MTA Certifications worth it?

TravC16

Are the MTA certs worth getting? Are they too entry level? Icould see the value going up since comptia is now requiring recertifying every3 years for A+ and Net+ and that may turn people off from getting those certs.

jibbajabba

Re-certification didn't put off the Cisco community from getting any CC* certs ...

I suppose if you go down the Microsoft route then they probably won't hurt, but you may as well go straight the MCTS route ... Once you go for the higher certs, such as MCTS / MCITP - the MTA ones pretty much become redundant, same with CompTia ones ..

Sorry, I am not really a fan of the entry level ones and never did them - so can't REALLY comment I guess (only ever done the free beta CompTia ones).

Asif Dasl

The MTA exams are mostly aimed at academic institutions not IT professionals, like jibbajabba says, just go with the higher level ones and that will get you where you want to go faster.

nosoup4u

Allow me to clarify, no.

JaneDoe

Same question here.

While people say that MTA isn't worth it, I'm also hearing there's no reason to look at the MCSA without a lot of experience in a live environment. Since MCP is gone it seems like the MTA is the only way MS left to certify basic competency.

sratakhin

A quick search on Indeed - number of results:
MTA Microsoft - 170
MCTS Microsoft - 913
MCSA Microsoft - 1154
MCITP Microsoft - 1824 - I was surprised to see more hits than for MCSA!
MCSE Microsoft - 3924

Just for comparison:
CCNA - 6848
RHCE - 709

JaneDoe

This metric assumes that you can judge the value of a cert by a simple search for its mention in job ads. That's only part of the job search process. There are other ways certs contribute to a job search. If I say "some experience with Windows Server" that means nothing. If you say I passed an MTA exam on Windows Server that proves I know something about the technology, although it may not prove I'm ready to administrate an enterprise system. Many of those postings say the credential is desired not required, and most require years of experience someone looking to get an MTA probably doesn't have. A lot of entry level job postings ask for experience with a technology but don't ask for certification, and an MTA should show an employer the job seeker knows enough about the technology to work with it effectively without breaking it.

Certifications exist for people to prove to employers that they know the things they know. The real question about an MTA is if it will do this for the candidates who hold it.

The more I think about the MTA in Windows Sever, the more I think it is for me. My experience with Windows Server is academic, so an MTA accurately reflects my knowledge of the technology. I am not interested in going the Windows cert route because I'd much rather do Linux administration. I have professional experience in Linux and I plan to earn my Red Hat Certifications. I would like to show potential employers that I can work with MS server technology if I need to, and I'm hoping an MTA will help me do that more than saying I took a class in it.

sheckler

I just bought the kindle version of the MTA Windows Server book on Amazon for $20. It's a nice intro for someone at the beginning of their career. Going right for MCSA 08 without any admin experience would be pretty tough.

sratakhin

By the way, you can still do the 70-29* exams, which will retire on July 31. The 70-290 is the easiest MS exam I've ever taken (not that I took a lot of them though), but it will probably hold more weight than any of the MTAs.

eansdad

Only MTA I've taken is the OS exam. It has to be the most pointless exam I have ever taken and would be something I would expect a standard user to be able to pass.

hoktauri

The MTA certs are geared towards students, they're not even entry level certs. The Security Fundamentals covers things like "What is a trojan?" and "What is a honeypot?", I'm glad I got some to flesh out my resume but the only thing they got going for them is that they were free.

Psoasman

I think that entry level certs have more value when you are starting out, but they will lose their value as you gain experience and obtain higher level certifications. Looking over the material for the MTA's they look fairly basic and I think that the CompTIA certs would give a better ROI.

For the beginner in IT, the entry level certs are useful as they build a foundation for you. I wouldn't expect someone who has never touched a server to start with say, the 640 exam.

Michael2

I've never taken an MTA exam, but just going by the price I'd say they are not worth it.

antielvis

The MTA makes sense if you're a desktop guy who has had little to no experience on a server. It allows you to get a certification and maybe approach your employer and say "could I do something with Server". In certain environments, especially larger enterprises, the jump between desktop support and server support it a tough one to make. For some tech's taking the MCTS or MCSA is just too difficult without practical experience. This is sort of a stepping zone.

