Question for the uber-geeks who have always loved computers.

fleck

It's pretty diverse. A lot of the guys studying there are already professionals working in the field. Some have been recommended FastTrain by their place of work/co-workers. One of the guys there who works in IT is well established and came to FastTrain to get certified because he's known the Director of Education for years. Over the last 2 years FastTrain has revamped everything in attempts to be seen as a serious school, and I definitely see it as a serious school.

DM05

But the fact is, you won't be getting a degree. Most job posting/employers are looking for Degree or Relative Experience + Certs. A degree is huge man.

Even an Associates degree will have a leg up on you here.

I do feel your pain. The normal community college route did not work for me, which is fine. There is a technical school here that taught towards certs. However, it was setup much differently. We spent a SEMESTER learning Cisco materal. We spent a SEMESTER on Microsoft. Another SEMESTER for just A+/Network+. And Another SEMESTER on Linux. So they were strictly technical classes, that slowly delved into the material. We had HANDS-ON labs for months in Cisco equipment, etc. And this was 2 years of night classes after my non-IT job, 5:30Pm - 10:00PM. And I tell you, there is no way you will learn the material in 3 weeks. You may know enough to sit and pass the cert, but not for practical job purposes.

And the biggest difference? The school I went to was accredited and I earned an Associates degree. And I went and tested for some certs, so I had an Associates + Certs. And an Associates may not sound like a lot, but.. it counts when you are looking for that springboard into IT.

I'm telling you man, the degree is important. I didn't think so either. But guess what? Once I got that degree and the certs, I was able to find a nice helpdesk role for the govt, which launched me into my networking job. Without that degree, I would have not even been considered for a HELPDESK job.

Not trying to sound rude, insulting, condescending, etc. I just want you to know.. is that you are dropping all of this money for nothing more than hyper-paced cert preps. In the end, you still do not have a degree. And in this day and age, unless you have the experience to backup your certifications, lacking a degree will hurt you starting out.

I wish you the best and hope you get what you need.

EDIT: and one more thing, the key thing you mentioned in your last post.. is that alot of the guys there are CURRENTLY working in the IT field. They have experience to backup the high paced cert training they are sitting through. Even though you both will go through the same material, they have that one thing that you don't. Experience.

And you should be looking for a way to get experience. My advice? Self study A+ and Net+ and get an entry level helpdesk/support job. This will help you make contacts (social networking is HUGE in IT). And it will give you time to self study for higher lvl certs depending ony our interests, while getting experience. Cramming in 12 certs in a year is not going to impress anyone, and you will still need to start at the bottom like the rest of unfortunately.

ccie15672

My first computer was a TI99-4/A. I knew what a multidimensional array was when I was 8 years old. Sadly, nobody cares about your enthusiasm for computing these days.

I too have no degree. Just some certs and the experience to back it. These days when I do interviews, I just ask questions that I think demonstrate to me that this person can figure it out. IT is about figuring it out. Not about knowing it already. I don't care if you have every CCIE there is, if the next problem involves you building a database and writing an app in Tcl or Perl... can you figure it out and put the pieces together? That is who I want to work with.

Your resume should show this. It should scream.. "I understand technology and I can figure it out. I know how to read manuals and search the internet and then make it happen!" Your experience and your certs are just a by-product of the sorts of problems you have already encountered.

Sadly.. though... this is not how people are evaluated these days for hire...

If only it were so.

remyforbes777

fleck wrote: »

I'm wondering if there is a difference in going into IT certification between uber-geeks who have always loved computers and are just naturally good at them because of trial and error, and the other guys who don't already know a lot about computers and are just starting out.

For the already-gurus of home computing in general, what do you all think? Is it better to be one of us? Is it better to be the guy to have self-taught BASIC and HTML in 8th grade, self-taught VB and C in high school and played with computers our whole lives? I was there compiling my own Linux kernels at age 16 in 1998, using Slackware because nothing back then could really be considered 'user-friendly'. The Brainbench tests in Linux and Windows 98 Administration I took just after my lay-off of my IT internship I held directly after graduating high school were jokes to me. I was fixing bugs in Linux kernel beta code when I was 17, etc etc.

