Finally have decided, critics welcome

I have finally decided how to go about doing certification. My primary goal is one day to work as a Linux System Administrator or Network Administrator/Designer. I will be looking for an entry level or junior position next year and I will consider that "breaking into IT" or "getting my feet wet".

Normally people consider getting a helpdesk job as a door into IT but since I have some experience managing linux/bsd servers, albeit not professionally (not making a living with it), and you have probably seen my "lab setup" thread so that's gotta count for something, I decided to shoot for something better. I can't remember who was it that said, perhaps it was Donald Trump, something along lines of "if you're thinking anyway, think big". So that's what I'm going to do.

Everybody requires you to know all three essential technologies when you apply for a job in IT. Windows, Linux and Networking. For an entry level job basic certificates will suffice, such as A+, Net+ and MTA:OS. That will get you started, according to my research. Since I don't want a helpdesk job (unless it's networking helpdesk or supporting clients in web hosting company) I've decided to crank it up a notch.

My previous plans were a mixture of A+, Net+, Sec+, Linux+, Server+, LPIC2, LPIC3, RHCSA, RHCE, CCENT, CCNA, BSDA, MCSA:Win7. I've decided it's all bulls*it. It doesn't make sense taking both beginner and advanced certificates of the same technology, like Net+ and CCENT/CCNA or Linux+ and RHCSA. It takes a lot of time, costs a lot of money and frankly doesn't give you any advantage. So I've decided to take this path:

A+ -> MCSA:Win7 -> CCNA -> RHCSA (RHCE unless I run out of time)

or

A+ -> MCSA:Win7 -> RHCSA -> CCNA

I think I don't need more to land a junior positions and I'll specialize after that. I'm only not sure about the order of certificates I should take. CCNA is the hardest of all of them and will require the most time so I'm not sure whether to leave it for the end or start after MCSA. Critics?

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Xyro

linuxlover wrote: »

It doesn't make sense taking both beginner and advanced certificates of the same technology, like Net+ and CCENT/CCNA or Linux+ and RHCSA. It takes a lot of time, costs a lot of money and frankly doesn't give you any advantage.

It gives you the advantage of a firm foundation of knowledge.

linuxlover wrote: »

So I've decided to take this path:
A+ -> MCSA:Win7 -> CCNA -> RHCSA (RHCE unless I run out of time)

or

A+ -> MCSA:Win7 -> RHCSA -> CCNA

The MSCA in here perplexes me. Are you simply putting it in because it's what you see required for junior positions?

linuxlover wrote: »

I can't remember who was it that said, perhaps it was Donald Trump, something along lines of "if you're thinking anyway, think big".

Please remember that Trump went bankrupt.

Qord

What's your proposed timetable for all this? If certification is the goal here, and if you're looking to be quick, I'd suggest you knock out the Linux+ and CCENT. If you've got decent Linux experience, these should both be doable in 6-9 months. At least then you'd have something to show while working on RHCA/E and CCNA, otherwise you're you've got no certs that aren't "in progress".

Sounds Good

You think CCNA is the hardest of the certs you listed?

N2IT

Linux Administrator - Linux + would be a nice start. It would be a solid addition to your A +. Plus you get L-PIC 1 an Novell Linux Certification. Some of our folks claim that to be the only CompTIA certification they don't regret getting. (However you do make a good point about RedHat so that may be the route you want to go. I think that is wise).

If you are leaning more Network and Design - CCENT > CCNA.

I wouldn't go for all those expensive exams. Start off with realistic goals and accomplish before moving forward. I really don't see how MS even makes it's way into the equation, that is very bizarre to me.

***Keep in mind I am a bare minimun guy. I think you get what you need and then move into a role and REALLY hone your skills and learn the craft.

Honestly if you have A+ and RHSCA you are ready for junior admin role IMO.

CCNA and you are golden for a junior network job. Cut out all the other nonsense.

linuxlover

@Xyro
Yes I'm doing the MCSA:Win7 only because basic Windows knowledge is required everywhere I look. Other than that, I couldn't care less about Microsoft technologies and I wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't required. My main passion are Linux/Unix. Do you think I should drop MCSA cert and focus only on networking and linux? I'm not smart enough to know what's best to do here.

Trump went bankrupt many times and have risen again and again, but that doesn't have anything to do with his quote which is brilliant.

@Qord
About a year. I'm a long time Linux/BSD user and by looking at RHCSA objectives, I think it shouldn't be hard to pass. By hard I mean hard as CCNA.

@Sounds Good
Yes I believe CCNA is the hardest, because I don't have any networking experience, home networking aside.

I believe MCSA, RHCSA and CCNA are doable in 1 year. I can as well take the "traditional" route
A+ -> Net+ -> Sec+ -> MCSA:Win7 -> Linux+ -> RHCSA -> RHCE -> CCENT -> CCNA
which is what everybody seems to taking, with the linux exception.