If you have any real Server experience, it's really pointless to take these things.

djfunz

I've taken MTA: Security, Server Admin and OS as part of WGU's curriculum and they are very different from each other in terms of difficulty. The OS exam was a joke. The Security exam was not bad but the ROI would be better served taking Security +. The Server Admin exam on the other hand was pretty hard. Now granted I have no real Admin skills, but I still found it the most difficult out of the three. Would I take them if they weren't a part of WGU's curriculum? No I would not.

hoktauri

I feel the opposite. The Server MTA was a joke because very little of it was Server specific. The Windows OS had more Server stuff in it with regards to APP-V and remote deployments.

NADmedia

djfunz wrote: »

I've taken MTA: Security, Server Admin and OS as part of WGU's curriculum and they are very different from each other in terms of difficulty. The OS exam was a joke. The Security exam was not bad but the ROI would be better served taking Security +. The Server Admin exam on the other hand was pretty hard. Now granted I have no real Admin skills, but I still found it the most difficult out of the three. Would I take them if they weren't a part of WGU's curriculum? No I would not.

I'm thinking about enrolling to this school. Has it been worth it so far?

jayskata

was looking for a discussion as to whether MTA cert is worth having but I guess most people here sees it as an academic certification. Was thinking of taking 98-366 and 367 but I think I'll just go with CCNA R&S and SEC.

kcls_techtutor

Would you pursue an MTA Certification if it was offered free at a local library even if not required for, say, a college course or career advancement? I imagine it'd be a good opportunity to "brush up" for higher-level professionals, and a good bridge to higher-level certifications for "aspiring technologists".

doubleo

If it's free go for it. My college institute was handing away free MTA vouchers so i took 98-366 even though i had MCSA already complete. Why not?

Entmta

If your wanting to focus on a Microsoft cert route I would say so. Like others have said they are a good introduction to technology and to bridge gaps. Id say they are probably equal to CompTIA in terms of knowledge/content now. They aren't very expensive either and of course they are not vendor neutral

kcls_techtutor

Thanks doubleo and Entmta! Great points. MTA Certifications do seem more useful for people starting out in a Microsoft technology pathway, but it's good to know that accessible MTA exams at the library would also appeal to some people with higher level knowledge as well. I work for King County Library System in Washington State and we're already offering free access to study materials and resources for MOS exams; we hope to do the same for MTA exams. Thanks!

Jon_Cisco

I took the MTA server exam today. I don't think it provides any real long term benefit but I do think it is useful. In my case I just want to show a consistency with ongoing training. I will start working on MCSA Server 2016 now but I could never have passed that exam in a short time period. I have very little working experience with managing servers so I wanted to start small and quick.

I do think if you are on a tight budget you can study for and skip most entry level exams. The key for most people will be finding their first job. Keep doing whatever you need to do to get into a career and from there the choices get a little easier.

Jon

eansdad

nosoup4u wrote: »

Allow me to clarify, no.

Exactly this.....


Certifications renewals are needed with the ever changing technology we have today. For CompTIA certs That Net+ will renew the A+ and the Security+ will renew both Net+ and A+....Get the CASP and it will renew everything under it or just keep up with the CEUs for renewal.

jamshid666

In my opinion, the only use for any of the MTA exams is if you want college credit, since a good number of them have ACE credit attached to them. Personally, I would just skip them and go straight to the MCSA-level exams.

backtracker

This is an interesting topic...

One a related note, once you have superseded an MTA, is it even worth mentioning in a resume or CV letter? Or does it just look bad/send the wrong message?

For example: I have a legacy MCSA on Server 2k3. Didn't do any certs for a LONG time. As I was getting back into getting some current certs under my belt, I went and sat for MTA Cloud fundamentals. Since then I got an MCSA on Win 10 and am hoping soon for one on Server 2016. Hopefully, will go on to do one of the MCSE electives in one of those tracks then maybe on to a different vendor.

At what point does it not make sense to list the MTA any more or am I there?

Looking at the laundry lists of advanced certs some have on here is quite impressive! Any opinions and thoughts are appreciated. This might help frame the value of this cert in the overall scheme of things to others as well.

snokerpoker

I'm thinking about doing the Python one because I'm just starting out with it. As others mentioned, they are more geared at people just starting out in the field. Probably not much value for more experienced folks.