Need some expert direction

Darixx

Hey guys,

my name is darixx im 22 years old and have been working in the construction industry as a leading supervisor for the past 2 years.
my real ambition has always been to get into some serious IT career paths though this was hard with my entire family being in construction. i have recently made up my mind to go through a complete career change and come back to what i wanted in the first place.

Problem is a own a house and mortgage so i cant start from the bottom. i had an idea to study for my MCITP with windows server 2008. i have no previous experience with IT work and no previous certifications. so i plan on getting my TIA fundamentals cert and then going to study for (70-640) - (70-642) - (70-646) using the microsoft self paced training guides

am i being unrealistic? will this be too hard for me? i am a big fan of study and self improvement and will devote lots of time towards getting my MCITP but i think i should ask some experts first

Thank you in advance

Slowhand

I think it's an excellent plan, you just have to make sure you set realistic goals based on how much time you can spend studying. Be prepared to spend a month studying a few hours a week for some exams, and several months grabbing every possible moment after work and on the weekends studying for others. You'll have to make sure you lab out as much as possible, do a lot of reading, and go from there; if you're hoping to knock out the MCITP: Enterprise Administrator cert from scratch without any prior IT experience you're probably looking at something like a year or so to complete the journey and not burn yourself out.

As for the actual transition, you might need to make a plan that involves some savings and cutting back on your family-spending in order to make ends meet at first. While it sounds like you already have an impressive resume, you'll need to plan for the possibility of having to start with an IT position that may not pay quite what you're getting now, just in case. Still, you're not exactly a newbie to the working world, so even if you do have to start a little low on the IT totem-pole in order to build your experience, you'll probably find yourself in a good position to move up either within whatever company you end up working for or finding a better position somewhere else. As with any other dramatic life-change, there will be both sacrifices and benefits.

And, of course, welcome to TechExams.

Darixx

thank you and it is excellent advice
though i shouldve been more specific, a fault on my behalf
i want to earn the MCITP:SA not ea.
and like you said my work ethic is excellent i want to get the MCITP:SA and then keep studying whilst working in the industry and hopefully work up a killer resume.

also i am still working as leading supervisor and do not have to give this job up at any time. my plan was to study as much as a could for a year and earn my mcitp:sa and maybe one or two other smaller certs and then go through with the transition.
Am i being to ambitious? is this the wrong way to go about things?

Turgon

Darixx wrote: »

Hey guys,

my name is darixx im 22 years old and have been working in the construction industry as a leading supervisor for the past 2 years.
my real ambition has always been to get into some serious IT career paths though this was hard with my entire family being in construction. i have recently made up my mind to go through a complete career change and come back to what i wanted in the first place.

Problem is a own a house and mortgage so i cant start from the bottom. i had an idea to study for my MCITP with windows server 2008. i have no previous experience with IT work and no previous certifications. so i plan on getting my TIA fundamentals cert and then going to study for (70-640) - (70-642) - (70-646) using the microsoft self paced training guides

am i being unrealistic? will this be too hard for me? i am a big fan of study and self improvement and will devote lots of time towards getting my MCITP but i think i should ask some experts first

Thank you in advance

Look for something parttime that you can fit into your schedule. After a year of that you are no longer a noob in the IT experience stakes. Start to save a fund of money so you have something behind you when you make the leap. You will not be earning the same money when you start out initially. Contact companies direct that provide IT solutions as opposed to approaching big company IT departments. You may find flexible hours and certainly lots of hands on experience helping with rollouts etc. Be prepared to do lots of grunt work.

Darixx

Turgon wrote: »

Look for something parttime that you can fit into your schedule. After a year of that you are no longer a noob in the IT experience stakes. Start to save a fund of money so you have something behind you when you make the leap. You will not be earning the same money when you start out initially. Contact companies direct that provide IT solutions as opposed to approaching big company IT departments. You may find flexible hours and certainly lots of hands on experience helping with rollouts etc. Be prepared to do lots of grunt work.

what are companies that provide IT solutions? and what kind of job could i get now with absoloutly no cert or experience besides putting my own comp together and other basic stuff us uneducated IT freeks love. i use to think i was an IT genius and couldnt wait to be involved in an IT career but when that got shut down i really just never pursued it

Darixx

UPDATE

did a little more research and i decided to take a bit more time and not rush the transition im now going to finish these certs in order:

CompTIA A+
MCITP: windows 7 enterprise desktop support
ITIL foundation V3
CompTIA Network+
MCITP: EA
CCNA
CCNA security
MCITP SA

i know its a long list but with my eithic im confident i can hammer this in a maximum of a year and a half while working full time.
if anyone has any advice or guidence they can offer me concerning this decision i would be extremely greatful and appreciative.