But the fact is I wasn't a practical IT guy. I was a heavy metal party punk on the inside and I couldn't really keep up in school studying Computer Science, so for the last 7 years I've submitted my resume hundreds of times, but due to my lack of education and my short term experience, I am rarely contacted for an interview unless the job involves travel to another state and only temporary, post-training employment.

So what is the realism of becoming IT certified? I am about to be certified in CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+ as well as achieve 4 levels of MS certification and the CCENT within the next year, and I'm paying for the 'Management Information Systems' diploma I'll be receiving. How hard will I have to work? Will I have to whore myself out for internships at super low pay and work myself up the ladder? What does becoming certified after all this time say about me to an employer?

I have the drive, the knowledge and the passion, but I still see learning so much in such great detail over the next year as such a big and scary challenge. And the thing is, I discovered the idea to become trained and certified through the state's unemployment offices. I hope they know what they are doing, because their first question when I told them I wanted a job in computers was "Are you certified?" Well, how much does it REALLY matter? If I have the passion and the love for computers already and can get myself excited about what I'm about to learn, do you think my chances are better?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and opinions.

BTW I'm a writer, sorry for being so lengthy and prosy in my post

How does a person get on here, ask for advice, says thanks in advance for your THOUGHTS and OPINIONS, receives honest and blunt answers, and because he/she already spent a chunk of money on the program, gets defensive and goes on the attack? Some people have no etiquette.

Turgon

ccie15672 wrote: »

My first computer was a TI99-4/A. I knew what a multidimensional array was when I was 8 years old. Sadly, nobody cares about your enthusiasm for computing these days.

I too have no degree. Just some certs and the experience to back it. These days when I do interviews, I just ask questions that I think demonstrate to me that this person can figure it out. IT is about figuring it out. Not about knowing it already. I don't care if you have every CCIE there is, if the next problem involves you building a database and writing an app in Tcl or Perl... can you figure it out and put the pieces together? That is who I want to work with.

Your resume should show this. It should scream.. "I understand technology and I can figure it out. I know how to read manuals and search the internet and then make it happen!" Your experience and your certs are just a by-product of the sorts of problems you have already encountered.

Sadly.. though... this is not how people are evaluated these days for hire...

If only it were so.

Very true.

fleck

remyforbes777 wrote: »

How does a person get on here, ask for advice, says thanks in advance for your THOUGHTS and OPINIONS, receives honest and blunt answers, and because he/she already spent a chunk of money on the program, gets defensive and goes on the attack? Some people have no etiquette.

Read the OP. People are going off on tangents. My advice seeking was of a completely different nature. It had nothing to do with college or whether or not having a degree will help me get a job.

fleck

DM05 wrote: »

There is a technical school here that taught towards certs. However, it was setup much differently. We spent a SEMESTER learning Cisco materal. We spent a SEMESTER on Microsoft. Another SEMESTER for just A+/Network+. And Another SEMESTER on Linux. So they were strictly technical classes, that slowly delved into the material. We had HANDS-ON labs for months in Cisco equipment, etc. And this was 2 years of night classes after my non-IT job, 5:30Pm - 10:00PM. And I tell you, there is no way you will learn the material in 3 weeks. You may know enough to sit and pass the cert, but not for practical job purposes.

And you should be looking for a way to get experience. My advice? Self study A+ and Net+ and get an entry level helpdesk/support job. This will help you make contacts (social networking is HUGE in IT). And it will give you time to self study for higher lvl certs depending ony our interests, while getting experience. Cramming in 12 certs in a year is not going to impress anyone, and you will still need to start at the bottom like the rest of unfortunately.

I don't understand why you guys think it's cramming. And it's clearly not 12 certs. If you split up a year into 3 CompTIA, 2 Microsoft and the CCENT that's several months for each. It's not far off from what you did.

msteinhilber

fleck wrote: »

I don't understand why you guys think it's cramming. And it's clearly not 12 certs. If you split up a year into 3 CompTIA, 2 Microsoft and the CCENT that's several months for each. It's not far off from what you did.

