I'm at a big crossroad.

djfunz

Hello everyone. As some of you might know, I'm over here in Germany and currently working in a Junior Systems Admin / Desktop Support role. I have been with the company for about a year and we're finally upgrading our servers and switches along with migrating to Windows 7. I'm in a branch office and there's only myself and the other Systems Admin. The Security, Data and NOC teams are in another branch limiting my exposure to other areas in this vast world of IT. Like I mentioned, I just started my career in IT a year ago and have so much to learn. Heck, I can't even say with certainty yet which field I want to pursue in. There are so many choices and during my time with the company and my self studying, I'm finally starting to see and understand what those choices are. So here's my crossroad.

I just finished the study material for the Network + exam and I like what I've learned so far. Subnetting was a beast to grasp the concept of, but overall I get it now. Routing and Switching basics are also finally a little clearer. So the question is, what do I pursue from here? I don't have a lot of money because I'm making an interns salary at the moment. 633€ a month before taxes. 500€ after. It's quite honesty starting to put a bit of a strain on the relationship between my girlfriend and I. So I'm thinking of skipping the Network + exam altogether. It's a lot of money for that exam. I did some extensive reading today and educated myself on the CCENT exam. A nice entry exam into the networking world which can payoff a lot better long term than Network +. After a successful run with that I could pursue the CCNA.

I also have the option to pursue the MCITP and to be perfectly honest, this sparks my interest as well. Server 2008 with AD and virtual machines seems like a lot of fun. That is a however a 5 exam beast. Not cheap and probably takes a lot of time as well. So if Mr. Djfunz wishes to make himself as marketable as possible, in the shortest amount of time, how does he do it? He needs to find a job in the states as soon as possible and start making some real money. He already has some experience as stated earlier in a Junior Systems Admin / Desktop Support role. This makes me reluctant to go to a Help Desk role as I'm sure all of you could imagine because I wouldn't get much if any hands on experience with my acquired CCNA or MCITP knowledge.

Sorry for the long post but I'm just looking for some insight on my current situation since it's a bit unique being overseas and all. What would some of the more experienced members here recommend? I thank everyone again in advance for the time taken to read this and any suggestions that will be given.

idr0p

I say complete a entry level cert for all the domains you are looking to pursue. I would also staying away from vendor specific, which is why Networking + then going for Security + may be your best option. As for the financial strain. It is not a race you know how much the exams cost, take your time and budget.

Turgon

djfunz wrote: »

Hello everyone. As some of you might know, I'm over here in Germany and currently working in a Junior Systems Admin / Desktop Support role. I have been with the company for about a year and we're finally upgrading our servers and switches along with migrating to Windows 7. I'm in a branch office and there's only myself and the other Systems Admin. The Security, Data and NOC teams are in another branch limiting my exposure to other areas in this vast world of IT. Like I mentioned, I just started my career in IT a year ago and have so much to learn. Heck, I can't even say with certainty yet which field I want to pursue in. There are so many choices and during my time with the company and my self studying, I'm finally starting to see and understand what those choices are. So here's my crossroad.

I just finished the study material for the Network + exam and I like what I've learned so far. Subnetting was a beast to grasp the concept of, but overall I get it now. Routing and Switching basics are also finally a little clearer. So the question is, what do I pursue from here? I don't have a lot of money because I'm making an interns salary at the moment. 633€ a month before taxes. 500€ after. It's quite honesty starting to put a bit of a strain on the relationship between my girlfriend and I. So I'm thinking of skipping the Network + exam altogether. It's a lot of money for that exam. I did some extensive reading today and educated myself on the CCENT exam. A nice entry exam into the networking world which can payoff a lot better long term than Network +. After a successful run with that I could pursue the CCNA.

I also have the option to pursue the MCITP and to be perfectly honest, this sparks my interest as well. Server 2008 with AD and virtual machines seems like a lot of fun. That is a however a 5 exam beast. Not cheap and probably takes a lot of time as well. So if Mr. Djfunz wishes to make himself as marketable as possible, in the shortest amount of time, how does he do it? He needs to find a job in the states as soon as possible and start making some real money. He already has some experience as stated earlier in a Junior Systems Admin / Desktop Support role. This makes me reluctant to go to a Help Desk role as I'm sure all of you could imagine because I wouldn't get much if any hands on experience with my acquired CCNA or MCITP knowledge.

Sorry for the long post but I'm just looking for some insight on my current situation since it's a bit unique being overseas and all. What would some of the more experienced members here recommend? I thank everyone again in advance for the time taken to read this and any suggestions that will be given.

You are essentially locked out of the core systems which are centrally located. This was a trend I saw developing circa 2001 and I feared for the new people entering the industry as there would be less hands on opportunities for folks who wanted to learn things and move up the ladder. In otherwords, working for a single company no matter how big the network would be a cul de sac where increasingly the systems would be centralised or outsourced. With a few exceptions I was right about that as the following 10 years elapsed. In fact I will go further. In 1999 I saw 'consultants' come into our shop and redesign the network I was supporting. I decide then that I needed to move to a shop where I would have full control of the infrastructure with no consultants so I could get the experience and then move into design work so I could be a consultant. Your personal situation may necessitate you moving to the states but with your experience I wouldn't go out of your way to do it if you have a choice. Lots of competition for few jobs. As for making real money in the states, it just isn't there at the level you are pitching at. My advice is to nuke the CCNA and try and get some work in Europe with a Cisco Partner or other vendor integrator or an outsourcer. Expect long hours, pressure and impossible learning requirements both on the job and at home, but if you can hack that for 12 months you will be very employable in the EU or the US. Good luck!

djfunz

Turgon wrote: »

You are essentially locked out of the core systems which are centrally located. This was a trend I saw developing circa 2001 and I feared for the new people entering the industry as there would be less hands on opportunities for folks who wanted to learn things and move up the ladder. In otherwords, working for a single company no matter how big the network would be a cul de sac where increasingly the systems would be centralised or outsourced. With a few exceptions I was right about that as the following 10 years elapsed. In fact I will go further. In 1999 I saw 'consultants' come into our shop and redesign the network I was supporting. I decide then that I needed to move to a shop where I would have full control of the infrastructure with no consultants so I could get the experience and then move into design work so I could be a consultant. Your personal situation may necessitate you moving to the states but with your experience I wouldn't go out of your way to do it if you have a choice. Lots of competition for few jobs. As for making real money in the states, it just isn't there at the level you are pitching at. My advice is to nuke the CCNA and try and get some work in Europe with a Cisco Partner or other vendor integrator or an outsourcer. Expect long hours, pressure and impossible learning requirements both on the job and at home, but if you can hack that for 12 months you will be very employable in the EU or the US. Good luck!

Well I suppose I should clarify exactly what I mean by "real" money. At this point only taking home 500€ a month, I would be happy starting out with $30,000 - $35,000 a year. Certainly a big jump from what I'm making at the moment. Being that CCENT is not a big jump from Network+ and I'm finished with that material, I don't see a huge learning curve. The ICND2 however could take some more time.