Soft-Certifications

Hi All,

Let me make this fast, I am 17 holding only CompTIA A+, MCP & MCDST..

and some other things like NVQ ICT, and Key Skills Level 2...

I Stumbled across Brainbench and done a couple exams.. it told me what i was weak in which was appreciated... so i can do extra studying, but i still passed 3 exams..
all governed by BrainBench..

i understand their not known qualification/certifications but i believe it will "beef" up my Resume .. and if research is conducted brainbench shows what i am capable of..

is it worth putting the log on my resume and buying the certificates ?

all opinions please?

No rudeness just general interest

Nathan-Fader

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Comments

HeroPsycho

I wouldn't do that. It would look like you're reaching to fill your resume with anything.

Focus on wrapping up something like MCSA/MCSE, etc., go for your CCNA, do something like that.

nathan-fader

Hmm its a good point ..

But what if i categorised my resume Soft certifications.. and vendor certifications or what ever their called wouldn't that be acceptable?

and when i say i'm mcdst and A+ they look at me like i am lying to them.. so if they took time to research and i sent them the online transcripts it will outline my skills ?

thanks for the reply keep them coming :P

JDMurray

nathan-fader wrote:

is it worth putting the log on my resume and buying the certificates ?

If your purpose for getting certs is to find a (better) job, then I suggest you search the popular job sites for the word "Brainbench" and see how many prospective employers require those certifications. Next, search for "CCNA" and "MCSE" and see how many employers want people with those certs.

nathan-fader

not a better job, i have just come out of education and I have a love for computers so i thought to make it recognised but getting certifications ..

but i don't mean on solely relying on them for jobs just to make it look good [/quote]

HeroPsycho

Okay...

What's the purpose of a resume?

nathan-fader

in particular courses I will attend they will ask me to produce a resume..

and i haven't worked before i am interested in getting training and i will submit a letter with my resume to show my current abilities..

HeroPsycho

My point here is that your school is training you to be successful in the IT industry. In other words, they have you submit your resumes to help you get better at making them so that you are more likely to the jobs you want.

In this case, I don't think listing these certs are going to help you getting jobs. Like I said, if I were looking at your resume, and I saw you listed those, I would immediately think, "What in the heck is this cert? This guy is trying to hide his lack of experience with certs I've never heard of."

You don't want that. If I saw you weren't even 18 and had your A+, MCDST, etc., that is actually impressive. But you ruin that impression by adding the other stuff.

Just my opinion...

Plantwiz

HeroPsycho wrote:

Okay...

What's the purpose of a resume?

To get an interview, period.

*****

Short, simple, clean, concise. Nothing more, nothing less. You can kill any chance of an interview by being too wordy, or even by incorrectly formating the page layout.

The resume is basically a single page calling card.

nathan-fader

"What in the heck is this cert? This guy is trying to hide his lack of experience with certs I've never heard of."

You don't want that. If I saw you weren't even 18 and had your A+, MCDST, etc., that is actually impressive. But you ruin that impression by adding the other stuff.

Just my opinion...

Is a very good point, I never thought of it like that.. your opinion was valued thank you for being so consistent

HeroPsycho wrote:
Okay...

What's the purpose of a resume?

To get an interview, period.

Is also a good point, but HeroPsycho's lil role play could effect my chances of getting a interview thank you both for replying

More opinions are valued

Thanks

Nathan-Fader

Tesl

HeroPsycho wrote:

In this case, I don't think listing these certs are going to help you getting jobs. Like I said, if I were looking at your resume, and I saw you listed those, I would immediately think, "What in the heck is this cert? This guy is trying to hide his lack of experience with certs I've never heard of."

Oh come on. He's 17, anyone looking at his resume will know immediately he hasn't got any experience (or at best, not much). Anything else positive he can put down will only be helpful, especially those things that demonstrate a willingness to learn and improve.

nathan-fader - I've never heard of these certs, but I'm sure they wouldn't hurt if they were there. You are looking at a trade off, which is how much time/effort you need to invest to get a return on those. A CCNA (for example) would be more helpful to you, but takes much longer to achieve.

If you can get these things so easily, I don't think it would hurt to do a few and put them in there. A more well known cert would probably do yourself more favours though

HeroPsycho

I know some 17 year olds who I would completely trust even as Enterprise Level desktop support technicians or even lower level network administrators. You'd be surprised how much experience some 17 year olds have.

However, as I said, putting these down is like if I saw someone had on their resume "Certified by Chuck Norris". If anything, it hurts.

http://blogs.msdn.com/trika/archive/2008/03/25/back-in-the-saddle.aspx

Good for laughs, but not for your resume.

nathan-fader

lol

okay point taken.. thanks hero.. for being so.. "persistent" but nether the less as consistent.. much appreciated.. i actually got the certified when i was 16.. and i am receiving the certificates at 17..

HeroPsycho

Hey man, good for you!

There's no reason 17 year olds can't get certified. Keep applying yourself, and you'll do well.

Turgon

You are far too young to be overtly worried about certifications. You have plenty already. Sell yourself as someone prepared to work hard and do a good job for your potential employer.