I would certainly consider it cramming, as it is clearly 12 exams to take in a year - and many might argue that passing a certification exam is a certification. Whatever you prefer (exam or certification), it's still 12. So one exam per month, you'll be studying for several weeks and testing - assuming you pass then it's on to the next exam to study for. I don't see you coming out of that with much more than the knowledge just needed to pass the exams - which is quite a bit different than the knowledge needed in the professional world.

fleck

msteinhilber wrote: »

I would certainly consider it cramming, as it is clearly 12 exams to take in a year - and many might argue that passing a certification exam is a certification. Whatever you prefer (exam or certification), it's still 12. So one exam per month, you'll be studying for several weeks and testing - assuming you pass then it's on to the next exam to study for. I don't see you coming out of that with much more than the knowledge just needed to pass the exams - which is quite a bit different than the knowledge needed in the professional world.

Well I've already been watching Network+ videos on my own, taking notes and revising them frequently on my free time, so take that however you will. And first day of class was terrific, although we started with client/server vs peer to peer networks and network topologies and devices which I already know a lot about it was good to know that there are good teachers and decent co-students.

Did you read where I said that I am a natural-born mega geek and have already had over a year of experience in IT companies? It was a few years ago, but yeah, I've already helped design web sites, tested databases, filed reports or debugged when I could, installed and configured Red Hat servers and firewalls and installed web servers at a datacenter. I'm worth a little something, and I did all of that just by figuring it out myself and straight out of high school. And yes I did have contacts at both companies I worked at. I'm going to use school to make contacts, which is a very important factor in all of this that I think is important to mention.

I already said why it is that I am pursuing this direction and what I plan on doing. Well, actually, I didn't mention that as soon as the certs like Network+ and A+ start being passed, I'm going to put together business packages with business cards, pamphlets and catalogs and begin competing with local PC tech services. The doctor's office my sister works at gets charged $300/hr for IT services. When she told me that, I knew I had to get off my ass and attempt to compete. The current market is perfect for it.

msteinhilber

My last contribution to this thread.

You seemed to have already had your mind made up when you created this thread, but the fact that you created the thread in itself suggests you have some doubts that you may or may not be consciously aware of. Since you continue to post positive things about how great this is most certainly doing to work out, I think it suggests that you really do have some concerns and are hoping others here would jump in and say "oh yea, that sounds great!" to make you feel better about your decision.

Either way, I see no further point for anyone to continue with this thread since you're mind is clearly set on the path you intend to take. I wish you the best of luck and future success and hope you pickup a lot of knowledge and earn some nice credentials during your training.

fleck

msteinhilber wrote: »

My last contribution to this thread.

You seemed to have already had your mind made up when you created this thread, but the fact that you created the thread in itself suggests you have some doubts that you may or may not be consciously aware of. Since you continue to post positive things about how great this is most certainly doing to work out, I think it suggests that you really do have some concerns and are hoping others here would jump in and say "oh yea, that sounds great!" to make you feel better about your decision.

Either way, I see no further point for anyone to continue with this thread since you're mind is clearly set on the path you intend to take. I wish you the best of luck and future success and hope you pickup a lot of knowledge and earn some nice credentials during your training.

But the whole thing is I don't understand why you drew a totally different question from my OP: "I'm wondering if there is a difference in going into IT certification between uber-geeks who have always loved computers and are just naturally good at them because of trial and error, and the other guys who don't already know a lot about computers and are just starting out. For the already-gurus of home computing in general, what do you all think? Is it better to be one of us?"

I never asked anything about school or training, just certs and how easy they are to learn if you're a mega-geek.

And your psychological evaluation is wrong.

L0gicB0mb508

Your enthusiasm will indeed help you in the long run. I will be entirely blunt with you, what you did in your past has about 0 to do with whats going on in your life today. Not many people care that you recompiled your own kernel on Slackware 10 years ago. If you aren't proven in a production environment/under pressure, it doesn't matter. I have experience as a Linux home user too, but I wont be getting a call for a Linux sys ad job anytime in the near future. Your drive to succeed will help you, but even with your certs and what little bit of formal experience you have you are still looking at an entry level help desk gig. Just don't expect to come out with a network engineer job, and you're probably going to be ok. There is no quick fix. Get used to whoring yourself out for little money until you have the formal experience to move on.

