Where to go from here

I feel like my career has stalled and need some help. I have 13 years of experience in the same company. I started as a PC tech and now I am a system administrator. I currently manage about 30 Windows servers and multiple phone systems throughout the locations in the corporation. I also do minor fixes on HP switches as well as replacing them. I've been applying for jobs but have heard nothing in response. I have two major issues that I see. One, most of the requirements list skills that I don't have: VMWare, SQL, NetApp storage, etc. I have no experience in these fields. Also, my certifications are old and out of date. My last one was probably my MCP in 2006. I also have my a+, network+, server+, certified Novell administrator. I do have the materials for the Security+ and CCNA and am leaning towards the Security+ since that seems the most attainable with my skill set. Is this a good idea or am I going in the wrong direction.

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Comments

Iristheangel

Depends on what you want to do. If you want to stay a system administrator, go for the MCSE, VCP, etc. If you're looking to change roles and go for more of a networking role, CCNA/CCENT is a start that should get your foot in the door somewhere else. Security+ is a good start for a security-related change but I don't think that the Security+ alone will open doors. Security is a hard field to get into and usually it takes some side-stepping to get into that field. You might need to get some different kinds of experience here and there to find yourself eventually in a security role

Boxer77

Iristheangel wrote: »

Depends on what you want to do. If you want to stay a system administrator, go for the MCSE, VCP, etc. If you're looking to change roles and go for more of a networking role, CCNA/CCENT is a start that should get your foot in the door somewhere else. Security+ is a good start for a security-related change but I don't think that the Security+ alone will open doors. Security is a hard field to get into and usually it takes some side-stepping to get into that field. You might need to get some different kinds of experience here and there to find yourself eventually in a security role

Thanks for the advice. I willl start studying for my MCSE. I originally started with the MCSE 2003 but only took two of the tests. I will look into books for the MCSE 2012.

Since I have the books for the CCNA and Security+ I think I will read them to get a solid understanding of the technology. I just won't go to the point of remembering every detail for the test. I may also do the same for other technologies such as VMWare, NetApp, etc. The only downfall of that is that I can't really put "I read a book about X,Y, and Z" on my resume. I also don't want to have paper certs where I took the test but never actually used the product.

I have been here so long that I think I just got comfortable in my job. Due to budget restraints we haven't been able to buy new equipment. We've been running 2003 on pretty much every server. I was just able to get a new server with Hyper-V so I can create some virtualized servers here and we did replace some servers with Server 2012.

ssehg

Hi
You can also look at IT Security Certification like CISSP. This is a challenging one but your learning is also immense.

NotHackingYou

Personally I would recommend the CCNA and Security+ in addition to the MCSE. The CCNA and Security+ won't get you into a high level networking or security position on their own but would compliment your sysadmin experience quite well (especially with an MCSE on there to boot). What you learn in each of these will also make you a better sysadmin.

Boxer77

Thanks for everyone's input. I really appreciate it. So after some careful thinking, I have decided to go after my CCNA. Then I will go for my MCSE. I have decided this for the following reasons.

1. I already own the books for studying and made it halfway through the first book.

2. I feel my experience in Windows systems administration will hold up on its own without an MCSE. This isn't to say that I wouldn't benefit greatly from one. Just that most jobs that I find want both and MCSE and CCNA. This will show I have knowledge in the area where I have less experience.

N2IT

CCNA is a nice one, it really helps propel careers. I know a lot of IT professionals with really good jobs who just have the CCNA. In fact on this forum we took at informal poll and more than 25% of the people said the NA was the career changer as far as certifications go.