Certs Done (For Now). Where to Next?

Hey All,

I've actually just wrapped up my ICND1 and my VMware course at Stanly and will hopefully be finishing up the ICND2 and VCP exams within the next month. What I'm wondering now is where to next? I don't really have much IT experience (studied and worked in marketing for a while, began to hate it!) but I do learn quickly and am quite comfortable around any kind of technology.

I know people around here tend to say "do what you love" but quite honestly, I don't know exactly what within IT that is yet as I tend to enjoy most everything. I'm definitely an innovator and a creative thinker if that helps.

I'm located in Toronto which is quite a big city so I assume there should be every kind of opportunity available (at the expense of more competition, no doubt). So where and what kind of jobs should I be looking for? Should I be pursuing more certs (probably not, but who knows?).

Thanks!

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Comments

redz

Where does a VCP go with no experience? It's not really a cert you can leverage without experience, I don't think.

Personally, if I were you, I would try to get a systems or network administration job at a small company. The pay probably won't be great, but you'll get to experience everything from help-desk to network engineering. It'll give you a chance to figure out what you really enjoy

sadfjlfdo24

VMWare is horrible and should die out soon (hopefully). I would recommend that you go for Security+ next and afterwards get CCNA, CCNA:Security, and try to get a sysadmin/netadmin job.

--chris--

sadfjlfdo24 wrote: »

VMWare is horrible and should die out soon (hopefully). I would recommend that you go for Security+ next and afterwards get CCNA, CCNA:Security, and try to get a sysadmin/netadmin job.

That is a bold statement.

instant000

Why is VMware horrible?

I did not see any reasons included in sadfjlfdo24's post.

sadfjlfdo24

instant000 wrote: »

Why is VMware horrible?

I did not see any reasons included in sadfjlfdo24's post.

VMWare is stupid expensive and less efficient than Xen (and I'm not talking about Citrix XenServer, thats garbage in its own right). Compared to Xen or KVM for that matter, VMWare is (again) stupid expensive, less stable, has more vulnerabilities (Vmware : Products and vulnerabilities vs XEN : Products and vulnerabilities) and is for ease of use. Enjoy it while it works, because when it crashes and takes out your hypervisor with all the VMs on it, you'll be paying for support that will be incompetent and waste 2+ days of your time, and bill you for it. Oh and SDN is a joke, or at least was meant to be a joke by their engineers in an attempt to compete with Cisco.

Master Of Puppets

I would also just get a lower level job and start exploring. You need to see what you like and that's the best way. Also explore programming on the side, maybe that's going to be the thing for you.

redz

sadfjlfdo24 wrote: »

(Vmware : Products and vulnerabilities vs XEN : Products and vulnerabilities)

I initially thought you were trolling. Based on your other posts, and the fact that you tried to back this silly argument up, it appears you're not.

1. You really just used the low-market-share argument that Apple perfected a decade ago ("No viruses or vulnerabilities on a Mac!") to compare VMware to Xen? Weak argument. Government primarily uses VMware. VMware has a higher market share in business than Xen, as well. This means there is substantially more reward to exploiting VMware; it can be assumed that the majority of APTs target VMware. Common sense.

2. SDN is a joke, and the PADD from Star Wars is science fiction. I wonder if you see where I'm going with this. I also wonder if you realize Cisco is developing SDN certifications. Apparently they don't think it's a joke.

3. I built over 70 VMware-based mobile data centers for the US military. I personally deployed over 50 of them, integrated a dozen or so, trained upwards of 300 Marines in their use, and provided support over the first year and a half of their operations. I've never had even one of the problems you're talking about. Perhaps your issues were at layer eight.

That said, it is more expensive. You made one point.

MrAgent

redz wrote: »

I built over 70 VMware-based mobile data centers for the US military. I personally deployed over 50 of them, integrated a dozen or so, trained upwards of 300 Marines in their use, and provided support over the first year and a half of their operations. I've never had even one of the problems you're talking about. Perhaps your issues were at layer eight.

Did you work for Smartronix?

@OP
Get some experience, figure out what you like doing, and get certifications in that area which compliment your experience.

redz

MrAgent wrote: »

Did you work Smartronix?

No. I was on 2.0 development, not 1/1.5, then changed companies to provide government lifecycle support, deployment, integration, and training.

EDIT: We also learned from all the 1/1.5 "mistakes" (I hesitate to call them that, SMX did a fine job with it, we just got funding to use better technologies and do more fun stuff). Quarter the weight, 3/4 the cases, no cases over 186lb, eighth the cables w/ 10gbps backbone, only one NetApp/20 drives(hot swappable & interchangeable, no more 80-drives must be inserted in the right places), half the power/cooling requirements, servers self-deployed/self-configured (to a basic extent)/self-STIG'd, etc.

It's all on my LinkedIn. Link's in my profile if you wanna stalk me, be BFFs, or offer me a job.

shirazir

sadfjlfdo24 wrote: »

VMWare is horrible and should die out soon (hopefully). I would recommend that you go for Security+ next and afterwards get CCNA, CCNA:Security, and try to get a sysadmin/netadmin job.

Great advice.

Also, thanks for derailing the thread.

redz

shirazir wrote: »

thanks for derailing the thread.

Whoa whoa whoa, don't just thank him. I helped.

Oh, if you find it hard to leverage the certifications you already hold to get a job, try volunteering. Cold call non-profits, churches (whether or not you're religious - often they are very "in touch" with places that are seeking volunteers), whatever, and tell them you're looking for volunteer opportunities in IT. There's almost certainly an opportunity in your area that could use your skill-set and desire to break into IT to their advantage, and it looks good on a resume. It could also help you meet people, and knowing the right people is a massive part of getting hired.

EDIT: I already found a few IT spots on http://www.volunteertoronto.ca/volunteer/. Just having done some work will definitely give you a leg up on finding full-time IT employment. I hear it isn't easy to start without experience - I have no idea, I started out in the military, so...

sadfjlfdo24

redz wrote: »

Whoa whoa whoa, don't just thank him. I helped.

Trolling is a team effort. High five!