I don't have a college degree either, and I'm doing pretty well as a security analyst. I however did put in my time, took classes at my local community college, and self studied for certifications. I like you have a very large love of computers and started at a very young age.

Don't get angry with the people here. They are really only trying to help. We have a lot of extremely smart and talented people here. They have been "around the block" as far as the IT field goes. Sometimes comments come off as harsh, but usually aren't meant that way.


anyway....good luck to you

skrpune

fleck wrote: »

Did you read where I said that I am a natural-born mega geek and have already had over a year of experience in IT companies? It was a few years ago, but yeah, I've already helped design web sites, tested databases, filed reports or debugged when I could, installed and configured Red Hat servers and firewalls and installed web servers at a datacenter. I'm worth a little something, and I did all of that just by figuring it out myself and straight out of high school. And yes I did have contacts at both companies I worked at. I'm going to use school to make contacts, which is a very important factor in all of this that I think is important to mention.

I already said why it is that I am pursuing this direction and what I plan on doing. Well, actually, I didn't mention that as soon as the certs like Network+ and A+ start being passed, I'm going to put together business packages with business cards, pamphlets and catalogs and begin competing with local PC tech services. The doctor's office my sister works at gets charged $300/hr for IT services. When she told me that, I knew I had to get off my ass and attempt to compete. The current market is perfect for it.

If you're going to start up your own tech business, you probably would be best served by going to work for one for a while first. A year of experience is nothing to sneeze at, but it's not quite enough (in my eyes anyway) to make an expert technician who can go out on their own with no safety net. You can find a decent paying job as a tech working for someone else and have that safety net for a while...and if you find that you're not hitting challenges that you can't overcome without help from others, then certainly strike out on your own.

And yes, there are IT services that charge $300/hour, but usually they're much more than just roving techs, and there are a subset of IT services that specialize in medical/dental offices and software. They've got to do everything from design the network to setup and install the server to installation of proprietary software, and all this with a very keen eye on security since patient privacy is beyond important. Most of these folks have several years experience too. It's not like they started charging $300/hr after a year or two and a couple entry level certs...they had to work their way up to that, and regardless of whether you're a super mega ultra uber geek, folks will have a hard time justifying paying a rate like that to anyone without years of proven experience.

Bl8ckr0uter

fleck wrote: »

Well I've already been watching Network+ videos on my own, taking notes and revising them frequently on my free time, so take that however you will. And first day of class was terrific, although we started with client/server vs peer to peer networks and network topologies and devices which I already know a lot about it was good to know that there are good teachers and decent co-students.

Did you read where I said that I am a natural-born mega geek and have already had over a year of experience in IT companies? It was a few years ago, but yeah, I've already helped design web sites, tested databases, filed reports or debugged when I could, installed and configured Red Hat servers and firewalls and installed web servers at a datacenter. I'm worth a little something, and I did all of that just by figuring it out myself and straight out of high school. And yes I did have contacts at both companies I worked at. I'm going to use school to make contacts, which is a very important factor in all of this that I think is important to mention.

I already said why it is that I am pursuing this direction and what I plan on doing. Well, actually, I didn't mention that as soon as the certs like Network+ and A+ start being passed, I'm going to put together business packages with business cards, pamphlets and catalogs and begin competing with local PC tech services. The doctor's office my sister works at gets charged $300/hr for IT services. When she told me that, I knew I had to get off my ass and attempt to compete. The current market is perfect for it.

You are an excitable character huh? Basically what everyone seems to agree on here is that, you are going for a lot. Are you working? Are you going to simply go for certs and that will be your "job"? If so then "get it in", go balls to the walls and go for it. By all means, I'll even race you (I have about 6-7 tests I want to do next year) . Just realized that people here think you are trying for a lot.

