MCSA: Essential Skills

Since I'll be finishing up my last class (and cert) towards my MCSA this quarter I thought I'd address a question to those who've worked in the field.
What skills do you consider fundemental to a Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator? Those core skills you could consider essential for rookies and veterians alike.
For me, System Admin will play second fiddle to my primary skillset; Satellite & RF Communications. With my current employment, my Sys Admin work is limited to resetting accounts and adding new accounts. I have to actively seek out practice at home; I'm just not able to do alot of Server work with my current job. Our Servers are merely for our own office.
So I'm hoping to keep my skills honed by practicing the vital skills on my own.
What skills do you consider fundemental to a Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator? Those core skills you could consider essential for rookies and veterians alike.
For me, System Admin will play second fiddle to my primary skillset; Satellite & RF Communications. With my current employment, my Sys Admin work is limited to resetting accounts and adding new accounts. I have to actively seek out practice at home; I'm just not able to do alot of Server work with my current job. Our Servers are merely for our own office.
So I'm hoping to keep my skills honed by practicing the vital skills on my own.
Comments
DHCP management is also key where I work. I think if you have a good grasp on those topics then you will be able to do most stuff expected of a MCSA.
I agree with most of this. The MCSA is setting you up to work as a jr systems administrator, which I think is to mainly just hold down the fort while the big guy is away and to do the mundane tasks that the big guy has decided that he is too good for.
I would like to add wsus for deploying updates, and expand on the GPO thing to make sure to include software distribution.
While many companies don't use RRAS, the concept is the same across the board. Every company is going to use RRAS in some form or another, they might just opt to use Cisco or a different vendor to do it with.
I also agree with this. But I believe the theory you pickup in the study of RRAS is applicable to all other technologies regardless of vendor, so pay attention to it.