Advice on IT certifcations

Hey, I was wondering if you guys could give me some advice on what IT certifications I should pursue first. I've always enjoyed IT, and I had planned on getting a CIS degree but opted instead for a Marketing degree. Now that I'm out of college, I can't find a job and I thought it would be a good idea to shore up my business side with some nice IT certifications that might open some doors. I've also started my own business before that was web based.

I've grown up with computers and the internet so it's not a problem for me to teach myself programming languages or something if I need to. Problem for me is I don't even know where to begin in terms of what certifications I should pursue and what's really in demand right now. I'm also teaching myself the Japanese language right now and plan to go to Japan at some point. For someone who wants to pursue international business from an IT standpoint, what would you guys recommend? Also, where do you recommend obtaining the certifications from? Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Sean

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pml1

Hi Sean, welcome to TE!

Your story sounds a lot like mine. I started out in college with a CIS/CS major, and then ended up graduating with a BBA in Marketing...and now I'm working in I.T. It sounds like you're wanting to acquire some IT certifications to complement your Business skills, as opposed to moving into a full blown IT career path. Am I interpreting that correctly?

If you were wanting to move into an IT career, I'd recommend the typical A+/Network+/Security+ path to start with, otherwise, it really depends on what your career goals are. It sounds like (on paper at least) you'd be in a great position to go into technical sales. In that case, you could look into certifying in a technology product you think you'd be interested in selling.

SeanL82

I'd actually prefer to be in IT at this point. I'm not a big fan of sales, even though in face to face sales I'd do really well. You can also make big money doing software sales like you said. The issue with that is that it doesn't really transfer to Japan which is where I plan to be in 3 years. Also, the more I think about it, the more I feel like I'm really suited to IT. I memorize things really fast so basically anything is on the table in terms of certifications.

So I start off with A+/Network+/Security+ then? Any recommendations on where I should get the certification from? Thanks for the advice and fast reply!

Sean

pml1

If you're a self-starter, and good at teaching yourself, I'd recommend self-study for the A+, Network+, and Security+ exams. From what I understand, the material is fairly straightforward, and there are some great books available for studying, also there are some really good learning resources on TE for those. That way, you study for the exams at your own pace, and then you take the exam when you're ready.

I've heard very good things about these books for A+, Network+, and Security+.

From those exams, you're get a good foundation of IT knowledge. From there, it will entirely depend on what you want to do in your career. If you like the networking concepts, in network+, you may want to look into Cisco certification, if you like the idea of Windows support/administration, the MCTS/MCITP route would serve you well.

And if you have no idea at this point, that's ok too. I didn't have a clue where I wanted to go in IT when I first started. Hopefully, studying for the first 3 will introduce you to a lot of new topics and help you decide what you're interested in.

Best of luck!

SeanL82

Thanks! I'll definitely self study them. I've never actually listened to instructors or anything in the past so it's better to just teach myself. I'll definitely take a look at those books. At this point I have no idea where to go in IT, I didn't think it would even be possible to break into it since I got a marketing degree and not an IT degree until I read this board. I'm totally energized to go this route now. Thanks for all the advice!

Sean

pml1

It won't be easy, but it definitely can be done.

While you're studying, it would be a great idea to try to find IT volunteer opportunities and try to connect with some IT professionals in your area. Having "volunteer" experience is better than none at all, and it's always a good idea to know people in your industry when you're trying to find a job.

Keep us posted on your progress!

Turgon

SeanL82 wrote: »

I'd actually prefer to be in IT at this point. I'm not a big fan of sales, even though in face to face sales I'd do really well. You can also make big money doing software sales like you said. The issue with that is that it doesn't really transfer to Japan which is where I plan to be in 3 years. Also, the more I think about it, the more I feel like I'm really suited to IT. I memorize things really fast so basically anything is on the table in terms of certifications.

So I start off with A+/Network+/Security+ then? Any recommendations on where I should get the certification from? Thanks for the advice and fast reply!

Sean

Have you done sales? Do you know you would do really well? Selling anything right now is difficult. Times are hard and there is a big experienced global salesforce out there.

The Japanese spin is interesting. Aside from learning the language ( a must ) what do you plan to do out there? That should guide your certification options to some extent!

