Need some personal direction...

Hello everyone, I'm looking for some advice on where I should head regarding my career and certification goals. First, a little background:

I work for a very small software company (about 5 users) doing their network administration. I also provide phone based technical support to the customers who purchased the software we create.

I don't want to make this post long so I'll post what I think my marketable skills are. I have above average experience with Active Directory, SQL server, and Windows operating systems. I'm also well-versed in troubleshooting TCP/IP issues.

I also consider myself to be strong with Cisco devices but lack real world experience. I've passed my CCNA as well as A+ and Network+ but have only demonstrated Cisco experience on a lab at home.

My big questions are based on the fact that I have a very bland resume that doesn't really distinguish me from other prospective employees. The only thing that sticks out is CCNA but I lack the real world experience to support it. I consider myself a great interviewer who is very engaging.

My two questions are:

1. What do you think my next learning track should be? My future goals include wanting to be more on the networking side moreso than administration that's why I chose the CCNA but I'm wondering if I should go for the CCNA: Security track or try to attain a specialty cert (Voice, Exchange, SQL etc.)

2. What type of jobs should I be looking for? I don't consider myself entry level because I've worked in IT for three years but I can tell from an employer's point of view that I probably am.

These are pretty vague questions, but I'm hoping to get a dialogue going. It's been about three weeks since I passed the CCNA and my learning break is coming to an end. I'll answer any questions you guys may have and I really appreciate all of the great advice I've been given here so any help is immensely appreciated.

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Comments

dynamik

I'd pick a direction and focus on that. If you want to get into networking, I wouldn't mess around with things like SQL certs. I think the CCNA specializations are a great way to keep learning without risking being over-certified for your experience.

UnixGuy

From what you said, your skills are not entry level skills, and many employers will appreciate that.

Now that you passed CCNA, I suggest you focus on getting a job doing more networking work. You need to do serious job hunting. Once you get a networking job..then you can continue with your CCNP or CCNA: sec...

jscimeca715

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I have been doing some serious job searching and have been applying to about 2-3 positions a week. I've been looking at getting into some scripting/programming but am confused at where to start. I feel like this would be a good place to advance my learning while I'm waiting to get a few calls. Any suggestions?

UnixGuy

jscimeca715 wrote: »

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I have been doing some serious job searching and have been applying to about 2-3 positions a week. I've been looking at getting into some scripting/programming but am confused at where to start. I feel like this would be a good place to advance my learning while I'm waiting to get a few calls. Any suggestions?

scripting/programming is a different field and help you more with system admin work not with networking.

I started my programming with C++, using this book:
C++ How to Program, 4/e

Solaris_UNIX

If you are good with Active Directory (and you enjoy working with it) then your next step should probably be to take Microsoft's 70-290 exam for Windows Server 2003. There's a really good forum about it here:

70-290 Windows 2003 Server - TechExams.net IT Certification Forums

There's still a lot of demand for people with good Windows sysadmin skills in the job market right now.

Kasor

First, you need to look into your career perspective and see are you able to grow within the company to become a supervisor

Second, are you looking into IT business or just being a Techie..

Third, are you looking for higher pay job or career. Then you need to look at your local area IT market

Fourth, DO NOT GO AFTER CERTIFICATION WHEN U DON'T HAVE A CAREER GOAL. This is an endless path