in bold above is partially true, its outweighed by some of the exam topics for the MCSA/E that heavily focus on the technologies used everyday. Put it this way; If you are planning on working in a MS network environment, then the MCSA/E path is great! If you are looking towards cisco environment, then the 'CCxx' certifications are fantastic! Dont let anybody sway you one way or another. Its all on what YOU want to do. It is vital that any IT person is open minded and comfortable with the fact that they will probably need to learn many different technologies, and not have a biased opinion.

Most (not all, because there are a few on here that know what they're talking about) instructors are biased when it comes to 'direction' and 'job searches' etc. They have been out of the Job ring for so long, their notions of what the job market is like is far off target. At least that has been my experience with most instructors. Case in point, I had a LINUX fanboy teach a MS class. Needless to say there were many undermined comments that really had nothing to do with the course material. I usually bypass their 'opinions' and focus on the course material they are trying to teach me.

empc4000xl

I say go for it. I finished my Cisco before I started my MSCE. I think of it all as a tool bag. The more bags in your tool box the more stuff you can do.

Vito_Corleone

snadam wrote:

Vito_Corleone wrote:

The instructors aren't saying that 95% of it is garbage, per se. They are saying that a lot of the features just aren't used by anyone. Not that they aren't useFUL. They also say that we will never go as DEEP with most features as we will in class and on the exams.

Also, I'm not taking Cisco lightly, just saying that the information seems more practical, and that Cisco certs seemed to be valued much higher than MS.

Thanks for your replies, and LOL at the Godfather reference.

They are right, because NOBODY USES DNS nor Active Directory AT ALL!

while the statement in bold above is partially true, its outweighed by some of the exam topics for the MCSA/E that heavily focus on the technologies used everyday. Put it this way; If you are planning on working in a MS network environment, then the MCSA/E path is great! If you are looking towards cisco environment, then the 'CCxx' certifications are fantastic! Dont let anybody sway you one way or another. Its all on what YOU want to do. It is vital that any IT person is open minded and comfortable with the fact that they will probably need to learn many different technologies, and not have a biased opinion.

Most (not all, because there are a few on here that know what they're talking about) instructors are biased when it comes to 'direction' and 'job searches' etc. They have been out of the Job ring for so long, their notions of what the job market is like is far off target. At least that has been my experience with most instructors. Case in point, I had a LINUX fanboy teach a MS class. Needless to say there were many undermined comments that really had nothing to do with the course material. I usually bypass their 'opinions' and focus on the course material they are trying to teach me.

I DO work in an MS environment, and have for years. That being said, this stuff shouldn't be THAT different, but it IS. And, AD/DNS are only two aspects of what encompasses these exams. How about RRAS? How often do YOU use it (if you're even working in an MS environment)? I never do, because it's impractical and there are better solutions. How about MS DHCP? I never, EVER use it. WINS??! Come on.

I like how you are so quick to point out that my instructor must be biased (here you are assuming that only a single instructor has said this, that would be an incorrect assumption on your part... it has been said by more than a couple instructors), the fact is, having worked in this field for a decent amount of time, I agree with him.

This wasn't even the main point of my post. The point was, mostly, the fact that so much work goes into getting this cert when so little value is placed in it by employers.

dynamik

Wait.. we're not supposed to be using WINS anymore

Vito, I really don't think Snadam's post was intended to be a personal attack. He's just saying to take the instructor's advice with a grain of salt and that the 95% number is greatly exaggerated.

These exams aren't tests of what you do at your business; they encompass the entire product. Some companies still need WINS, and smaller business do rely on RRAS for things like incoming VPN connections. Isn't IAS part of RRAS? That seems handy. You have to keep in mind that while learning things like routing with Server 2003 is usually pretty pointless, a lot of the knowledge, such as subnetting, can be applied to other things. Same goes for backups. Most people don't use ntbackup, but did learning about normal, differential, incremental, etc. backups really hurt you? Don't you use that knowledge with your current backup software? And the list goes on...

Personally, I see the MCSE as a valuable. While I do not use every aspect of Server 2003, I use the vast majority of it, and I feel it's worthwhile to at least have some vague understanding of the lesser used components. If you don't feel like it'd be a worthwhile pursuit for you, don't do it. Everyone's situation is different.

HeroPsycho

Vito_Corleone wrote:

I DO work in an MS environment, and have for years. That being said, this stuff shouldn't be THAT different, but it IS. And, AD/DNS are only two aspects of what encompasses these exams. How about RRAS? How often do YOU use it (if you're even working in an MS environment)? I never do, because it's impractical and there are better solutions. How about MS DHCP? I never, EVER use it. WINS??! Come on.

