Top three IT certifications you can get from scratch

AlexNguyen

For what it worths...
Top three IT certifications you can get from scratch | TechRepublic

Roguetadhg

I was expecting a CompTIA in there, somewhere.

Instead I see 2 Oracles and a the Red Hat cert.

kanecain

I saw this article this morning and was expecting something entirely different. If you are totally green in IT or want a career in IT with no experience, then my Picks would be:

CompTIA A+
Only requires light PC experience, but anyone can obtain with proper study time.

CAPM
Project Managers are vendor neutral, and can work in any field besides IT. The only requirement for this cert is 30 hours of classroom time that you can purchase online for $170.

Microsoft MTA Certs
These are the most basic IT certs from MS, and there are many different directions you can go (Server, Desktop Support, Software Design, Databases).

NetworkVeteran

Roguetadhg wrote: »

I was expecting a CompTIA in there, somewhere.

I object! The median salary of all of these certification is less than the median salary of a CCIE. Which you can get... from scratch! No CCNA or CCNP is required.

Article wrote:

talks about the top three IT certifications and how you can get them.

A more serious objection is, like many contradicting "top certifications" articles, the author provided no objective or even subjective criteria for selecting these as the top ones to get.

mapletune

Wow... dunno if this counts as a poor attempt at product placement (whatever it's called for articles) or that they have a very misguided editor...

Dakinggamer87

I would say CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+

Roguetadhg

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

I object! The median salary of all of these certification is less than the median salary of a CCIE. Which you can get... from scratch! No CCNA or CCNP is required.

Very true!

dmoore44

I would probably choose the CCNA, Sec+, and whatever the entry level MS cert is called these days as the best entry level/no experience required certs...

N2IT

It really depends on your situation and where you want to go. I believe in aligning your studies as soon as possible. Just like the kid who knows he wants to be a doctor freshman year in highschool, the more planning the more successful you will end up being (usually)

I like dmoore's plan if you go government, CCNA however is something I would consider right away regardless of industry. I would consider going to a community college that offers a network certification program that aligns with Cisco's exams. So in short the CCNA would be number 1 on my list from a technology stand point.

I think there is a lot of value with Windows 7 70-680. Sure it's not a beginner certification but it can land you an entry level job like A+, but will provide information that will take you into a system admin / desktop engineer position.

A+ I would rather go with Win 7, but if you are not willing to go that route A+ is a great one to get. It's recognized by almost all HR departments and a lot of times is a prerequist for a intro position.

IMO These are the 3 I would consider best for entry level in that order.

I think some other one off ones to consider

MOS Outlook 2007-2010. Understanding Outlook is huge and if you can prove that in an interview you have a leg up on the other candidates. If you ever worked in a helpdesk Outlook is always a high volume call unless you are using IBM's solution.

Windows 7 685 Great one to synch into 680 and gives you the desktop designation along with two MS certifications. The beauty of this is you get the MCITP designitation along with good sound MS knowlegde.

Linux + I believe you get 3-4 certifications for 2 exams. This is great if you plan on working in the Linux / Unix role. You can get into a NOC with these credentials we have had a few college graduates solely get this certification and get into a NOC right away. You end up getting L-PIC 1 and Novell Linux Adminstrator along with Linux +. This is a favorite of mine for the ambitious tech who wants to skip the help desk. **It's also been discussed you get the Novell Data Center Operator or something like that so potentially 4 certifications for 2 exams. Not bad if you ask me. It's great for someone who wants to do a certification right away and avoid the help desk. You spend a few months banging this out and apply for NOC positions and you really don't have to touch another certifications for a while.

undomiel

The article just looks like an advertisement for training courses from OpenSesame.

the_Grinch

Java Certification? Um yeah haven't ever seen anyone post for that. Plus, a 21 hour self study course will not make you a Java programmer by any stretch of the imagination. I took a Java course in high school that was five days a week for nine months and would never have called myself a Java programmer.

tprice5

the_Grinch wrote: »

Java Certification? Um yeah haven't ever seen anyone post for that. Plus, a 21 hour self study course will not make you a Java programmer by any stretch of the imagination. I took a Java course in high school that was five days a week for nine months and would never have called myself a Java programmer.

I took two in college and don't even include java as a skill on my resume. No way a 21 hour course can make a non-programmer understand things such as polymorphism, inheritance, encapsulation etc.

xbuzz

I would probably list MCITP:SA, CCNA, and maybe CCNA:Security as the third. CCNA:Security I listed as third, because most jobs these days seem to list VPN, firewall etc competancy even if they only list CCNA as desirable. CCNA:Voice would also be useful I reckon.

I would probably run through the comptia sec+ material, but I dunno if I would sit the exam. I'm not from the US though, if I was in the US, I would probably get sec+ as third qual maybe.

HLRS

how is this from scratch when requiring to take $3k classes?

dmoore44

HLRS wrote: »

how is this from scratch when requiring to take $3k classes?

From scratch meaning no prerequisite certs. All certs cost money...

mapletune

If you have 1-3 years of full-time Linux administrator experience, OpenSesame offers...

Anyone notice this part?

Yea, that's definitely a cert you can get from SCRATCH =D

petedude

mapletune wrote: »

Wow... dunno if this counts as a poor attempt at product placement (whatever it's called for articles) or that they have a very misguided editor...

Slow news day. Maybe the editor was falling asleep. . .

glenn_33

Dakinggamer87 wrote: »

I would say CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+

this^^^

dave330i

You can go extremely far with VCP.

N2IT

Dave (totally ignorant here)

Is there different levels of Virtualization as far as certifications go? Like the equivolent to CCNA-NP-IE?

I was just curious because if there was an amature one that might be a good one for a rookie - intermediate IT professional.

dave330i

@N2IT

VMware path for server side is VCP -> VCAP-DCA/DCD -> VCDX. For desktop, it's VCP -> VCP-DT -> VCAP-DT. There's rumors of VCA for server side, but not sure how valid.

4_lom

Was not expecting to see those at the top of the list....

4_lom

undomiel wrote: »

The article just looks like an advertisement for training courses from OpenSesame.

+1. I agree.

QHalo

dave330i wrote: »

You can go extremely far with VCP.

VCP was about on par with the entire CCNA. Alot of info to digest for both although I thought the VCP was more difficult and I had experience with VMware prior unlike Cisco. Both solid certs though and can take you a long way for sure.

N2IT

@ Dave learned a whole lot from that post. Thanks a lot!

Blackpower_357

what was your study materials for your CompTIA A, N, and S plus?! Im starting seriously from scratch and i dont knw where to start honestly... (And im on a budget (got laid-off)