Passed! 21/04/08.. What next?
Hello people!
First post, this is the sort of forum i have been looking for.
Just passed my A+ today. I did 601 (clearly) and 602.
Although after the initial buzz of passing and some research I am
more than a little depressed. As i have seen some less than complimentary
remarks about the weight of A+ certification on other forums.
Now I was under no illusions that getting certified would land me an amazing IT
job straight away. However I did believe it to be a worth while career starter for an entry level
position. I even did my research on itjobswatch.co.uk and made sure that it was
a worth while cert to have in the UK. It seemed like it was!
Anywho just looking for some reassurance!
Couple of quick questions..
What should i do next?.. I already have Network+ paid for so will be doing that, but
Im not to sure where to go after that. Apparently if you are A+/Net+ certified it counts towards an MCSA?
Anyone aware how much of the MCSA course A+/Net+ cancels out if this is the case?
Is the MCSA worth while? Was thinking about studying linux as it seems more specialised. If i did what certs are best? does the Linux+ cert hold much weight generally and in the UK?
Oh and how long did it take to get your certificate (UK folks especially?) I know they say 4-6 weeks! Also.. Do you get anything else.. ID card etc. Cant apply for mine yet have to give it 5days to update the history on careerID apparently!
Would be happy to hear from anyone! I ramble so apologies in advance!
Cheers,
Nemo
First post, this is the sort of forum i have been looking for.
Just passed my A+ today. I did 601 (clearly) and 602.
Although after the initial buzz of passing and some research I am
more than a little depressed. As i have seen some less than complimentary
remarks about the weight of A+ certification on other forums.
Now I was under no illusions that getting certified would land me an amazing IT
job straight away. However I did believe it to be a worth while career starter for an entry level
position. I even did my research on itjobswatch.co.uk and made sure that it was
a worth while cert to have in the UK. It seemed like it was!
Anywho just looking for some reassurance!
Couple of quick questions..
What should i do next?.. I already have Network+ paid for so will be doing that, but
Im not to sure where to go after that. Apparently if you are A+/Net+ certified it counts towards an MCSA?
Anyone aware how much of the MCSA course A+/Net+ cancels out if this is the case?
Is the MCSA worth while? Was thinking about studying linux as it seems more specialised. If i did what certs are best? does the Linux+ cert hold much weight generally and in the UK?
Oh and how long did it take to get your certificate (UK folks especially?) I know they say 4-6 weeks! Also.. Do you get anything else.. ID card etc. Cant apply for mine yet have to give it 5days to update the history on careerID apparently!
Would be happy to hear from anyone! I ramble so apologies in advance!
Cheers,
Nemo
Comments
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dynamik
Banned Posts: 12,312 ■■■■■■■■■□
Congratulations on the pass.
The A+/Net+ combo will count as your elective for the MCSA (it does not count towards the MCSE though). You will still need to do 290, 291, and a client OS (Vista or XP).
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcsa/windows2003/default.mspx -
lordnemo
Member Posts: 2 ■□□□□□□□□□
Cheers mate,
Just wondering do you think its worth doing an MCDST? I can do one
pretty cheaply at the mo. Im thinking its the same sort of level as A+ tho.
As such I'm not sure if it will really improve my employability that drastically.
I suppose it's good to be microsoft certified tho. Having said that If i choose to do a
MCSA that could be pointless as I would receive MCP status after the first exam..
That would all be after after completing Network+ of course!
-
gojericho0
Member Posts: 1,059 ■■■□□□□□□□
I'd go with the net+ as it gives you some basic networking knowledge. It compliments the A+ nicely. From there if you decide you like the networking side you can go forCisco certs. If you decide you like the OS more you can go for Microsoft. -
danclarke
Member Posts: 160
Congratulations!
As Arthur Daley said (sorry to get parochial to the UK), "The world is your lobster".
You've started on the same path that I did. All along, I considered it to be a series of little steps: get A+ out the way first, then Network+, then head for MCSA, then ...
Of course A+ is an entry level cert - but I know of people (in the UK) who have passed A+ one day and landed a job on the first rung of an IT career the day after. Nothing succeeds like success.
My certification route was:
A+
Network+
70-270
70-290
70-291
That gave me my MCSA. Then:
70-293
70-294
70-297
Unfortunately, A+ and Net+ could not be reused as an elective for MCSE, so then I did:
Security+
To get MCSE.
There are other routes, which allow you to use the same electives for MCSA and MCSE and I sometimes wish I had planned ahead to reduce the number of exams needed - and the amount I spent in exam fees.
However, it did get me there in the end.-- Dan