My research for optimal studying, based on these forums:

70-860 resources (study time cca 1month)
- Gibson's portable command guide
- Poulton's MCTS
- Professor Messer's videos

70-865 resources (study time cca 1month)
- Gibson's book
- MS Press' 865 book

Net+ resources (study time cca 1month)
- Meyer's book
- Professor Messer's videos

Sec+ resources (study time cca 1month)
- Gibson's book
- Professor Messer's videos

ICND1 resources
- Bryant's Boot Camp videos and his study book
- Lammle's book
- Odom's book
- CCENT for dummies

ICND2 resources
- Bryant's Boot Camp videos and his study book
- Lammle's book
- ccna kit with lots of practising

Linux+ resources (study time cca 1-2months)
- Roderick's book

EDIT:
@N2IT
You make a good point I must say. I would love to ignore the MS cert if I can get an entry level/junior position without it.

instant000

You already have experience with Linux, and you say you've managed these in the past.

If you know your stuff, then go in this order:

RHCSA > RHCE

If you start on the RHCSA stuff and somehow find that you're missing something, then drop back to Linux+, and then move up.

There's really two ways to address it: specialize or generalize.

The smaller the business you support, the more you have to generalize.

The larger the business you support, the more you would need to specialize.

But, at a certain point, guess what, it goes back in the other direction. To be a really good troubleshooter, it helps to understand how those other technologies work.

Also, if you're going to get to the point of design, it helps a lot to understand how the other technologies work.

Hope this helps.

log32

In my opinion, taking a path of Linux & Networking or Microsoft & Networking will give you a solid start depending on what the IT path you aim to take.
Certifications are nice to have, it doesn't matter which certification it is, you don't really need to be certified in all fields, you can gain the knowledge without them as well, grab a book or two, and start learning some theoretical stuff so you can get the basics done and maybe then you will have a better clue to what you really want to do in the near future regarding the job.

ChooseLife

FWIW, I like this updated plan of yours - never been a fan of the entry-level cert industry

N2IT

I agree with Instant on this one for sure. Nothing worth a crap comes easy - N2IT (Really profound

)

But seriously don't waste a lot of effort on residual certification you will look back and cry when you see they really don't help. I know I went with this strategy, (I don't list hardly any of my certifications).

If Linux is your passion tune it all out and go for Linux. Like Instant mention take on RHCSA and if there are to many knowledge gaps then bounce back to Linux + (The best CompTIA exam out there IMO)

What could and possibly end up happening is you brand yourself with Windows and then moving forward you are stuck in that role. Never to return to Linux which I would hate to see.

Less is more - Rhsca and Rcse alone will get you moving in the right direction. It maybe safe to say you may never need another certification again. Play your cards right and get the dream job and save money by limiting needless cost.

N2IT

One more piece I want to mention

Two of the biggest reason to get certifications

1. You really like the technology and want to become recognized through skills and certification (which hopefully leads to a position)
2. Your company requires you to have it or you get paid more money to get it

It sounds like number 1 is the driving force for this post. I would go with your passion and leave it at that. Don't over think it and don't get certs because people want them. Remember at the end of the day the market wants them all depending on the position. Don't jump at some trash if you can help it and transition into a role you can live with. It would be wise to find a job you like off the bat and stick with it than to hop to job to job. I believe if you go with your passion only and apply you will be better off.

linuxlover

That was so well put together N2IT, I would rep you again if I could. This is why I like these forums, people actually know what they're talking about and are willing to help with first hand information. I could've come up with the same conclusion myself but it wouldn't carry much weight since I don't have any professional experience and I would keep doubting myself if I made the right choice.

So by recommendation, I will drop the Microsoft certificate and focus on RHCE/CCNA. I know where you're coming from when you say you're sorry to have taken so many certificates you don't need, that's how I feel with A+. Oh well, you live and learn.

Thank you all so much for taking your time and reading my posts. Your help is very much appreciated. I hope to do the same for others.

EDIT: Oh one more for you guys, I don't want to open another thread. Which approach is better. To study for one certificate and then another one or do both sporadically?

N2IT

Learning styles depend on the individual but I would work them in series. Open - Close, Open - Close.

instant000

What kind of work are you doing RIGHT NOW?

Experience is the trump card. (if it's good experience).

I don't want you to work hard all year and get RHCSA/CCNA, and then next year you apply to a job, and face difficulties.

Nothing wrong with continuing the learning, but I would also recommend continuing to apply to jobs, throughout.

Also, I agree with N2IT, that if you get the Microsoft first, you may find difficulty getting back to what you really want to do.

You'll be amazed by how fast people can pigeon-hole you to one specific thing, when it is not necessarily the ONLY thing you do, or even the BEST thing you do, or even something you LIKE to do. .... just 'cause they saw that you could do it well one time.

Oh yeah, when you do get hired: "Beam me up Scotty" (It was explained to me as a Star Trek reference, where the scientist would say that a task would take a million years to get done, and then he does it in a couple hours, and then he's this genius.)