I use Windows DHCP all the time. It is after all best practice within an AD environment...

And if you don't run WINS with Exchange pre-2007, and your Exchange environment is even remotely complex, you're asking for trouble, or you're constantly having Exchange problems...

Neither here nor there.... *shrug*

Flame on!

bighornsheep

HeroPsycho wrote:

I use Windows DHCP all the time. It is after all best practice within an AD environment...

Not sure about best practice, but definitely a cheaper solution than going with a DHCP appliance.

HeroPsycho wrote:

And if you don't run WINS with Exchange pre-2007, and your Exchange environment is even remotely complex, you're asking for trouble, or you're constantly having Exchange problems...

I think I remember reading that this was among a list of top 10 MS gotcha!

In any case, I'd say either way you go, you should know something from the other side. You would NOT want to be the infamous IT person who manages the CEO's exchange account but asks what an ACL does, nor do you want to be the network admin who controls the infrastructure yet knows nothing about Active Directory.

snadam

Vito_Corleone wrote:

I DO work in an MS environment, and have for years. That being said, this stuff shouldn't be THAT different, but it IS. And, AD/DNS are only two aspects of what encompasses these exams. How about RRAS? How often do YOU use it (if you're even working in an MS environment)? I never do, because it's impractical and there are better solutions. How about MS DHCP? I never, EVER use it. WINS??! Come on.

I like how you are so quick to point out that my instructor must be biased (here you are assuming that only a single instructor has said this, that would be an incorrect assumption on your part... it has been said by more than a couple instructors), the fact is, having worked in this field for a decent amount of time, I agree with him.

This wasn't even the main point of my post. The point was, mostly, the fact that so much work goes into getting this cert when so little value is placed in it by employers.

Wow, it seems you took my post personally. Anyway, Ill follow up:

I ALSO work/worked in MS environment/s. I use DNS, DHCP, and AD ALL THE TIME! In fact I would actually consider these, amongst other items MS exams cover, as everyday technology. That being said, I think you need to take a good look at the MCSE required exams. Specifically 70-291, 70-293, 70-294, and 70-298.

To get to the main part of your post, what clear and definitive data or evidence can you prove that the MCSE is no longer needed or desired in the workforce? The fact of the matter is, if there are MS environments to be administrated, then there are MCSA/E holders needed in the workforce. Same goes with cisco, or any other vendor related network.

Dude, your entire CIS staff appears to be BIASED. They are steering you in a direction based on sheer opinion. They don't like it, now you don't like it. If somebody doesn't like apples, and you ask for their advice on fruit, they are probably not going to recommend the apple to you. And if they did recommend it, is their information even that good?

All I was merely implying was what I said before:

Snadam wrote:

bypass their 'opinions' and focus on the course material they are trying to teach...

If I followed everything my instructor said, Id probably be still looking for a job.

I hate to keep repeating myself but as I stated in my last post:

Snadam wrote:

Dont let anybody sway you one way or another. Its all on what YOU want to do. It is vital that any IT person is open minded and comfortable with the fact that they will probably need to learn many different technologies, and not have a biased opinion.

If you want to limit yourself to what a few instructors tell you, then go ahead. All im saying is keep an open mind, the MCSE is valid in the workforce, and your teaching staff is biased for leading you in a certain direction.

Mishra

"This wasn't even the main point of my post. The point was, mostly, the fact that so much work goes into getting this cert when so little value is placed in it by employers."

To stay on topic with the OP, yes the MCSE is valued by some employers. Value lessens but rarely ever becomes a burden with other employers.

The work that goes into the certification pays off with increased skills and resume value.

The best attitude to have is to strive for anything and everything. Try to be that model employee with certifications, dress nicely, college degrees, quality experience, honest and caring, a go-geter. Strive for everything you can and it will always pay off. I am 23 and only have 4 years of experience but I work us the US department of Commerce and makes a lot of money. If I would have gone into my career with a subjective attitude I would not be where I am today.

It is best not to try and judge things like "certifications are a waste of time because of XXX, or a college degree is stupid because of XXX, or dressing nicely doesn't get you XXX". I'm not saying you do any of these things, I'm just saying its best to have the "it won't hurt, it can only help" attitude.

sprkymrk

Vito_Corleone wrote:

I DO work in an MS environment, and have for years. That being said, this stuff shouldn't be THAT different, but it IS. And, AD/DNS are only two aspects of what encompasses these exams. How about RRAS? How often do YOU use it (if you're even working in an MS environment)? I never do, because it's impractical and there are better solutions. How about MS DHCP? I never, EVER use it. WINS??! Come on.

