Question about W2K server and server 2003 exams

Breadfan

I checked the MS site for prereq's and it says that for W2K server you should have 6 to 12 months of experience before attempting the exam whereas server 2003 (290) says you should have 12 to 18 months experience. Is 290 really that much harder than W2K server?

Also, I was wondering which exam to start with and what order people usually take. I am thinking of doing the MCSA - Security track for 2003 or 2000, or skipping that and doing CCNA.

I am at a definite crossroads here. I am more interested in networking and security, but since you have to crawl before you can walk, I need more experience and knowledge in the NOS's in order to get a job starting at the bottom (well I am at the bottom now) and work my way up.

I am also not sure of taking XP or server exam if i do the MS thing. I have more than an intermediate knowledge of XP I believe but want more knowledge on the server side.

Sorry for the rant. Just need some ad-vice.

Webmaster

Breadfan wrote:

I checked the MS site for prereq's and it says that for W2K server you should have 6 to 12 months of experience before attempting the exam whereas server 2003 (290) says you should have 12 to 18 months experience. Is 290 really that much harder than W2K server?

Yes, 290 is quite a bit harder than 215. But those 6-12 and 12-18 months is a bit wishful thinking of MS.

Breadfan wrote:

I am more interested in networking and security, but since you have to crawl before you can walk, I need more experience and knowledge in the NOS's in order to get a job starting at the bottom (well I am at the bottom now) and work my way up.

I am also not sure of taking XP or server exam if i do the MS thing. I have more than an intermediate knowledge of XP I believe but want more knowledge on the server side.

Sounds to me like you got it figured out already. I'm not saying you 'need' an MCSA for a career in networking and security, but it will be a useful foundation and will make your CCNA and further networking and security certs more valuable. Good luck with your decision!