Being a "geek" and a server/network admin are very different. I know many "geeks" but it takes something more to get to that next level. It takes more than technical aptatude. Ultimately you have to learn to play the game (business-wise, etc) and just by your post it seems that you haven't got that down. But that is ok, that can be taught. I think it would help if you went to a college and enrolled in a degree program and bone up on the interpersonal communication classes. That might help in more ways than you think

At any rate, no one here wants anyone to fail and this enviroment encourages competition (friendly or course) and the sharing of knowledge and you probably have some to share. So go and get those certs, just pace yourself and you will be fine.

fleck

Well skprune I have been freelancing my services for years with no problem, just by word of mouth. I've worked for individuals as well as small businesses. It's just going to be a lot more impressive to people if I can tell them that I'm educated and can prove it if necessary. Oh and I'm definitely actively applying for jobs/internships, and will continue doing so daily if possible. Starting my own practice is something that I've wanted to do for a long time though.

skrpune

fleck wrote: »

Well skprune I have been freelancing my services for years with no problem, just by word of mouth. I've worked for individuals as well as small businesses. It's just going to be a lot more impressive to people if I can tell them that I'm educated and can prove it if necessary. Oh and I'm definitely actively applying for jobs/internships, and will continue doing so daily if possible. Starting my own practice is something that I've wanted to do for a long time though.

well good luck to you then.

And not that I'm trying to mince words here, but you should stay away from using the term "educated" if you're not referring to formal education programs that result in degrees. From the looks of it, the program you're in is a vocational/technical training program, so you can honestly say that you're getting "trained," but "educated" has a whole other connotation.

fleck

knwminus wrote: »

-Are you working? Are you going to simply go for certs and that will be your "job"? If so then "get it in", go balls to the walls and go for it.

- just by your post it seems that you haven't got that down. But that is ok, that can be taught. I think it would help if you went to a college and enrolled in a degree program and bone up on the interpersonal communication classes. That might help in more ways than you think

- At any rate, no one here wants anyone to fail and this enviroment encourages competition (friendly or course) and the sharing of knowledge and you probably have some to share. So go and get those certs, just pace yourself and you will be fine.

- Not working right now. Actively applying to IT jobs/internships and the local Dunkin Donuts and Taco Bells near my house for part time positions. Moved back in with the folks last year after realizing that making $1600/mo as a delivery driver is not the way to go.

- Why does it seem by my post that I do not have good interpersonal and communication skills? In High School I was in college level English, and after I decided I didn't want to study CS in college, I started studying Journalism. I have never had any complaints about my abilities to communicate easily and concisely be it verbally or written. I have already worked closely with colleagues on web sites and databases and have filed reports and written documentation in the past.

- Thanks

Bl8ckr0uter

fleck wrote: »

- Not working right now. Actively applying to IT jobs/internships and the local Dunkin Donuts and Taco Bells near my house for part time positions. Moved back in with the folks last year after realizing that making $1600/mo as a delivery driver is not the way to go.

Ok then Certs are your primary "job". How many hours do you plan to spend studying? Do you have access to any equipment at home so you can put in more time?

fleck wrote: »

- Why does it seem by my post that I do not have good interpersonal and communication skills? In High School I was in college level English, and after I decided I didn't want to study CS in college, I started studying Journalism. I have never had any complaints about my abilities to communicate easily and concisely be it verbally or written. I have already worked closely with colleagues on web sites and databases and have filed reports and written documentation in the past.
- Thanks

I went to a magnet school that specialized in "arts". My magnet was creative writing. I have been doing college level english since 7th grade (the school was from 7th grade - 12th grade). Interpersonal skills are more than the technical accuracy of your words and punctuation. It is also how your make your statements. Have you noticed that little red square underneath your name? It isn't because you didn't dot your I's and etc, it is because you seem to forget that behind these screen names are people, and people don't tend to want to help people who talk in a disrespectful manner.

Edit: Calling yourself an "uber-geek" is a bit odd. Linus Torvalds is an uber geek. Steve Jobs is an uber geek. Stroustrup is an uber geek. Are you on the level of these people?

fleck

knwminus wrote: »

Interpersonal skills are more than the technical accuracy of your words and punctuation. It is also how your make your statements. Have you noticed that little red square underneath your name? It isn't because you didn't dot your I's and etc, it is because you seem to forget that behind these screen names are people, and people don't tend to want to help people who talk in a disrespectful manner.