That's basically saying that no matter what the task is, estimate that it will take two or three times as long to do it. This way, when you get it done sooner than expected, you exceed expectations. One thing that I realized is that not setting expectations properly can hurt you when it comes to project planning. You may say that it only takes a few minutes to do such-and-such, which can be totally true, but it may not take into consideration the fact that multiple tasks compete with your time, or, maybe something needs rebooting, or maybe some VIP needs assistance all of a sudden, and next thing you know, the deadline lapsed on the "five minute task".

It might do you well to read into something about project management too, if only so you can talk the lingo, as nearly everything you work with nowadays could be part of some "project".

But, I'll stop here. Truth be told, you could read something new everyday and never have enough.

Focus, gain core competencies, then branch out from that point.

linuxlover

Currently I work in Healthcare, not in IT. I used to work in a local PC shop putting together computers. It was boring every-day-the-same type of job so I quit after a year. I also have six months worth of internship/volunteer work behind me. I've been doing different things since then but IT-related I've been running free web hosting since 2010. Firstly with a reseller, then in 2011 bought my own VPS. Now I've decided to man up and start a project that would put my skills to a new level. It's basically a redesign of my "business" to upgrade and confirm my linux skills. I'm setting up a DNS cluster, mixed linux and freebsd servers, setting up pro monitoring, remote database server, remote backup and so forth. So this is what I do. I'm also trying to keep everything documented an keep a track of administration. It's not professional work experience since I'm not making money off of it and I'm only managing a network of currently 5 servers all together (dns,billing,whm...) and not a 100 or 1000, but at least I get to put something on my CV. I'm working with CentOS, Debian and FreeBSD. At home I play with Solaris. If I expand my "business" to another server or two as planned and serve a few hundred people, I think that's valuable experience be it work or not. I don't know if that changes my certification path.

W Stewart

Personally I think that as a linux professional if you can show an employer that you really know your stuff in an interview you can get the job without all of the necessary experience. I only had 9 months of professional linux experience and 6 months of experience doing Dell tech support when I got a job with my current company as a jr admin. They weren't even hiring me for that position but they were so impressed with my knowledge that they put me at that role. I spend my free time learning as much as I can and when I run into a new issue I don't just look for a solution, I learn as much about that particular topic as I can so I can become an expert on it. I feel like I'm not far from being a sys admin but I'm not really in a rush. Maybe I'll ask after a year here just to see what they say.

I also worked with a guy at Dell who had no prior IT experience but he knew a lot about linux from using it at home. He actually left Dell before I did(he stayed for like 3 or 4 months) and started doing contracts as a linux admin getting paid around 30-40 dollars an hour. He just moved to Virginia for a better paying admin job although I'm not sure if it's full time or not. Either way the job market is better in Virginia so he's in pretty good shape. He's the only guy I know who's my age in the IT field doing better than I am right now. I've got friends that I try to give advice to but they don't have the ambition and drive to actually make their goals happen.

I think what you're trying to do is totally possible because I've seen somebody do it. I would probably jump at a high paying contract job down here but my fiance isn't working and I'd like to finish school first. Get your CCNA, go for some RedHat certs and learn the basics of windows server. I got to Jr Sys admin after a year and a half in IT and my friend became an admin in probably less than a year. competent linux professionals are hard to come by so if you really know your stuff then you can get t where you're trying to go.

Xyro

linuxlover wrote: »

@Xyro
Yes I'm doing the MCSA:Win7 only because basic Windows knowledge is required everywhere I look. Other than that, I couldn't care less about Microsoft technologies and I wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't required. My main passion are Linux/Unix. Do you think I should drop MCSA cert and focus only on networking and linux? I'm not smart enough to know what's best to do here.

Yes, it would have seemed erratic & indecisive if you didn't drop that MCSA, IMHO. I'm glad you have made the decision to do so.

ptilsen

Have only skimmed responses, but I think we are in agreement: focus on Linux. As someone who is fairly specialized in Windows, I'm going to tell you right now you'll be disappointed getting MCSA:Windows 7. The majority of the content will just not apply even to generalist roles, and while it may help get a generalist role that includes Linux exposure, there are other certs that do that while still maintaining relevancy.

I'm going to take it a step further, though, and suggest against A+. Go Linux+, CCNA, and RHCSA, probably in that order. I think A+ will be a distraction from your long-term goals, especially if you get a job with it. For your path, A+ only makes sense IMO if you are struggling to make ends meet (yet can afford certs) and need a job/better job NOW. Unless you are in a tough job market, and I mean tough, CCNA with entry-level Linux, a good résumé, and good interviewing skills can get you a better entry-level job more relevant to your career.

Unless you truly want to spend the first five years of your career as a generalist, I really think A+ and MS Crete are just a distraction.

linuxlover

I'm glad to hear so many positive responses, it builds up my confidence which is what I need right now. Thank you all once again.

JustFred

I have always thought Linux and Cisco is a win win situation to be in, maybe I'm crazy and someone did call me crazy on here i think. But i still believe Cisco and Linux is a great combo.

My plan is to get CCNP R&S, RHCSA & RHCE. Windows is great and i have the background, but i doubt i will go for a Windows cert anytime soon. I'm now also enjoying voice but thats something on the side