SeanL82

I've done retail and I've been a tennis instructor for 7 years so I'm very good at talking on top of the fact that I can teach myself anything in existence. Maybe I'm over confident, and bordering on arrogant, but I haven't been proven wrong yet. My father made his living selling construction equipment so I also have coaching.

To be honest, I didn't even think it was possible to jump into IT because I was a marketing major, so I don't really know at this point. I plan to research stuff over the coming month or so and look at some of the options out there. By the way, what's a reasonable time frame for taking and passing the 3 certifications (A+, Network+, Security+) you think?

pml1

SeanL82 wrote: »

By the way, what's a reasonable time frame for taking and passing the 3 certifications (A+, Network+, Security+) you think?

That's a tricky question because it depends largely on how much time you have available to study, how much you already know about the subjects, and how quickly you learn.

If you learn quickly, have a lot of free time, and already have some knowledge of the subjects, you could possibly prep in a couple of weeks. If you're starting from scratch and have less free time, it could take a month or longer.

A friend of mine is currently studying for network+ and plans to spend about 2-3 weeks preparing...but he's currently unemployed and very technically savvy already.

SeanL82

2 weeks is what I was planning on actually. Any tips for the test?

SrSysAdmin

SeanL82 wrote: »

Also, the more I think about it, the more I feel like I'm really suited to IT. I memorize things really fast so basically anything is on the table in terms of certifications.

If that's what you think is needed to succeed in IT (memorization), then I suggest doing some more research before choosing this field.

Memorization may be enough to get some of the entry-level certs, but you'll quickly learn that if you aren't technically inclined, you will have a hard time understanding the technologies you'll be working with.

You may do well at IT sales where you don't really need to have a firm grasp on how the technologies work, but if you want truly be technical you'll need to humble yourself and realize that at this very moment...you don't know squat and you are going to have to bust your ass studying and working hard from now until retirement to move up in the IT world.

The above isn't to say that I'm any better than you. I am 3 years into the field, and learned early on that I didn't know squat

Every time I think I am doing well and really excelling, I meet somebody whose knowledge makes me a feel like a novice all over again.

IT is a rewarding (both financially and emotionally) field, but the rewards will not come without hard work. Simply memorizing facts is not good enough. If memorization is your thing, sales may be a great field for you. You can memorize a few statistics about the products you are selling, and let your talking do the rest.

Whichever you choose, I wish you the best of luck!

SeanL82

I'm very technically inclined. That's the least of my worries. I've been fixing issues on people's computers since I was 12. The reason I got out of computers when I went to college is that I got burned out on them. I couldn't at that time see myself spending my life behind one. I'm well aware of the fact that memorization only goes so far. After all, you can't simply memorize everything in a foreign language and expect to comprehend its meaning when used in a sentence. The cool thing about reading this A+ book is that I get to see terms and stuff from the older computers in the mid 90s that I grew up on but I never knew what the terms were or why things worked. I just naturally knew how to fix them when they broke. Also, I'm fully aware that reading a book really doesn't do much in terms of experience.

Turgon

SeanL82 wrote: »

I'm very technically inclined. That's the least of my worries. I've been fixing issues on people's computers since I was 12. The reason I got out of computers when I went to college is that I got burned out on them. I couldn't at that time see myself spending my life behind one. I'm well aware of the fact that memorization only goes so far. After all, you can't simply memorize everything in a foreign language and expect to comprehend its meaning when used in a sentence. The cool thing about reading this A+ book is that I get to see terms and stuff from the older computers in the mid 90s that I grew up on but I never knew what the terms were or why things worked. I just naturally knew how to fix them when they broke. Also, I'm fully aware that reading a book really doesn't do much in terms of experience.

Ultimately the *best* learning comes through doing. In terms of memorisation it can help to some extent with tests, but to enrich the *doing* process of field work you really want to be thinking technologies through carefully when studying for a certification. This does requires time and effort. The benefits are clear though. It makes the process of doing the certification richer and more useful when considering alternatives and solutions in the field as you are more aware of capabilities and at least in theory how things really work.

SeanL82

Well so far, I've done most the things the A+ exam covers. It basically just gives more detail and definitions to things I've done before. I would like to get a job as a tech somewhere though once I get these 3 certs so I can begin getting some field work while I work on my main certifications later on. Still trying to think of what area I want to go into.