Confused college Grad please help

t3ch_guru

Hello everyone this is my first time posting on this forum.

I just graduated college last semester with a degree in Management Information Systems. I currently hold no certification. I work as a IT Intern for the company I am with right now. It is kind of a small IT shop so I get my hands on a lot of thing you wouldn't normally be able to do in a normal IT shop. I like the idea of being a systems administrator as a good start in my IT path.

I am debating about what would be a good certification for someone like me to start with. I didn't think it would be worth me getting A+ since it is a basic certification and I have been working on computers for quite some time now. I am interested in MCITP since my shop uses serve 03 and we got a good amount of server 08. But being that I never took any exam before I am worried about where I should start. I also have a liking into security as well.

Also my other issue is if I go with MCITP should I wait till Windows 7 exam comes out instead of taking the Windows vista one. I currently am using win 7 as my main box at work. Anyone one with good advice please help

Alif_Sadida_Ekin

Here's what I did. Start looking at job postings within your area. Look for certifications that employers ask for the most. I wouldn't underestimate the A+ certification. Sure it's an entry level cert, but you'd be surprised at how many mid-level job postings still require (or prefer) their candidates to have it.

I definitely wouldn't stop there however. Since your goal is MS systems admin then I would for sure start working towards the MCSE and then later upgrade it to the new MCITP: Enterprise Administrator. You'll see that alot of businesses still use Server 2003. However, if you find that alot of employers in your area are using Server 2008 then the MCITP exams are the way to go.

Start hitting the job sites such as careerbuilder, monster, hotjobs, dice.com, craigslist, etc. And start looking for what people want. This would be your best resource.

Psoasman

I would start with A+. If you have enough experience, then it should be easy for you. A lot of HR people throw out certs without knowing what knowledge goes into the cert.
You will probably need to get more experience before getting hired as a sys admin. I have the MCSA, but started as entry-level tech at my current job.

ipconfig.all

It will be a good idea for you to get certified in Comptia network + and Comptia server +. Most companies now a days use windows server 2003 rather than server 2008.But windows server 2008 will take over.So mcse,mcsa or MCITP you choose.

Also it will be worth getting certified in vista and xp rather than windows 7 because that operating system is still in beta.


It will be years after it takes over the client operating system market.Any ways its all up to you to decide mate.

t3ch_guru

Thanks for the replies. I will do more research on which entry cert these HR people are looking for. I think I will do 1 comptia exam and 1 ms. I was trying to skip vista because of the bad reputation regular users gave it. I personally like the O/S. So, A+ or Net+ are what I am looking at.

My ultimate goal is to be a Win Admin/Linux Admin. I am trying to set myself in the right direction. Anyone here that are doing the same? I notice a lot of companies are looking for people who do both. They pay well as well.