Confused

howiehandles

I know that I should do what I like to do, but I find interest in both directions, meaning MS and Cisco.

Part of me wouldn't mind working on the LAN, but then again, there's probably more green in Cisco, at least once you get into VP,NP, SP, DP, etc.

I'm interested in Voice and Security, and from what I've heard, the hours are probably more stable doing things on the network end, maybe I heard wrong.

Anywho, I'm considering MS, because my new job, although its not entirely I.T., we use our I.T. skills to help production, as well as troubleshoot a bit on the wireless network. I find myself configuring and troubleshooting connectivity with wireless scanners, and printers. CWNA is something I've also considered.

can someone give me an idea, other than going on sites such as Indeed, what the market is for the CCNA vs MCITP vs CWNA (which I would expect is a supplementary cert).

Thanks

networker050184

Looking for a market for a certain certification is kind of pointless. There are so many other factors that come into play.

Anyway, your odds of finding a job with the CCNA or MCTIP (and corresponding experience) are probably about the same. The CWNA seems to be a less sought after certification though from what I've seen.

howiehandles

Maybe I should have rephrased my question/concern. I'm not going to base my cert studies entirely on the market, but more so if one market is inordinately flooded with a particular skill set/cert, I would rather lean towards the market that is more available.

In a perfect world, I'm sure it would be best to have both areas covered. What I guess I'm really asking is, is Cisco still worth pursuing, and does the MCITP have a growing market. I understand that they're both the big dogs in the respective markets, but is the CCNA job market flooded, and the MCITP going to take off? I've got exp in both arenas, but have not focused on either one. What I do now is more LAN, but I have more WAN background.

networker050184

The flooding of a market is going to depend on the supply and demand of your particular area. Its really hard for us to tell you that without knowing where you are.

There are jobs growing in both fields across the country if thats what you want to know. Picking either path will most likely lead to career opportunities.

You will also want to think of it in terms of "systems" and "network" career opportunities rather than CCNA or MCTIP careers. In demand certifications will change over time.

howiehandles

Yeah, I pretty much know that. Just not up to date on the markets, other than through job boards, and those don't always give an accurate read.

It all comes down to what I want to do. I really have no aspirations of becoming a CCIE. But want to pick a path that will allow some quality of life, especially with 2 kids. I understand there will be special projects, OT, and busy times in every field. From what I understand too, LAN admin work is a lot of crazy hours, and the network end is probably more stable. Would you be of a similar opinion?

networker050184

howiehandles wrote: »

From what I understand too, LAN admin work is a lot of crazy hours, and the network end is probably more stable. Would you be of a similar opinion?

Not at all of the same opinion. Whether it is a system or the network itself someone is going to be woken up if it breaks.

rogue2shadow

In the end, you should do what you love but family does come first. In terms of Cisco vs. Microsoft, I have chosen to "major and minor" them kind of like when you get a college degree. You could go CCNA-->CC*P and get maybe an MCITP:SA vs EA (assuming you love Cisco and work with it regularly) or vice versa (only CCNA and MCITP:EA). When it comes to hours, it varies by company and the responsibilities will vary as well; you may have a person titled as a "network administrator" but he actually is an analyst and works only 5 days a week. Don't let "hours" disway you from approaching that field as a whole because even if you take a job that has horrible hours to start, you can always move to another company or move up within the company once you feel you have acquired the experience you wanted/fulfill the requirements for the step up.

howiehandles

rogue2shadow wrote: »

In the end, you should do what you love but family does come first. In terms of Cisco vs. Microsoft, I have chosen to "major and minor" them kind of like when you get a college degree. You could go CCNA-->CC*P and get maybe an MCITP:SA vs EA (assuming you love Cisco and work with it regularly) or vice versa (only CCNA and MCITP:EA). When it comes to hours, it varies by company and the responsibilities will vary as well; you may have a person titled as a "network administrator" but he actually is an analyst and works only 5 days a week. Don't let "hours" disway you from approaching that field as a whole because even if you take a job that has horrible hours to start, you can always move to another company or move up within the company once you feel you have acquired the experience you wanted/fulfill the requirements for the step up.

Good point. I have a tendancey to follow the money, when the money is there if you're good at what you do. And really, less money and happiness is better than the opposite.