MCITP route advice

New member just joined. Been away from the world of IT for about 7 years now but previously had 11 years working on servers (IBMOS2, Win 3.5 and 4 and 2000), have a couple of MCP's for Windows 2000 (pro and server).

I'm looking to get back into IT after 7 years of running my own company and working in sales, all none IT related. I expect the best route is to bring my skills up to date with an MCITP, so I'm after advice on whether to go for SA or EA purely for improving my employment prospects. Also, if EA do I go win7 or vista?

Apart from writing emails I haven't touched a computer for years so which exam should I start with - was thinking 70-640.

Any thoughts would be welcome

Thanks

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cyberguypr

Welcome aboard. Honestly, I wouldn't bother with Vista. For EA I always suggest this path: 70-640 > 642 > 643 > 647 > 680. My recommendation would be to get a couple of books plus a CBT Nuggets or Trainsignal. Also, a key element is a lab where you can practice all that fun stuff you'll learn. Finally, hit us with questions any time. There's no better resource than this board.

GordyB

Thanks,

I have the 70-640 CBTNuggets and the .pdf of the microsoft press training kit book by Holme, Ruest and Ruest plus some brain **** and old exam questions - enough??

Devilsbane

GordyB wrote: »

Thanks,

I have the 70-640 CBTNuggets and the .pdf of the microsoft press training kit book by Holme, Ruest and Ruest plus some brain **** and old exam questions - enough??

No... Not enough. Brain **** = Cheating. Cheating = Certification revoking. Study the correct way and learn the stuff. Passing a test does no good when you are at work and have no idea what you're doing.

cyberguypr

Devilsbane wrote: »

No... Not enough. Brain **** = Cheating. Cheating = Certification revoking. Study the correct way and learn the stuff. Passing a test does no good when you are at work and have no idea what you're doing.

+1. Drop the ****. You'll only fool yourself.

GordyB

Brain **** = Cheating

OK, not used them before and just thought it was a way of gaining knowledge about what they are testing

So the plan is to go through the nuggets completely then read the book and relook at the nugget as I read each chapter, followed by practice exams and then test. Do I need more material, I used SYBEX books for my MCP's.

I don't have access to a W2k8 server at home or work and my home PC/Laptops are a couple of years old with only small amounts of memory so what is the best way to get a setup to practice this stuff on?

Thanks again for the help

Devilsbane

GordyB wrote: »

OK, not used them before and just thought it was a way of gaining knowledge about what they are testing

So the plan is to go through the nuggets completely then read the book and relook at the nugget as I read each chapter, followed by practice exams and then test. Do I need more material, I used SYBEX books for my MCP's.

I don't have access to a W2k8 server at home or work and my home PC/Laptops are a couple of years old with only small amounts of memory so what is the best way to get a setup to practice this stuff on?

Thanks again for the help

Good for you. Stay away from the junk.

A good book and Nuggets are usually enough. I like doing both at the same time because they go in different orders. So some stuff I see before I read and other stuff I read about first. If you want to get a feel for the test, purchase some practice questions. These aren't brain **** because they haven't been stolen from Microsoft and are written to test your knowledge and give you a feel for the test. They won't put your certifications in jeopardy and they don't make you the black sheep of the IT family.

Always check www.certguard.com to make sure the website you are using is legit.

factory81

I find exams to be an investment that I want to protect. I still practice on **** prior to testing to make sure I am comfortable with the test. If I can't pass a ****, why even pay for the test?

I need to identify what I don't understand. Maybe it isn't the concept of some utility or feature.

I enjoy the resources offered on Techexams for each exam which do a great job of highlighting the main concepts. I think CBT Nuggets elaborate, and finally you should be forced to do something with the technology yourself. So go make a VM and actually use it, play with it, and if possible take it live to see if what you are doing actually is working.

Understanding the concept taught is what is truly important, and memorizing test questions isn't going to offer that experience. But why not protect your investment on that test.

Psoasman

factory81 wrote: »

I find exams to be an investment that I want to protect. I still practice on **** prior to testing to make sure I am comfortable with the test. If I can't pass a ****, why even pay for the test?
Understanding the concept taught is what is truly important, and memorizing test questions isn't going to offer that experience. But why not protect your investment on that test.

You are still cheating, whatever contrived reason you come up with to justify your reason for using ****. Why take the risk of getting caught by Microsoft, CompTIA, or Cisco? Paying $150 and failing a test is bad, getting caught and having all of your certs revoked and being barred from taking any future cert tests is much worse.