How should a recent grad begin with certs?

tjb122982

I should explain my situation first. In December, I graduated with a Master of Library Science and Master of Information; library science qualifies me to be a librarian and information is for IT work but my classes were more theory based with a little Access + XHTML/CSS training. In case if you were wondering, my undergraduate education is History and Political Science.

At the moment, I am working at my old undergrad library as a unpaid intern working the reference desk looking for librarian gigs but the problem is that employment in the public sector isn't really looking so great now. I am also interested in networking and system admin jobs in preferably a higher education, government or non-profit setting.

I'll get to the point, I don't have a lot of technical experience in the "real world," outside of my house and I'm wondering where should I begin.

Should I begin with A+, then work on Network+/Security+, or am I "too advanced" for these and work on let's say a MCSE or CCNA?

veritas_libertas

Welcome to TE!

I am once again amazed by how many different backgrounds we have on this board The first question I would ask you is what do you really want to do? You don't want to start on certifications if you don't have a plan where you want to be in the future. Some common paths in IT include:

• Network Administration (Network Infrastructure: Cisco, Juniper, etc.)
• System Administration (Servers)
• Desktop Support (Troubleshooting problems for users)
• Security (VERY BROAD: Forensics, Network, etc., etc.)

NetworkingStudent

tjb122982 wrote: »

I should explain my situation first. In December, I graduated with a Master of Library Science and Master of Information; library science qualifies me to be a librarian and information is for IT work but my classes were more theory based with a little Access + XHTML/CSS training. In case if you were wondering, my undergraduate education is History and Political Science.

At the moment, I am working at my old undergrad library as a unpaid intern working the reference desk looking for librarian gigs but the problem is that employment in the public sector isn't really looking so great now. I am also interested in networking and system admin jobs in preferably a higher education, government or non-profit setting.

I'll get to the point, I don't have a lot of technical experience in the "real world," outside of my house and I'm wondering where should I begin.

Should I begin with A+, then work on Network+/Security+, or am I "too advanced" for these and work on let's say a MCSE or CCNA?

I suggest doing the A+,Network+, and then the Security+, because these exams cover the basic IT entry level skills. Also, this year is the last year that Comp tia will award life time certifications. I found these three websites that might make your decision a little easier.
Microsoft Learning Career Finder Wizard
Microsoft Learning: Career Portal
Microsoft Learning Career Portal: Professional Career Chart
I hope this helps