At what age did you start getting certified?

I start at 17 with my MCP. I was wondering if thats young or not, and I did see the 14yr old thats net+ certified, when I was 14 I didnt even know about certs @_@

also if any mods see this if its in the wrong thread could you move thx.

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Comments

gojericho0

i couldnt spell computer until i was around 20. Then got interested and got my first cert at 21 (A+ yea!!!!) I think it can be beneficial getting a cert around 17 or 18 especially if you are going into the job market right after school. I wasn't the most studious person in high school so that fact that certs even existed never crossed my mind. More power to you though to discovering them early!

dynamik

Off-topic might have been slightly more appropriate, but it's not like you put it in the Java Dev forum

Lets see, I bought my study materials in 2003, but I got my first cert in 2007. So I guess that would be 20 or 24, depending on how you want to look at it.

There is always going to be someone younger (or a faster poster, like gojericho0) than you, so don't worry about that. You've got a great head start, and you're going to be a lot further along than most. Keep up the good work!

pLuhhmm

well its why I have a hired hitman for. o wait woops!

scheistermeister

Well I started studying for my A+ way back in the day when it was super easy. I think I was around 14 when I started taking classes for it at a vocational school while I was still in highschool (did it on the weekends and nights). But I never sat for the test because back then all the older people I talked to said it was worthless and coming up with the money for it when you are 14-15 can be pretty rough... So I just took a bunch of the classes and learned the skills but never sat for it. Then when I started college (after a 4 year intermission from high school) I signed up for a CCNA class and got interested in certs. Didn't have the balls to actually sit for it though until this year. Once I did, passed and saw that the tests weren't as bad as all the people I talked to made them out to be I decided they were pretty fun so a week later I got my Linux+.

Edit: HA! Noticed I didn't answer the question I am 23 and got my first cert this year. I would like to sit for more CompTIA tests, but they are expensive compared to Cisco si I think I will focus on that for a while. Have also thought about doing a few of the MS certs, but can't really find the time while working on the Cisco stuff.

pLuhhmm

nice life story heres mine -_- got a super awesome.....packard bell played AOE 2, got high speed, upgraded to $2500 dell, troubleshooted and got my mcp lol... Fast Times at pLuhhmm High...

scheistermeister

pLuhhmm wrote:

nice life story heres mine -_- got a super awesome.....packard bell played AOE 2, got high speed, upgraded to $2500 dell, troubleshooted and got my mcp lol... Fast Times at pLuhhmm High...

A packard hell was one of my early PCs, but my first was a pieced together 386 in an old IBM super tower case (loved that case) that I got from my dad when I was 10. Damn thing never worked and I wanted to play my Wolfenstein 3D and Corncob 3D damn it! So I learned to work on it.

Edit: Got curious about it and googled till I found a pic of the case I had. It was a PS/2 Model 80 case. Loved the big red power switch on it that made a very loud click as you turned it on or off. I always felt like Dr. Frankenstein when I flipped the switch

ULWiz

I took my first cert at age 18 when i was in HS. I took the A+ at this point and passed it on my first shot. I was taking a CIS class at the time and was studying for the exam as well.

astorrs

Got my first job in IT when I was 18 (doing web design for a university - they had just moved off of gopher - bet some of you have never even used a gopher server

). Got my first cert 11 years later (the Trend ones). All the certs I've gotten so far are essentially an after thought at this point.

scheistermeister

astorrs wrote:

Got my first job in IT when I was 18 (doing web design for a university - they had just moved off of gopher - bet some of you have never even used a gopher server ). Got my first cert 11 years later (all the ones I've gotten so far are essentially an after thought at this point).

Gopher rocks!

astorrs

scheistermeister wrote:

astorrs wrote:

Got my first job in IT when I was 18 (doing web design for a university - they had just moved off of gopher - bet some of you have never even used a gopher server ). Got my first cert 11 years later (all the ones I've gotten so far are essentially an after thought at this point).

Gopher rocks!

It was sure fast, I remember all the CompSci and Engineering profs would turn off images and then later javascript and CSS because it just slowed everything down.

pLuhhmm

scheistermeister wrote:

astorrs wrote:

Got my first job in IT when I was 18 (doing web design for a university - they had just moved off of gopher - bet some of you have never even used a gopher server ). Got my first cert 11 years later (all the ones I've gotten so far are essentially an after thought at this point).

Gopher rocks!

Gopher as in Caddy Shack o_O

scheistermeister

pLuhhmm wrote:

Gopher as in Caddy Shack o_O

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopher_(protocol)

dynamik

Yep! Right here at the U of M!

Actually, gophers are a pretty lame mascot. NM...

pLuhhmm

a lil off topic but, dynamik I saw your post about halo! you have xbl? mines my name here.

dynamik

No. I just load profiles for my other three controllers and then duct tape the joysticks down and practice sniping them as they run in circles.

pLuhhmm

sarcasm?

leefdaddy

I got my A+ in the year 2000, when I was 18.

UnixGuy

CCNA at age 23.

HeroPsycho

MCP at 26, but I was switching careers from teaching to IT.

Megadeth4168

I got my A+ in 2003 at the age of 21. Unfortunately it would take another 3 years before attempting my next cert. I wish I would have done some certs during that 3 year gap.

networker050184

I got the CCNA at the age of 23. I'm now 24 with almost seven years experience and will (hopefully) have my CCNP finished by the end of the year.

Mishra

Attempted CCNA when I was 20. Got my first cert MCP last year at 22.

undomiel

I picked up my A+ in 2006 only because the job required me to have it. I knew about the MCSE before that but not about any other certifications. I had always thought the MCSE to be completely out of reach and only for those who were properly trained. Well so far I have yet to take a real computer class (Apple BASIC doesn't count!) and I'm still on track for that MCSE!

Age? Well I was 28. I'm not 30 yet though mind you.

NetAdmin2436

I didn't get my first IT cert till i was 27. I'm now 28. I wish i would have started getting my certs when I was younger, but I got a lil busy with college and work.

From age 19-25 I went to college (Yes, i was a SUPER senior!) and got an AA and AAS in computer networking.

bone_matale

I got my first Cert(CCNA) 22years which was last week friday (14 JUNE 200

!!!!!! yeah

jamesp1983

Wow, you guys started in IT early. I started when I was 19 with the A+. I didn't get a job until I was 20.

shadown7

I took my first test in 2005 (70-270) at the age of 26. That was right when I was graduating from college with an A.A.S. in Computer Network Technology. At that time I got a nice job doing network/desktop support (which I'm still at) and decided I didn't want to touch ANY type of tests for a while. I was totally burned out due to all the studying my final year of school.

Sadly, I'm just now getting back into the studying for certs. I'm currently studying the 290 and 291 with plans on finishing both by the end of the year.

I can't believe how hard it is to get back into studying.

ilcram19-2

i got my fist cert at agost two months before my 22 b-day and now im working on ccnp i hoping to get it by my 24 b-day i got 3 exams to go just pass bcmsn last week

Tyrant1919

22, passed Net+ on 19 Nov 07.

JDMurray

I got my first cert, A+, at 40.

(Unless you want to count MIL-STD-454J as an IT certification, which I got at 22.)