What kind of MS environment is that? I have worked in 4 different places that used MS technologies all the way from 1994 to now, and all of the above have been used extensively. Especially DHCP, WINS and to a lesser, but still significant degree, RRAS.

Vito_Corleone wrote:

I like how you are so quick to point out that my instructor must be biased (here you are assuming that only a single instructor has said this, that would be an incorrect assumption on your part... it has been said by more than a couple instructors), the fact is, having worked in this field for a decent amount of time, I agree with him.

This wasn't even the main point of my post. The point was, mostly, the fact that so much work goes into getting this cert when so little value is placed in it by employers.

Personally I thought snadam's post was helpful and polite, I have no idea what you were drinking when you read it and got so defensive. And I am glad that you disproved snadam's assumption based on his ONE instructor by upping the ante to your opinion based on about 3 instructors.

I could up your "more than a couple" to my opinion based on 7-8, but it is still all opinions, and that's about all you get on a forum, so try to take it with a grain of salt and not be so up in arms when someone takes the time to help you out a little.

As for your main point, just check dice or monster and decide for yourself. A cert is only one piece to the puzzle anyway. There's experience, college, personality, common sense and luck too.

blargoe

Personal experience here.

I think the MCSE is not as widely valued as it once was, but depending on the company it can still be very important and relevant.

In my opinion, for many companies, maybe as much as 1/2 of the MCSE topics aren't going to be used in practicy by the typical Windows sysadmin, but the stuff covered in the MCSA are always going to be relevant. For me personally, the MCSE stuff has been very relevant if you pick the correct electives. For *some* of the core topics, maybe not so much. I don't use RRAS at all, but now that I am in a more advanced environment, things like certificate services, Exchange design, basic SQL admin, etc. are a core part of my responsibilities.

dynamik

Mishra wrote:

certifications are a waste of time because of XXX, or a college degree is stupid because of XXX, or dressing nicely doesn't get you XXX

+1

I completely agree. XXX has been known to make certifications and degrees fall by the wayside, and you certainly don't have to dress up for it.

Is XXX getting in the way of your certification goals? If so, please visit the new TE XXX support forum.

undomiel

dynamik wrote:

Mishra wrote:

certifications are a waste of time because of XXX, or a college degree is stupid because of XXX, or dressing nicely doesn't get you XXX

+1

I completely agree. XXX has been known to make certifications and degrees fall by the wayside, and you certainly don't have to dress up for it.

Is XXX getting in the way of your certification goals? If so, please visit the new TE XXX support forum.

If I still drank coffee it would've been snorted through my nose and all over my keyboards and monitors by now. Well, and also if my nose wasn't completely stuffed up either.

Now on the subject of used technologies well we are one of those few places that actually does use ntbackup for our backup schedule. We also have AD, DNS, WINS and MS DHCP in place as well and it is all working just dandy for us. No RRAS but I did interview at a place that was using it. I am still seeing plenty of jobs advertising for an MCSE. Very few looking for MCSA but lots looking for MCSE. Of course some of those just know it as a buzzword as evidence from their $9/h repairing computers in the back of the garage A+ required but MCSE prefered. Still plenty of well paying jobs available for the serious MCSE though.

Vito_Corleone

Wow. tons of posts since last night.

First, I wasn't taking snadam's post personally, the only comment that appears to remotely convey that is saying "if you even work in an MS environment", which seems like a fair comment as opposed to making an incorrect assumption. Seems that everyone else decided to jump down MY throat while telling me that I was wrong for doing it to him (which I didn't), that's interesting, lol.

If I came off annoyed in any of my posts, I apologize, I just didn't imagine that I would end up having to defend my instructors' views left and right. I assumed that the thread would be made up of answers to the question I posed and maybe some examples or personal experiences (wow, was I wrong).

Let's start from the beginning, I didn't say that 95% of S2K3 isn't used or isn't important, or ANYTHING like that. I (my instructors) said that 95% (probably not the exact number, in case you sticklers are getting up in arms) of US (myself and my classmates) will never see or use a lot of what is taught in the certification classes. Does that REALLY sound so crazy? Naturally all of us will use AD, DNS, Printers, Shares, etc. As previously posted, RRAS, WINS, MS DHCP, etc, are not as common. So a lot of us will not use them in the field, BUT, we have to know them inside and out. That does not make sense to me. I think we should have working knowledge of most if not all of the features, but I do not feel that we should need to be experts on things that we (and most) do not and will not use.