The rest will take care of itself. Good luck.

Turgon

HeroPsycho wrote:

I know some 17 year olds who I would completely trust even as Enterprise Level desktop support technicians or even lower level network administrators. You'd be surprised how much experience some 17 year olds have.

Your kidding me right? Who is providing minors with such experience?

nathan-fader

Thank you.. i "sold" myself to a local computer store in a random confrontation with one of the recruitment people, he was eager to bring me on his team. but i will have to go to the website and check for vacancies etc. but that was only a test.. but enjoyable never felt so wanted in my life lool

Nobody has informed me of the size of the microsoft envelopes.. the postman knocked on my door.. but i was out cold my internal clock is messed up because i stay awake till mad times in the morning and the clocks went forward a hour.. and he can't bend it.. so i have to pick it up.. i can't wait.. im so excited..

i will fly to my local college and check their prospectus for courses!!

i will be pissed if it wasnt the certificates .. i would be so angry

but the postman managed to get comptia A+ certificate through hmmm

but for the record.. this is what my brainbench transcript looks like.. DISGUSTING yes .. i know..

but.. i'm not going to lie.. i do these tests between 3 - 5 AM when my eyes are watering and im not thinking.. and well.. when im just playing about.. nothing serious.. lol looks like i got worse as time goes on! hahahaha

well it was a joke.. just thought i could make it seem important and make me look smarter.. but HeroPsycho proved me wrong.. Props and Congratulations to Him.. Thank You all for your help.. i give you all permission to reply and laugh at my weaknesses.

CURRENT BRAINBENCH CERTIFICATIONS:

Certification Name: Certiport IC3 (Internet and Computing Core Certification)
Date: 2007-10-10
Authority: Certiport

Certification Name: Master Computer Fundamentals (Win XP)
Date: 2008-02-17
Authority: Brainbench

Certification Name: Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
Date: 2008-02-27
Authority: Microsoft

Certification Name: Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST)
Date: 2008-03-03
Authority: Microsoft

Certification Name: MS Windows XP Desktop Administration
Date: 2008-03-08
Authority: Brainbench

Certification Name: CompTIA A+
Date: 2008-03-10
Authority: CompTIA

Certification Name: Technical Help Desk
Date: 2008-03-18
Authority: Brainbench

ASSESSMENT HISTORY:

Module: Technical Help Desk
Date: 2008-03-18
Score: 3.02 (Scale of 1 - 5 where 5.0 = Best)
Higher than 30% of all previous test takers.

Demonstrates a solid understanding of core concepts within this
topic. Appears capable of working on most projects in this area
with moderate assistance. May require some initial assistance
with advanced concepts, however.

Strengths
Security

Weak Areas
Computer Systems
Hardware
Configuring PC Peripherals
PC Terminology
Troubleshooting Process

Module: MS Windows XP Desktop Administration
Date: 2008-03-08
Score: 3.2 (Scale of 1 - 5 where 5.0 = Best)
Higher than 70% of all previous test takers.

Demonstrates a solid understanding of core concepts within this
topic. Appears capable of working on most projects in this area
with moderate assistance. May require some initial assistance
with advanced concepts, however.

Strengths
System Maintenance and Optimization
Troubleshooting
Desktop

Weak Areas
Security
Networking
Management

Module: Computer Fundamentals (Win XP)
Date: 2008-02-17
Score: 4.15 (Scale of 1 - 5 where 5.0 = Best)
Higher than 92% of all previous test takers.

Demonstrates a clear understanding of many advanced concepts
within this topic. Appears capable of mentoring others on most
projects in this area.

Strengths
Files and Folders
Help and Support Center
Basic Windows Features
Office Applications
Control Panel
Desktop and Taskbar
Troubleshooting

Weak Areas
None Noted

HeroPsycho

Turgon wrote:

Your kidding me right? Who is providing minors with such experience?

Dude, there are 18-year-old doctors, although admittedly, not common. Again, it's not common to meet 17-year-olds who can do this type of thing, but it's more common than you think. I know one guy back in the 1990's who was 16 and could mop the floor with most people with years of IT experience. Some people are exceptionally bright.

colebert

HeroPsycho wrote:

Turgon wrote:

Your kidding me right? Who is providing minors with such experience?

Dude, there are 18-year-old doctors, although admittedly, not common. Again, it's not common to meet 17-year-olds who can do this type of thing, but it's more common than you think. I know one guy back in the 1990's who was 16 and could mop the floor with most people with years of IT experience. Some people are exceptionally bright.

I concur.

If you can find a bright (perferrably brilliant) kid who hasn't been ground down by all those "years of experience" and then put him in the right position I have no doubt he would work out.

colebert

Turgon wrote:

HeroPsycho wrote:

I know some 17 year olds who I would completely trust even as Enterprise Level desktop support technicians or even lower level network administrators. You'd be surprised how much experience some 17 year olds have.

Your kidding me right? Who is providing minors with such experience?

Being a good or bad employee isn't always a function of "experience." I would take a 17 year old with some certs, not much experience, AND his head on straight over a 40 year old with ton of experience and an improperly ordered value system.

Now, to answer your question: His parents.