Entry-Level Exam Choice - MS Server or Client?

Ivanjam

The facts:
* Career changer with steady employment in a field unrelated to IT.
* No work experience in IT except for an internship.
* Passed CCNA as well as the CompTIA triad.
* Currently studying for the CCNA:Sec.
* Currently pursuing the general BSIT at WGU.

The assumptions:
* I am familiar with the arguments for and against being a network purist and I have concluded that my best chance to get an entry-level job is via a combination of MS and Cisco certs.
* I only have time to pursue one MS cert.

The question:
What is most marketable for an entry-level job - a client cert (70-680) or a server cert (70-640)?

sratakhin

70-642 is probably the easiest cert for you right now, as you already have CCNA. I found 70-640 the most difficult of all MS exams I've ever taken.
However, 70-680 is probably going to be more marketable. With no actual IT experience, you are not likely to become a server admin without first having helpdesk or desktop support experience.

Ivanjam

@sratakhin - apart from the network component, isn't the 70-642 dependent on a knowledge of AD from the 70-640?

sratakhin

There is some overlap, but not that much. DNS is a common topic on both exams though, but it's tested ore heavily in 70-642.
My advice to you is to get some older MS books for 70-290 and 70-291 before you study for Server 2008 exams. I don't think I would have easily passed any of the 64* exams without the prior knowledge of Server 2003. 70-290 is actually the easiest MS exam I've passed, but there are a lot of concepts that you will find useful when studying for any MS exam. It deals with user accounts, groups, permissions, shared folders, backup, server hardware, and monitoring. That stuff won't likely change for a long time

Ivanjam

@sratakhin - I took your advice and bought: MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-290): Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft® Windows Server(TM) 2003 Environment, Second Edition: Dan Holme, Orin Thomas: Amazon.com: Books as well as MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-291): Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft® Windows Server(TM) 2003 Network Infrastructure, (Pro Certification): J.C. Mackin, Ian McLean: Amazon.com: Books for a couple of dollars each.

N2IT

I know of a network professional who took the advice of Sratakin and said something similar about how the test wasn't to bad due to the experience and education was already there.

jonny72

I'd recommend 70-410 Installing & Configuring Server 2012. This covers all the basic skills and knowledge you need for working with Windows Server (have a look at the skills that are measured), with most of it being applicable to Server 2008 as well. You will learn far more doing this than 70-642 and it will be far more helpful for getting a job. It's also a more sensible option than studying anything for Server 2003

Think Microsoft have done a great job with the structuring of the Server 2012 certs. Done in the right order they move nicely from the basic stuff to the more advanced, building your skills up as you go. For anyone starting from scratch it's a far better path to take than Server 2008.