Again, this is far from the question that I signed up to ask. I just want to know if it is worth it to those of you who POSSESS this cert. Did you get enough of a raise? Did you get a good job? Could you have gotten said job without it? Did it open a significant amount of doors that were closed before? And so on. That is what is important to me, not whether or not my instructors are biased, or anything else, this is what I came here to ask because it is significant to ME. My plans may change based on something said in here. I'm sorry to offend whomever I offended, it was not my intention, I just wish I you people could look past the statements about using the product ans focus on the part that matters. Thanks.

Lurking was much easier....

Mishra

Vito_Corleone wrote:

Wow. tons of posts since last night.

First, I wasn't taking snadam's post personally, the only comment that appears to remotely convey that is saying "if you even work in an MS environment", which seems like a fair comment as opposed to making an incorrect assumption. Seems that everyone else decided to jump down MY throat while telling me that I was wrong for doing it to him (which I didn't), that's interesting, lol.

If I came off annoyed in any of my posts, I apologize, I just didn't imagine that I would end up having to defend my instructors' views left and right. I assumed that the thread would be made up of answers to the question I posed and maybe some examples or personal experiences (wow, was I wrong).

Vito_Corleone wrote:

Let's start from the beginning, I didn't say that 95% of S2K3 isn't used or isn't important, or ANYTHING like that. I (my instructors) said that 95% (probably not the exact number, in case you sticklers are getting up in arms) of US (myself and my classmates) will never see or use a lot of what is taught in the certification classes. Does that REALLY sound so crazy? Naturally all of us will use AD, DNS, Printers, Shares, etc. As previously posted, RRAS, WINS, MS DHCP, etc, are not as common. So a lot of us will not use them in the field, BUT, we have to know them inside and out. That does not make sense to me. I think we should have working knowledge of most if not all of the features, but I do not feel that we should need to be experts on things that we (and most) do not and will not use.

Honestly, no offense, it really its a ridiculous claim that 95% which is basically saying most of the things taught for certifications is not used. Now you say certifications CLASSES and I may agree that you could get a bad class and they teach you non-relavant material but in general around 80% of the material is actually useful or as you say "see or use".

The MCSE track teaches you a wide variety of skills that are used in business that deploy Microsoft software.

I understand what you are and your classmates/instructor are trying to say as there are quite a few people who haven't truely studied for the MCSE try to argue this same thing. But the thing is that it is very good to get a good understanding of the product even if it isn't as used like RRAS (WINS, MS DHCP are used in many environments). Microsoft doesn't really make you can expert for these other services. I'm about to take the 70-291 and by no means am I a RRAS expert but I was able to refresh my memory on some subjects, was able to learn how another piece of software works which makes me a more knowledge IT technician, and learned that I do not care for the product. Every piece of knowledge gained from my MCSE studies I an now apply toward decision making. I don't want to base my decisions off of hear-say nor ignorance. Just because someone tells you everyone doesn't use RRAS because it sucks doesn't mean anything until you honestly give it a try. People also say Microsoft sucks but I know that is not true due to my experience with the product.

Vito_Corleone wrote:

Again, this is far from the question that I signed up to ask. I just want to know if it is worth it to those of you who POSSESS this cert. Did you get enough of a raise? Did you get a good job? Could you have gotten said job without it? Did it open a significant amount of doors that were closed before? And so on. That is what is important to me, not whether or not my instructors are biased, or anything else, this is what I came here to ask because it is significant to ME. My plans may change based on something said in here. I'm sorry to offend whomever I offended, it was not my intention, I just wish I you people could look past the statements about using the product ans focus on the part that matters. Thanks.

Lurking was much easier....

As previous said, yes the certifications have made me more knowledgeable and I enjoy the success. I can't measure whether they have helped me get a job but I do know some companies REQUIRE certifications so they will open doors. There actually are previous discussions on the value of the MCSE certification on this forum that may help you.

I think apologizing was respectful and I hope other people see that but you can't blame people for attacking an assumption that simply isn't true. If you are a male and you go to a womens right movement and ask what things have women learned through the years because I've have heard that women don't know a thing, then of course you are going to get blindsided with opinions.

sprkymrk

Vito_Corleone wrote:

First, I wasn't taking snadam's post personally, the only comment that appears to remotely convey that is saying "if you even work in an MS environment", which seems like a fair comment as opposed to making an incorrect assumption. Seems that everyone else decided to jump down MY throat while telling me that I was wrong for doing it to him (which I didn't), that's interesting, lol.

No problem, all of us took you wrong. Our fault.