That red square underneath my name has nothing to do with my attitude in general, my relationships with people nor my interpersonal skills. It is one stupid little argument, incited by msteinhilber if you ask me (I don't know how much more slyly condescending someone could get), that SIX of you decided to rate me on negatively. With stupid remarks too, basically seeming as though I insulted any of you who have gotten college educations by saying that I don't care about nor want to go to college. IMO, msteinhilber was a dick, might not seem that way to you guys but I definitely felt insulted.

And most importantly, all of this is outside the scope of the thread's objective! My question was NOT whether or not you guys thought I had a good attitude and should go to college or not. I just wanted to know if getting certs is any easier if someone's a geek.

networker050184

This one is going no where.... How about we all just agree to disagree?

skrpune

you've gotten several answers to your original question, and while some responses haven't been perfectly on topic with that question, they're part of the larger discussion about a successful career.

And that little red square has oodles to do with your interpersonal skills. If you expressed yourself in a manner that wasn't degrading and insulting and completely void of any respect for the people who are offering you help and advice, you'd still be in the green.

Your last comment speaks volumes. I truly wish you luck in dealing with those who disagree with you. If you can't figure out a way to respectfully disagree, you will need some luck to navigate through your career, geek or not. Good luck with your studies.

fleck

skrpune wrote: »

And that little red square has oodles to do with your interpersonal skills. If you expressed yourself in a manner that wasn't degrading and insulting and completely void of any respect for the people who are offering you help and advice, you'd still be in the green.

But there was only one person who I spoke to that way, and he wasn't offering help or advice, he was knocking me down and saying I was a fool.

Bl8ckr0uter

fleck wrote: »

That red square underneath my name has nothing to do with my attitude in general, my relationships with people nor my interpersonal skills. It is one stupid little argument, incited by msteinhilber if you ask me (I don't know how much more slyly condescending someone could get), that SIX of you decided to rate me on negatively. With stupid remarks too, basically seeming as though I insulted any of you who have gotten college educations by saying that I don't care about nor want to go to college. IMO, msteinhilber was a dick, might not seem that way to you guys but I definitely felt insulted.

And most importantly, all of this is outside the scope of the thread's objective! My question was NOT whether or not you guys thought I had a good attitude and should go to college or not. I just wanted to know if getting certs is any easier if someone's a geek.

I will state I didn't mark you. But to answer that question, I think certs would be easily obtainable by someone who is willing to learn. People who are "geek" may make it very far with obtaining knowledge but as far as passing a test (certs) it depends on the persons ability to retain information and process said information.

skrpune

knwminus wrote: »

I will state I didn't mark you. But to answer that question, I think certs would be easily obtainable by someone who is willing to learn. People who are "geek" may make it very far with obtaining knowledge but as far as passing a test (certs) it depends on the persons ability to retain information and process said information.

It also depends on their test-taking abilities...I've seen multiple skilled people just bite it when it came to test time because of nerves or because they're just not good test takers, and doubtless there have been people who were less than super-skilled who are just GOOD test takers and were able to pass cert exams. So I say it takes more than just geekitude.

Bl8ckr0uter

networker050184 wrote: »

This one is going no where.... How about we all just agree to disagree?

Don't give up!

U-N-I-T-Y!!!

In all seriousness I don't want to start trouble but I think I made a valid point. But I am not trying to attack him either. I just see a problem that could hinder his ability to move up in IT.

DM05

Sticking strictly to your question.


No, being a self proclaimed uber geek will not make it easier to get certs.

Studying, doing labs, and working hard will make it easier to get certs. Your genetic ability to retain information will make it easier to get certs. Living at home and not working, not having to support a family, will make it easier to get certs.

That is the cut and dry answer.

Now granted, if you enjoy the material, you will study for it more. You will be more interested in doing labs. This helps as well.

I love watching Law and Order shows. I love most crime-drama television. Does that mean it will make passing the Bar exam easier for me? No, it won't.




Tbh, I am not sure why you even created this thread. You are asking if being interested in something will make it easier to learn? Well the obvious answer is Yes.