Slowhand

Darixx wrote: »

UPDATE

did a little more research and i decided to take a bit more time and not rush the transition im now going to finish these certs in order:

CompTIA A+
MCITP: windows 7 enterprise desktop support
ITIL foundation V3
CompTIA Network+
MCITP: EA
CCNA
CCNA security
MCITP SA

i know its a long list but with my eithic im confident i can hammer this in a maximum of a year and a half while working full time.
if anyone has any advice or guidence they can offer me concerning this decision i would be extremely greatful and appreciative.

Looks like a good plan, but I'd reverse the order of the MCITP: EA and the MCITP: SA. The Enterprise Administrator cert requires the same two technology exams - 70-640 and 70-642 - that Server Administrator does, in addition to 70-643. The two have different pro-level exams, but since the path is very similar, it makes more sense to take 70-646 test after you're done with the AD and network infrastructure exams, then move forward from there. Have a look at this link for clarification.

Other than that, it looks like a solid plan. If you can earn your CCNA and CCNA: Security along the way, then get back into Microsoft technologies, you'll be in good shape and will round out your skillset nicely. I could also suggest perhaps looking into 70-662 down the road, since Exchange skills are quite valuable and tend to be included in the list of duties a Windows sysadmin is expected to undertake in a lot of companies.

cyberguypr

That is a lot of certs. In order to accomplish all that in 1.5 years you would have to invest every single piece of free time you can get. No problem with that since you sound really determined.

What are your expectations when you finish all those certs? IT is notorious for valuing experience over anything else. With the lack of it your options would be limited and as Slowhand said you would need to start on the lower positions. Turgon's advice is excellent. A part-time or volunteer gig would be very beneficial to build that foundation.

N2IT

cyberguypr wrote: »

What are your expectations when you finish all those certs? IT is notorious for valuing experience over anything else. With the lack of it your options would be limited and as Slowhand said you would need to start on the lower positions. Turgon's advice is excellent. A part-time or volunteer gig would be very beneficial to build that foundation.

This is a great statement.

Getting certifications and experience should be an iterative process. Gaining a certification or two and then circling back into the "real world" and then back into experience is best practice in my opinion. I would consider getting one certification first and then getting a job. Actually experience and certifications should be a concurrent process. Try to get a job now. Don't wait apply now and then work towards that goal. If you want to get into tech support then get a certification that will help assist you into that role. Maybe security is your thing, whatever it may be go for it.

Grabbing 3 years worth a certs with 0 experience is going to do very little for you.

dave330i

Darixx wrote: »

UPDATE

did a little more research and i decided to take a bit more time and not rush the transition im now going to finish these certs in order:

CompTIA A+
MCITP: windows 7 enterprise desktop support
ITIL foundation V3
CompTIA Network+
MCITP: EA
CCNA
CCNA security
MCITP SA

i know its a long list but with my eithic im confident i can hammer this in a maximum of a year and a half while working full time.
if anyone has any advice or guidence they can offer me concerning this decision i would be extremely greatful and appreciative.

I'd make following changes:

ITIL v3 Foundation (easiest of all the certs)
A+
Sec+
Replace Net+ with CCENT (Both cover similar material, but with CCENT you're half way to CCNA)
CCNA (finish it while the material is still fresh in your mind)
Win7 support
MCITP: SA
MCITP: EA
CCNA: Sec

N2IT

dave330i wrote: »

I'd make following changes:

ITIL v3 Foundation (easiest of all the certs)
A+
Sec+
Replace Net+ with CCENT (Both cover similar material, but with CCENT you're half way to CCNA)
CCNA (finish it while the material is still fresh in your mind)
Win7 support
MCITP: SA
MCITP: EA
CCNA: Sec

I think ITIL V3 Foundation and A+ are easy. A+ was simple.

Besides it's not about easy or not, at least it shouldn't be. It should be based off of return of knowledge. Relatively new IT professional should look to go for A+ if PC support and or helpdesk is in their sites. If not then plan accordingly, I would go with ITIL V3 F if you seek to go into management or supervision.

In any case I think it's wasteful to get all those certification right away without any tangible experience.

buc

I was a heavy-truck mechanic for 8 years. Pay was awesome but I suffered physically. How I transitioned to a new career in I.T was:
1. While working full time I went to vocational school at night for 9 months - graduated as a 'Desktop Support Technician'.
2. During that time I joined TE - With all the great advice and my weekends I passed TIA triforce and mcp/mcdst.
3. A month before graduation - I submitted my 'resume' to every recruiter I could find on the internet job boards.
4. Quit my job and got a lot of contract work - very scary, work would only come in for a months worth, then a week off before the next contract.
But I showed up happy and willing to do anything.
5. After about 8 months of contract work - I landed a full time gig as a NOC analyst (employer offers tuition reimbursement - I start Western Gov's
Uni February 1st.).
If I could do it all over - I probably wouldn't have gone to the vocational school, most recruiters only wanted the A+ and MCP. Though I did what everyone said on TE - do any contract work and be happy about it, build up your resume and knowledge base. Good luck!!