Vito_Corleone wrote:

I assumed that the thread would be made up of answers to the question I posed and maybe some examples or personal experiences (wow, was I wrong).

I think you got several answers based on personal experience. Most of use those technologies that are tested on to one degree or another.

Vito_Corleone wrote:

As previously posted, RRAS, WINS, MS DHCP, etc, are not as common. So a lot of us will not use them in the field, BUT, we have to know them inside and out. That does not make sense to me. I think we should have working knowledge of most if not all of the features, but I do not feel that we should need to be experts on things that we (and most) do not and will not use.

You previously noted that, but many others had different experiences than you, so "as previously noted" doesn't make it true. Anyway, Microsoft will test you on Microsoft products. They aren't going to test you on a Norton Personal Firewall just because it gets used more than the XP firewall. They aren't going to test you on Cisco routers just because they get used more than RRAS. Etc. So it's not really crazy at all from Microsoft's point of view.

Vito_Corleone wrote:

Again, this is far from the question that I signed up to ask. I just want to know if it is worth it to those of you who POSSESS this cert. Did you get enough of a raise? Did you get a good job? Could you have gotten said job without it? Did it open a significant amount of doors that were closed before?

Did you look to see the listings on dice or monster for positions that require and MCSE and the pay ranges? Not too bad, really.

So to answer your questions:
Yes it's worth it. (Microsoft certs in general, not just MCSE).
Yes, the raises were good.
Yes, I got an awesome job.
No, I wouldn't have got my foot in the door without it.
Yes, many doors that were shut did open up through my Microsoft certifications.

Vito_Corleone wrote:

I just wish I you people could look past the statements about using the product ans focus on the part that matters. Thanks.

Lurking was much easier....

It helps when you are more clear in your post what you are looking for. Why did you give all that background, making us think it was a significant influence in your line of thought, when it didn't have any bearing whatsoever on the discussion? Next time maybe just put in BOLD the part that matters since we are obviously bad at recognizing the part that does matter.

dynamik

Vito_Corleone wrote:

Lurking was much easier....

IT forums are all out war. Don't post unless you're ready for battle

sprkymrk wrote:

No problem, all of us took you wrong. Our fault.

Just look at how quickly our noble leader threw us all under the bus in order to appease you. There's no loyalty whatsoever

Anyway, I'm not sure why this got so out of hand. If I said anything that offended or upset you, I apologize. It certainly wasn't my intention. Your post was a bit controversial though, and it seemed like you were supporting those views. I think people were just offering their opinions and experiences to give you a better perspective. I don't think anyone intended to attack you personally.

I'm not as bright as Mark, so if you could make the important parts like:
THIS
I would really appreciate it.

Stay away from the XXX, and you'll be fine, no matter which path you pursue. Good luck!

Mishra

dynamik wrote:

Vito_Corleone wrote:

Lurking was much easier....

IT forums are all out war. Don't post unless you're ready for battle

sprkymrk wrote:

No problem, all of us took you wrong. Our fault.

Just look at how quickly our noble leader threw us all under the bus in order to appease you. There's no loyalty whatsoever

Anyway, I'm not sure why this got so out of hand. If I said anything that offended or upset you, I apologize. It certainly wasn't my intention. Your post was a bit controversial though, and it seemed like you were supporting those views. I think people were just offering their opinions and experiences to give you a better perspective. I don't think anyone intended to attack you personally.

I'm not as bright as Mark, so if you could make the important parts like:
THIS
I would really appreciate it.

Stay away from the XXX, and you'll be fine, no matter which path you pursue. Good luck!

LoL Dynamik! I am definitely not trying to say stay away from XXX. It has kept me healthy all these years.

snadam

Mishra summed up my thoughts in a very polite post a few posts ago.

Why did I come off so edgy at first? Because I was exactly where you were a few years ago. The BS (no, not the degree

) the teachers were constantly feeding us got old quick. Do you know how annoying it is going to a Cisco AND MS class in the same semester? Mondays it was "MS is the best thing ever, Cisco sucks!" Tuesdays it was "Cisco is the best thing ever, MS sucks!" At that point, I didn't know who to believe.

my posts were nothing personal to you directly. In fact, I hate 'calling out' or 'starting wars'. I think we all wanted you to look at ALL your options then choose the right path based on the information given to you from many different sources. It appeared that you had put on the "MS blinders" before you even posted, and we just wanted to tell you to take them off. And since I dont have the MCSE yet, I unfortunately cannot answer your MCSE salary questions truthfully.

either way, best of luck in your career path!

Vito_Corleone

Thanks everyone for your input.