Should I pick up some more certs while going to school?

Armymanis

SO I am currently working for a 4 month contract job in IT, which ends September 16th. We are currently mostly dealing with different types of HP computer hardware and installing them for users. I am going back to school full time starting september 19th. I am finishing up my AA and moving onto my bachelors degree in IT and Administrative management.

I currently hold an A+ certification under my belt, and was having a hard time deciding whether to pick up an extra cert when I am going to school. I would be more apt to finish the cert, but the main problem is would it still be current when i graduate in 2-3 years? I most likely wont be graduating until I am 23 or 24. I have to finish all my breadth and basic for CWU as well as finish my AA in Technical Support (only one class left). All of that should take me a year. Then after that I should be doing at least 2 years of CWU university ciriculum for my Bachelors.

By that time my A+ will be 4 years old and I may have to renew anyway even if it's a lifetime cert. Should I pick up some more certs while going to school or just forget about it until i finish college?

My goal is to become a system admin by the time I am 50. Right now I am starting to doubt myself on whether I will even be able to considering people have a hard time getting out of Help Desk.

AND NO I WILL NOT BE WORKING SO DON'T EVEN SUGGEST IT! I cannot handle a full university load and work at the same time. I will though be working at the IT company I currently work for in the summertime if they have any projects going on.

lordy

You are working on a cert, it's called your Diploma

Take it easy, I don't think it makes much sense to work on certs if you cannot put their knowledge and value to work. I didn't get my first cert until I was 25 so there is absolutely no hurry, believe me.

Armymanis

lordy wrote: »

You are working on a cert, it's called your Diploma

Take it easy, I don't think it makes much sense to work on certs if you cannot put their knowledge and value to work. I didn't get my first cert until I was 25 so there is absolutely no hurry, believe me.

Thanks dude. I am just stressing because theres so little time and age 50 will come up quicker then i think.

lordy

I don't see why you are planning for 50.

At the speed you currently move you will be a sys-admin at 30, 35 tops.

50 is where you should be ready to retire (rich)

Tackle

Armymanis wrote: »

I most likely wont be graduating until I am 23 or 24.
My goal is to become a system admin by the time I am 50.
AND NO I WILL NOT BE WORKING SO DON'T EVEN SUGGEST IT! .

In 26 or 27 years I don't even know if there will be such a thing as a system admin. That is a loooong time in the technical world. Shoot for getting a higher level job by the time you are 26-30.

You make me laugh when you say you can't work and go to school at the same time. But, each to his own.

Armymanis

LucasMN wrote: »

In 26 or 27 years I don't even know if there will be such a thing as a system admin. That is a loooong time in the technical world. Shoot for getting a higher level job by the time you are 26-30.

You make me laugh when you say you can't work and go to school at the same time. But, each to his own.

I've been working and going to school for 3 years and i am sick of working for awhile. Time to get this stuff done!

mattlee09

Armymanis wrote: »

I would be more apt to finish the cert, but the main problem is would it still be current when i graduate in 2-3 years? I most likely wont be graduating until I am 23 or 24.

If done right, and you continue being involved in projects and continuing education/work experience here and there, I wouldn't worry with renewing your A+/Comptia entry level certs.

For a sysadmin, just latch onto something your passionate about and learn it. After you have the knowledge, you can take the actual exams at your leisure.

You can research the MCSE (Server 03) vs. MCITP 08 debates. There are several great threads that discuss whether the MCSE is still a relevant cert or track to begin with 8 years later. So the 2-3 year timeline to your graduation certainly doesn't seem like a far shot for MCITP. And again, cert or no-cert, the knowledge gained will be in some way applicable to past and future MS products.

Armymanis

Ok, I am just really enthusastic about IT and want to get very far ahead and do not want to be stuck. It has been a real pleasure doing this 4 month contract job because I've learned a lot about the different types of HP hardware. I just need to work on school and get it done.

lordy

I think the "get it done" attitude will get you very far. That's the kind of drive you need, to finish diplomas, certs and projects.

Don't worry too much about what will be in 10 or even 20 years. Try to make the most out of 2011, then 2012, etc. Set yourself goals for the next two or three years and then redefine them over time. Write them down and stick them were you see them every day. That what helps me keep the focus.

mattlee09

Armymanis wrote: »

Ok, I am just really enthusastic about IT and want to get very far ahead and do not want to be stuck. It has been a real pleasure doing this 4 month contract job because I've learned a lot about the different types of HP hardware. I just need to work on school and get it done.

Definitely, haha. As far as school, it'll come in time, no way around that.

If your still anxious, you can certainly focus that enthusiasm and concentrate on practical knowledge (either through certs or just following a certs path) or meeting with others that share your passion. Last year I had a high school student interested in IT 'shadow' me for a day for his career day, so you could always look at doing something like that, or just volunteering your time to assist with things in return for the key experience you'd receive.

Armymanis

mattlee09 wrote: »

Definitely, haha. As far as school, it'll come in time, no way around that.

If your still anxious, you can certainly focus that enthusiasm and concentrate on practical knowledge (either through certs or just following a certs path) or meeting with others that share your passion. Last year I had a high school student interested in IT 'shadow' me for a day for his career day, so you could always look at doing something like that, or just volunteering your time to assist with things in return for the key experience you'd receive.

yeah i've done 6 months of IT volunteer experience. Since it was required for my degree to work in a computer lab, I actually paid $1000 to get 6 months of volunteer experience fixing broken desktops, replacing hardware, and installing and configuring operating systems like Windows XP, Vista, 7, and Windows Server 2008.

I am wondering if programming is what I am looking for. Can you still go into programming even after you have gotten an IT degree, even though it is not computer science? I plan on gettinga bachelors in Information Technology and administrative management. I know I may want to be a manager of something one day. But right now I am trying to decide what to do.

mattlee09

Armymanis wrote: »

yeah i've done 6 months of IT volunteer experience. Since it was required for my degree to work in a computer lab, I actually paid $1000 to get 6 months of volunteer experience fixing broken desktops, replacing hardware, and installing and configuring operating systems like Windows XP, Vista, 7, and Windows Server 2008.

I am wondering if programming is what I am looking for. Can you still go into programming even after you have gotten an IT degree, even though it is not computer science? I plan on gettinga bachelors in Information Technology and administrative management. I know I may want to be a manager of something one day. But right now I am trying to decide what to do.

Of course, anything is possible

However, I think it would be difficult to compete for entry-level programming jobs against those with CS degrees, especially depending on your location. And depending on which languages you know/learn/specialize in.

I'm sure someone else can elaborate much more than myself in regards to programming.

Armymanis

mattlee09 wrote: »

Of course, anything is possible

However, I think it would be difficult to compete for entry-level programming jobs against those with CS degrees, especially depending on your location. And depending on which languages you know/learn/specialize in.

I'm sure someone else can elaborate much more than myself in regards to programming.

yeah i may just do programming for fun. If I can grasp the concept. I am really more interested in the insides of the pc and the software plus servers.