Certifirambling

Sabalo

So, the year is all but wrapped up for me. I've read something like 20 certification books, installed something like 50 Windows Server labs (some server OSes, some client OSes, a single Linux distro, and an evil Windows 98SE install,) taken 16 tests, failed (and passed on the second go) one.

I also knocked out ITIL after being told what an easy test it is. Read the book, watched the videos... ....sorry, I was falling asleep thinking about it... and squished the test in something like 15 minutes.

That's it, I think. I'm done. I fly back to the states in December for a visit. Next year I am sure I will pick back up, but for now? I'm being lazy, reactivating my devant social skills, and anticipating vacation.

I do have plans for next year, though. Nefarious plans. Plans of evil.

Oh, and CCNA Security. People seem to be having much difficulty with CCNA, so I am somewhat intrigued. Is it really that bad? I'm not a network guy (yet) so hard to say.

Maybe... maybe CISSP. We'll see. I'd also like to do Linux, but I've been putting that off since 2006. Maybe 2011 will be the year. CEH is also tempting, but (aside from social engineering) my hack fu is weak.

Also have that pesky Bachelors Degree to mess with, complete with venue change. I'm not feeling AMU, so UMUC is likely to get my money instead. I was told I should look at a Masters Degree but if I'm to do that, why not go Doctor? I mean... what's the point in spending all that money if you can't get pissy when someone says Mister instead of Doctor?

I'm weird.

Forgive the early morning (for me) rant... I've got nothing left to do for a month!

Sabalo

...so I got bored and took Exin's IT Security Fundamentals test.

I think I am an addict, at this point.

erpadmin

Sabalo wrote: »

Also have that pesky Bachelors Degree to mess with, complete with venue change. I'm not feeling AMU, so UMUC is likely to get my money instead. I was told I should look at a Masters Degree but if I'm to do that, why not go Doctor? I mean... what's the point in spending all that money if you can't get pissy when someone says Mister instead of Doctor?

Having it Piled high and Deep is nice...I myself have always wanted to yell at folks that I'm Dr. ERPadmin, even though I can't fill out a prescription or am otherwise useless in all things outside of academia...LMAO.

Not sure if you looked in PhD programs, but many of them require you to have a fulltime residency and you have to live off some low stipend during your program. You can't have a fulltime job...your PhD is your fulltime gig...and you're PAYING for it...up until dissertation defense.

There are programs like those at NYU that will let you have a career while going for the PhD...but that's gotta be costly and time consuming to boot.

Having a Masters, I think is good enough. You can still be a Professor with one if you go the adjuncting route--easiest three hours a week, ever...lol.

Sabalo

erpadmin wrote: »

Having it Piled high and Deep is nice...I myself have always wanted to yell at folks that I'm Dr. ERPadmin, even though I can't fill out a prescription or am otherwise useless in all things outside of academia...LMAO.

Not sure if you looked in PhD programs, but many of them require you to have a fulltime residency and you have to live off some low stipend during your program. You can't have a fulltime job...your PhD is your fulltime gig...and you're PAYING for it...up until dissertation defense.

There are programs like those at NYU that will let you have a career while going for the PhD...but that's gotta be costly and time consuming to boot.

Having a Masters, I think is good enough. You can still be a Professor with one if you go the adjuncting route--easiest three hours a week, ever...lol.

Heh. Let's pretend for a moment that I am a mercenary and that it is possible that once I am done mercing, i will have enough money to not have to concern myself with stuff like incomes and jobs.

Give me a decade and I'll be that guy. Promise!

erpadmin

Sabalo wrote: »

Heh. Let's pretend for a moment that I am a mercenary and that it is possible that once I am done mercing, i will have enough money to not have to concern myself with stuff like incomes and jobs.

Give me a decade and I'll be that guy. Promise!

One of my younger fraternity brothers (nice young guy) did defense contracting after his service was up (in Iraq, no less). He had all the time (and money) in the world to do stuff like go to class and pledge a national fraternity (just because he could and wanted the contacts a fraternity our size can provide him). So I totally get what you're saying...sounds like you are in the same boat he was.

I'm not saying don't be a PhD, but was just saying if you did want a fulltime job, it'd be very difficult to do it while working in your program. Believe me, if you want to do it, you should definitely go for it as it seems like you have a good amount of options, like my friend did. He's currently in some neuroscience program and he's probably going to finish his joint BS/MS program very soon, if he's not done already.

So it's definitely doable, whatever you want to do.

earweed

After reading some recent posts about CEH you would probably not enjoy studying it much (a few posters who had studied it complained that you are studying old technologies) but the CISSP may be up your alley (better if you have the experience and can get the full cert and not just the associate cert).
As for the doctorate you actually may be one of those who can swing it from how you've put it here and from reading some of your other posts. Pick your area of expertise wisely and you should be fine.

Sabalo

earweed wrote: »

After reading some recent posts about CEH you would probably not enjoy studying it much (a few posters who had studied it complained that you are studying old technologies) but the CISSP may be up your alley (better if you have the experience and can get the full cert and not just the associate cert).
As for the doctorate you actually may be one of those who can swing it from how you've put it here and from reading some of your other posts. Pick your area of expertise wisely and you should be fine.

I was thinking of getting a doctorate in Middle Earth histroy.

No, no, not really.

Thanks for the head's up. Even old tech is useful, but I do prefer to learn newer stuff.

joshmadakor

Sabalo wrote: »

It seems as if you're kind of a boss. Did you really take all those MS exams? That's insane. What branch are you in and what do you do if I may ask?

Sabalo

joshmadakor wrote: »

It seems as if you're kind of a boss. Did you really take all those MS exams? That's insane. What branch are you in and what do you do if I may ask?

Thanks!

I really did take all of those exams, yes. My general methodology was: Read the MS Press book, do ALL of the labs, figure out why a lab didn't work the way Microsoft said it should work in the book if it did not work (something that happened often,) look at my own live test network to make adjustments, review the practice tests in the book, review a purchased practice test or two, go in and take the real test.

My time per test varied between 4 days and three weeks.

As for branch... I work WITH the Air Force as a contractor. I do catchall support, from "my machine will not power on" to "the file server just lost connectivity and we do not know why." Basically I cover all tiers of support, as my team is pretty much it.