Need help deciding what my next cert should be

red3784

Whats up all, I have a question/favor to ask all the IT pro's here

Currently working in my first help desk spot for 14 months now, its great! I am looking for a new help desk spot to learn in a new environment.

I currently have Network + and Security + Certs. The end goal is to be a Sys admin, although Cloud architect really interests me too. What should my next cert be? I was thinking CCENT, would something else be better? Maybe something windows or linux related?

Thanks!

Xyro

Just wondering why you would want to get another help desk position. It has already been 14 months. As for your next certification, I highly suggest you look up Sys Admin positions in the area you desire to work in and see what qualifications they are looking for.

red3784

I feel very limited in my current role, so I wanted to see if there are better opportunities that would allow me to experience more.

Xyro

Yes, better opportunities but preferential to try to get out of help desk now.

BGraves

Xyro makes a great point here, look for jobs that you want to do and see what skills and experience the are looking for.

As for suggestions on specific ones...you really haven't provided a lot of information for us to use to suggest things.


Do you want to be a System Admin, or a Network Admin, or both?
Windows? Linux? Mac?
Etc

C.Fountain

Xyro and BGraves bring up good points. But, for the sake of suggesting stuff:

CompTIA A+ is always a good option, but you might not need it now that you've had 14 months of experience in the field.

For System Administration, the Microsoft Certified Systems Associate (MCSA) or Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) are good options. Not really sure what's out there for Mac.

CCENT is a good networking cert, but you could just skip to CCNA and save yourself the price of sitting for the CCENT. CCNA will also put you in a better position for Network Administration over Net+, if you decide to go that route.

Like BGraves said, its best to search for jobs in your area to find what employers want to see the most. dice.com and monster.com are great job search sites, so have a look around! It will help you in the long run. We can only give you suggestions here, so getting out and searching for jobs will serve you a lot better.

Trancewalker

I think A+ wouldn't be of much use after a year of help desk work. Other than that, it really depends on what sort of admin you want to be network (CCNA), Windows (MCSA), Linux (Linux+/RHCSA), etc.

ande0255

I'd suggest doing the CCENT then CCNA (ICND1 / ICND2), as the two tests combined cost the same as the CCNA composite, but you get some exposure to the question formatting with the CCENT before moving on to the advanced topics on the CCNA.

Not sure what you should do next, but I'd suggest doing the two part exam for the CCNA if you decide to go that route.

red3784

Thank you for all the replies, that is a very sensible approach. Cloud computing and Visualization is the future, Id love to get into that, but it seems like Administration is the way to go first. Can we all agree on that?