Good luck with your training and hope it helps you grab all the certs you need. However, the real luck is needed when you go to find a job that is not entry level with just certs.

fleck

DM05 wrote: »

Tbh, I am not sure why you even created this thread. You are asking if being interested in something will make it easier to learn? Well the obvious answer is Yes.

Thanks. To answer that: it was the easiest and best way for me to try to get input from other guys who just love this stuff and have gone through the certs, to see how difficult they rate getting the certs compared to the stuff they have learned and done on their own time. Obviously the simple part of the question is obvious, but the anecdotal and more complex side of things can only be heard from people who have been there.

mikej412

fleck wrote: »

Did you read where I said that I am a natural-born mega geek

Do others think you're a natural-born mega geek? Or is it just you?

In my more than one year of IT experience I've notice that people who usually self-proclaim themselves as an uber-geek, alpha-geek, UNIX Guru, UNIX Wizard, Linux God, Programming Wiz, Super Admin, etc -- usually aren't.

But to answer your original question

fleck wrote: »

But I'm also asking (my main question) if it's any easier for a guy who has always loved computers to go through these classes and pass the certs?

In general, a person who is interested in a topic (and may even be passionate about it) will probably do better than someone with no interest in the topic (and is just motivated by the money).

But just because you think you like something doesn't mean that you actually have the talent, knowledge, or even skills to do well at it. Some people are passionate about singing and hit the karaoke bar every chance they get -- but that doesn't mean they could carry a tune in a bucket.

The person motivated by the money may have the extra brain cells to help with their studies and their love of money could drive their motivation and study discipline and keep them focused on their studies -- while the "super geek" wastes their study time designing the great game machine they're going to build someday.

Then there are the "soft skills" -- but I'd guess you don't really care much about those (or any employer looking for those skills).

If I had to choose between working with a person who got into IT because of the money and a had a good personality and an uber-geek with the personality of a dish rag..... I guess I'd want to know if the uber-geek ever did any actual work or just talked about how great they were all day before I could decide.

fleck

Do others think you're a natural-born mega geek? Or is it just you?

Everyone I've ever known and worked with has been impressed with my knowledge on technical subjects. I can't think of a single family member or friend who didn't call me first when it came to computer problems. That's not to say that I can hack the planet or infiltrate a Gibson, but I did smurf suckas.

Kaminsky

fleck wrote: »

Everyone I've ever known and worked with has been impressed with my knowledge on technical subjects. I can't think of a single family member or friend who didn't call me first when it came to computer problems.

You could probably say the very same thing of the thousands of members on these forums to be honest.

IT people are usually called geeks by those not in the industry so you could pretty much call every one here a "geek". Here most folks either want to get into the industry or, mostly are already in the industry.


I don't understand what was the point of your origional post other than to try and make yourself stand out from the croud. I'm not going negative on you but I really cannot see the point of the question. I know people who love doing certs just to keep their brain going and for fun. I know another guy without a qualification to his name who, by popular opinion in the large IT corporate I work for, could sit a CCIE lab tomorrow with no study and pass without difficulty. I've spoken with this guy a few times and I believe them.

Certs are just certs. A temporary indication that you have learnt a certain level of knowledge about that particular subject. There is no short cut to them. There is no trick or mystical force that will make it easier for one person to do them over another person other than hard work, constant dedication and aptitude.. You just have to crack on and study them.

The potential exams you are hoping to do in this next year won't be easy. Even if you are considered knowledgable, you WILL have gaps in that knowledge and they will cause you to fail unless you study properly. I would suggest forgetting everything you know/don't know and just take the material at face value and not second geussing it or you will just be wasting your time.

On the subject of wasting time, how much of you study time do you think you have wasted by constantly replying to this thread which doesn't seem to be going anywhere other than turning into a slanging match and irritating the forum regulars who have spent months and sometimes years trying to give genuine advice. You have also started another thread about how you are getting negative feedback hits over comments you are making in this thread.

With all this forum agrevating you are doing, how do you hope to get any study done at all?


Incidentally. I am not a writer and I don't think I am "prosey", I just write until I get the point I am trying to make across.