US Military Veteran (Newb to IT)

I just came back to the US after being away for 5 years because of the military and found an interest in building pc's. I've buillt 3 of my own computers, but I still need more training and experience if I want to get into IT(either hardware installation, repair, networks, etc).I have some questions that I would like someone to answer. I would really appreciated if you did because I'll use this information and pass it on to other veterans at the Veteran's Center that I go to.

What certifications should I start with?
What books are good for training on my own?
Do any of you know any IT training schools for veterans? (free or low cost in the Los Angeles Area)
And any other information that might be useful.
Thank you very much.

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whistler

mago wrote:

I just came back to the US after being away for 5 years because of the military and found an interest in building pc's. I've buillt 3 of my own computers, but I still need more training and experience if I want to get into IT(either hardware installation, repair, networks, etc).I have some questions that I would like someone to answer. I would really appreciated if you did because I'll use this information and pass it on to other veterans at the Veteran's Center that I go to.

What certifications should I start with?
What books are good for training on my own?
Do any of you know any IT training schools for veterans? (free or low cost in the Los Angeles Area)
And any other information that might be useful.
Thank you very much.

Welcome back.

CompTia's A+ for computer repair is a good place to start.
Check out goodwill etc. and see if they have any old PC's you can buy to breakdown and rebuild for experience.

As for school's be very careful of schools that are just looking for the money and don't provide training worth anything. Community College's might be a good place to check for a series of courses in IT.

With any luck the "gentleman" in the White House will sign the new GI bill and you will recieve some deserved financial help.

Tyrant1919

I don't know if there's any schools that the MGIB will cover.

http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/search_programs.htm

Search there. I know the MGIB covers the cost of exams. It took about 3 months to get my reimbursement for Net +.

sthomas

mago wrote:

What certifications should I start with?

Usually people starting out in IT get the A+ and Network+. After that some go the Cisco route and some go the Microsoft route depending on their interest, of course you can always do both. I would recommend getting A+/Net+ and then start working toward the MCSA in Windows Server 2003. I don't recommend getting your MCSE until you have some IT experience first but that is just my opinion. If you are interested in Linux you may also want to look into the Linux+ and/or LPIC-1 certification, one of those may help set yourself apart from the crowd. Just remember that the most important thing in IT is experience, so it usually isn't good to get over certified in technology you have no actual experience with.

mago wrote:

What books are good for training on my own?

I get books from amazon.com most of the time. The prices on there are pretty good. If you decide to get a Microsoft certification then I always recommend getting the Microsoft Press books, and for a second resource the Sybex and Syngress books are usually pretty good. Another important thing when studying for Microsoft certifications is to get some hands on by setting up a lab either using old computers or virtual machines using VMWare server or Microsoft Virtual PC which is free. You can also get trial versions of Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP pro from Microsoft.com so you will want to download the trial version iso's for microsoft's website.

For Cisco certifications the Todd Lammle book and the Wendall Odom book(s) are the most popular.

http://www.amazon.com/CCNA-Certified-Network-Associate-640-802/dp/0470110082/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211549666&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Official-Certification-Library-640-802-Guide/dp/1587201836/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211549666&sr=8-2

When studying for the CCNA you can use simulators and purchase cisco routers and switches from ebay to setup a lab. Here is a link to a free popular simulator that a lot of people use when studying for the CCNA.

http://www.gns3.net/

For the A+ and Net+ I would probably recommend the Mike Meyers books but I took the exams back in 2002.

http://www.amazon.com/Certification-All-One-Guide-Sixth/dp/0072263113/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211549876&sr=8-2

Just search amazon.com there are a lot of good books available and they usually have reviews as well. Be sure to check the Cisco, CompTIA and Microsoft forums on this site as there is a lot of good info that could answer some of your questions already. There are also a lot of good study resources on this site so be sure to use them. I hope that helps some.

pwjohnston

whistler wrote:

mago wrote:

With any luck the "gentleman" in the White House will sign the new GI bill and you will recieve some deserved financial help.

Nope, he already said he'd veto it.

Technowiz

Nope, he already said he'd veto it.

Why?

pwjohnston

Technowiz wrote:

Nope, he already said he'd veto it.

Why?

Because he's a worthless excuse for a human?

Despite Bush's Vow to Veto, GI Bill Passes in a Landslide
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/86306/

Daniel333

Welcome back! Thank you for your service.

What certifications should I start with?
A+ is a must, it will give you a feel for how frustrating these cert test can be and there are plenty of resources available. After which, you will probably want to grab your CCNA since it will teach you all the networking concepts you are going to need.

Then pick a specialty. Normally among Cisco, Linux or Windows. If you are going Windows start on your MCSE if you are going Linux start working toward your RHCE. Cisco is a lot harder. I would recommend reading up on it at Cisco's site. But basically CCDA, CCNP and so on. But it takes many more years to get good at Cisco as compared to Linux/Windows

What books are good for training on my own?
Anything from Sybex is good. I also recommend signing up for www.vtc.com, they are good for general concepts as well as all the business application you are going to be expected to know like Visio, Project, Access, Act and File Maker pro.

Do any of you know any IT training schools for veterans?
I don't know about free. Training out of books and videos works for me. But if you have the cash/credit I hear good things about DeVry.

Check online to find yourself a Linux user's group you can hang out at once a month, check around for conventions and attend them and start participating in Microsoft technet broadcasts.

Above all else grab yourself some experience, I know Geek Squad may sound like a joke, but 6 months of fixing computers is a good start, plenty of problems out there you have never seen until you’re fixing your 300th computer. From there snag a help desk job and move up the ladder as you earn your certs/goto school.
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Technowiz

Looks like congress is going to cram it down his throat anyway. Apparently $52 billion over 10 years is too much to spend on our veterans. Wish he was as frugal with our money on NCLB and medicare.

Tyrant1919

We should have just not produced one of our B-2s in inventory and instead just give everyone in the military a $1,000 bonus.

brad-

Welcome back.

A+/N+ are a good start...but expensive. MCITP/EST (formerly MCDST) are more cost friendly, but will expire when support for the product expires.

What I did to get into the IT world was start at a proprietary software company to get some experience...though not "IT" work, it did help me get into the IT world.

Expect to work helpdesk type jobs to start, and salary...probably less than you would imagine.

Buy all books from amazon.com, they're much cheaper than a brick and mortar store, and you can get exactly the book you want. For example, when I did A+/N+, I wanted the Mike Meyers Passport books, but the local stores didnt have them. Amazon has everything.

cooktm

Make use of all your GI bill its great and you earned it!