First time poster, looking for some advice from the experienced

darkknight22

Hey, first time poster, long time lurker. So a quick rundown, I have a BA in Econ/Int Business from USF as well as 2 years experience working as the IT Director for a statewide Governor race.

Anyway, after we lost (sad), I decided to play catch up and banged out the CompTIA trifecta (A, Sec, Net) in one month. To be honest, they were relatively easy since I had experience from the job as IT Director.

I happen to have a family connection that runs an IT bootcamp school that caters to mostly military students but has been letting me sit in on classes for free which is awesome and brings me to my next point.

I would like to go with Security for a specialization but am open to going both the Cisco and Microsoft routes. Seeing as how I'm currently unemployed I'm making the most use of my time getting certs but I feel like I'm nearing the point where I need to get back into the work force.

So should I try for the CCNA? Perhaps even just a CCENT? Or should I just start trying to get jobs now and worry about those later. I don't want to be in a position where I have too much certs and not enough experience to back it up. I know I probably won't be able to get another IT Director position because the only way I landed that was because I knew the right people and the job was really small, but I don't want to be stuck doing helpdesk or just doing password resets all day.

The biggest thing is that I'm passionate about IT and projects are what really make my job enjoyable.

Thanks!

networker050184

Apply now. Waiting and getting more certifications isn't going to really help. The IT Director for a campaign on your resume will be your most help in getting a job.

mikej412

Ditto on the job.

The odds of IT Career success is based on the maximizing of education, experience and certifications -- with some luck and people/networking skills tossed into the mix.

You've got the education and the past experience. You've got some certifications. I'm guessing you have some people skills and some good connections -- and I'm sure you probably have some luck laying around too.

I'd say your weakest link right now is that you're not in the game getting more experience -- and ultimately Experience is King.

Unless you are targeting a job with a Microsoft or Cisco Partner and want to target a specific Certification or two to maximize your chances for a job, getting back to work is probably the best use of your time. Then fill in any down time in your job search with some Certification study.

What would you like your next job to be? And which certification do you think would help you get it?

darkknight22

That's just it, I'm not picky on the next job. With my previous I wore so many hats that I feel right at home doing everything from playing network admin to doing routers/switches.

I just know the CCNA will be necessary down the road so I was just debating on getting it over with now where I can focus 100% of my time on it or let it come later as needed with jobs.

networker050184

Work on it while you look for a job. Some kind of job to put on the resume is very important. Employers want someone who has been there and done that. Certifications are just the icing on the cake (experience). All the icing in the world isn't going to get you some cake though.