MCSE or CCNA???

wedge1988

Let me fill you in; im currently studying the 70-291 exam, and i already know about 60% of it. in 2 months i should be going for the exam (providing all goes to plan) which will give my my MCSA. yay!

now; whats more valuable for me to do? ive always wanted to go for the MCSE, which would be great for my server knowledge, but i seem to think that if i go for CCNA (which will take me a while, i know) it would benefit me more? Its not as though im in desperate need of the CCNA i just think itd look better on the resume with the MCSA...

or... if i go for the MCSE; as im assuming, would it be easier and faster to go for the other 3 certs for the MCSE, get that then do CCNA? any ideas of time scales? it usually takes me 3 months per MCP, but having an MCSA at which time, should benefit towards obtaining the MCSE?

Advice people???

thanks!

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Comments

networker050184

The one that will be easier will be the one you are the most familiar with. If you have been doing the MS exams it will probably be easier for you to just keep going on that path.

Which one will be more valuable depends on your experience. If you have a bunch of MS experience and no Cisco experience then the CCNA isn't going to help you as much as the MCSE.

Same goes for the time frame it will take to complete.

So to wrap it all up it all depends on your background, experience and what you want to do with your career. Neither is "better" they are different paths.

davidspirovalentine

I think that you should finish MCSE if you can (finance wise, study time wise etc). Then pursue your CCNA. Study hard for the 70-291 because it is 'sort of' relating to the CCNA exam. I mean there is losts of networking and stuff.

Imagine how marketable you would be if you had both??? Good luck!!!

btw. which MS exams have you done, leaving 70-291 as the last to become MCSA?

mikej412

wedge1988 wrote:

i just think itd look better on the resume with the MCSA...

Is anyone going to be seeing your resume any time soon?

If you don't have lots of experience, having both the MCSA and CCNA may open more doors than having an MCSE without experience.

If you're currently doing sysadmin work and have growth potential where you're currently working, then knocking out the MCSE first may be the way to go.

dynamik

davidspirovalentine wrote:

btw. which MS exams have you done, leaving 70-291 as the last to become MCSA?

Check his cert list. The A+/Network+ combo fulfills the MCSA elective, and he has 270 and 290.

wedge1988 wrote:

or... if i go for the MCSE; as im assuming, would it be easier and faster to go for the other 3 certs for the MCSE, get that then do CCNA?

On a related note, the A+/Network+ will not count as an elective for an MCSE, so you'll need four more exams: 293, 294, 297/298, and an MCSE elective.

If you're planning on going for an MCSE, I'd at least knock out 293 before you change up your studies. There's a lot of overlap between that and 291, and it would be easiest to take them back-to-back.

wedge1988

Thanks for your views all!

@mikej412 -> i suppose nobody will be seeing my resume anytime soon...

thanks dynamik for pointing out that ill need to take 4 more exams!

i thought that i would need to do that; but it doesnt really bother me too much, ill choose an elective that i can use towards the 2003 and 2008 career path. would exchange:TS be one of those?

Id eventually want to do exchange, ISA, SQL server etc (SQL a lot later) but you get the picture.

as for my experience; i work in a school; but dont let that put you off what experience i have gained, ive worked there for 3 years, 1.5 years of those on my own looking after the 600 kids and 50 staff we have, and the 100 computers we have too... + 9 servers.

doing the MCSE would probably be the best thing for me to do after looking at your replies...

i do see that the 293 overlaps with the 291, and to be honest, if i did finnish those exams, looking at the others available, they all seem to have many overlapping concepts. So the more i do the less there is for every exam after...

and im 20 by the way; i should have noted that before. Hopefully by the time i get to 22 ill have my MCSE...

dynamik

The most efficient route if you're going to upgrade to 2008 would be to use the Vista exam (620) as your elective. That's a requirement of the MCITP: Enterprise Admin. After you finish your MCSE, that'll just leave the upgrade and the EA exam to catch you up.

wedge1988

thanks dynamik; i was considering that exam anyway; i have learnt a lot about WDS already, since ill be needing it for my network soon.

actually looking at it, i was on about the 70-622 PRO (lol) which i would probably be able to go and take the exam after the 291, since it covers most topics, but i wont because ill do the 293.

anyways...

so ill do my MCSE, then the 620, 649, 647...

which should then give me the MCITP:EA

just a quick question...

will i get the MCITP:SA as well (Which sorta makes sense)?

and im assuming the upgrade exams only teach you the new features they have upgraded or added?

cheers.

dynamik

For some reason, only 620 and 624 count as MCSE electives. 622 does not.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcse/windows2003/default.mspx

620 and 622 will give you MCITP: Enterprise Support Technician as well.

You'll need to take one more exam if you want the SA.

The upgrade exam focuses on the new material, but you're going to still be required to know the material from 2003

wedge1988

I think ill focus on my MCSE first, then move over to the MCITP:EA and get additional certs from then on, more than likely though ill move over to the CCNA after the MCITP:EA exams.

thanks for the help dynamik.

Daniel333

wedge1988 wrote:

whats more valuable for me to do?

Valuable is subjective. I am going to assume resume impact here.

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