Help with certification

Swany

I am currently a junior in college and I am looking to be a system administrator of something related when I finish school in 2011. I do have some experience in servers. Is the MCSA a good certification for me to get? If not what certification do you suggest I get to make myself more marketable when I get done with school?

peanutnoggin

Are you majoring in an IT field? If so, then going straight into the MCSA/MCSE track would be useful. If I were you (and I majored in the IT field), then yes, I would take that route. However, if you're majoring in a non-IT field, I would suggest you start off with some of the CompTIA certs (A+, Net+, Sec+). That's just my opinion... some may differ! I hope this helps...

-Peanut

Swany

I am majoring in I/O psychology and I am getting a minor in Management Information Systems. I eventually want to do IT project management hence the major in I/O but I also want to have that tech background hence the MIS. Thanks for the info!

Jonny70

Are you already doing sys admin work? While certifications will be a good way to increase your market value its important to pair them with real world experience. Getting an internship or job now will help you increase you market value when you leave college.

Echo_7

As Peanut suggested, if you have no certifications what's so ever, the first step should be CompTIA A+, Network+ and Security+.
Second, start with MCSA/MCSE and work your way up as you will need either A+ and Network+ or Security+ in combination with 270, 290, and 291 to be certified as MCSA.

-Echo 7-

netBooger

Here is my .02 cents as a system administrator. The Comptia certs don't mean much and won't hold a lot of weight in the Sys Admin world. Although it is not to say that they are not nice to have.

I would suggest going for your MCSE, but this won't really hold any weight by itself. In today economy you need to have experience to back up your certs otherwise you will have a tough time getting a Sys Admin job.

If you have no experience you will more than likely start out at a helpdesk and work your way up from there which isn't necessarily a bad thing but this is where the Comptia certs will help you. I would say most people start out on helpdesks before becoming Sys Admins but that is because they want you to learn the network before bringing you in as a Jr admin.

So to sum up what I am saying if you can land a Sys Admin job then a cert like the MCSE will help a lot more then the Comptia certs, but if you need to start out at a helpdesk then the Comptia certs are good to have.

Cosmocat

netBooger wrote: »

So to sum up what I am saying if you can land a Sys Admin job then a cert like the MCSE will help a lot more then the Comptia certs, but if you need to start out at a helpdesk then the Comptia certs are good to have.

netBooger - I totally agree on that! When it comes to my story of IT job experince I got support jobs with the CompTIA certs. Then, after MCSA was completed I could apply for more advanced jobs and got better offers. To begin working at a helpdesk or with some support jobs is a start ticket. When you finally have your MCSE then you have more of what it takes as a sys admin.

Also, keep in mind that it doesn't matter how good you are or how many certifications you have if you don't have social personality and can handle the stress that can be a lot for many. I don't intend to put you off, but to be honest, it's a very big difference being responsible for a whole network as admin and doing helpdesk/support jobs. When you are ready to apply for a admin job, apply for jobs that you feel is more a matching against your skills and that you think you can handle.

Set up your home lab and practice, practice and practice (Microsoft's Training KITS + Sybex books are great). You must have hands-on experince and some employers will even let you do a test at the interview to see if you can do the things you said you could do in your CV. Also, make sure you prepare for technical interview questions such as: Explain AD, explain DNS, how do you set up this and that bla, bla....

If you can build your own PC right now you probably could jump right on to Network+ and skipping A+. Then MCSA and MCSE 2003 + some 2008 cert (upgrade cert or so). That will probably do the trick.

Best of luck

Devilsbane

I value my A+ and Net+. I'm not so sure that my employers do, but I do. I learned the material and then proved it with a cert. Also it gave me a confidence boost and made me hungry for more. Lots of people say skip them and just jump right in but I disagree. They are worth the trouble. (And if nothing else gives you something to talk about in an interview. Don't have experience? Well I worked hard and earned these certs, this is how I did it and this is why I would be avaluable asset to your company.)

Cosmocat

humble2007 wrote: »

I value my A+ and Net+. I'm not so sure that my employers do, but I do. I learned the material and then proved it with a cert. Also it gave me a confidence boost and made me hungry for more. Lots of people say skip them and just jump right in but I disagree. They are worth the trouble. (And if nothing else gives you something to talk about in an interview. Don't have experience? Well I worked hard and earned these certs, this is how I did it and this is why I would be avaluable asset to your company.)

humble2007 - I think you are 100% correct. My CompTIA certs also was a confidence boost and made me hungry for more.