Samurai004 wrote: » Passed with an 820. I can understand why there is a recommended amount of experience with this test. I think some of the concepts would have been easier to relate to with that experience. But, I am a street cop that has never been in a server room or administered anything more than my home wireless network and the occasional LAN party. Well I studied for about two weeks using Sybex, Exam Cram and the TechNotes on this site (thanks it was nice to have a condensed and focused study guide). I don't know if I should go Linux+ or Server+ next, any suggestions for an aspiring Network Engineer? I am thinking about just flipping a coin, unless one proves to be a good intro to the other. Thanks for the support this forum provides, the guidance here is defintely valued during my two year planned career morph. lol James
Street Cop? Seriously? Are you planning to go into security?
Samurai004 wrote: » Yup, serious. I have been in uniform patrol for 7 years. Midnight shift the last 2 years. Very busy city (gunshot female suicide, I was punched in the face several times during a fight, and caught a burglar with a gun --- and that was just in the last week). I am pretty much seen everything and done everything, plus the courts have me very bitter towards our farse of a legal system. I was planning on getting some available to law enforcement only digital forensic training through our state police academy. I hope to just provide enough training and obvious personal drive to get my foot in the door with an IT job, the big thing I lack is private sector experience. And given my job it is hard to get experience. Any outside employment has to be approved by the chief and I don't want to tip my hand in that regard. Plus, the unpredicablity of court would make volunteer work scheduling nearly impossible. A lot of times we don't get subpeonas until the night before the court date...like they didn't know a trial was coming.
Darril wrote: » Congrats. That's a great score, especially with little experience and only two weeks of studying. (I'm thinking you have more experience than you realize with your home networking and LAN parties.) I've taught a lot of classes where students were "career changers" from a lot of backgrounds - plumbers, construction workers, boat and car salesmen, and more, but I don't remember any active street cops. The closest I had was a gun-toting homeland security officer who occasionally showed up to night class in uniform when ship inspections kept him at work late. My hats off to you for the work you've done and wish you the best of luck in making a change. As far as Linux+ and Server+, I'd recommend Linux+. I think it'll have much more marketability and usability. Server+ isn't well understood and because of that I don't see it getting much respect from hiring managers. In other words, if a hiring manager sees Linux+ on a resume, he'll assume you can get around on a Linux box (or other UNIX derivatives) and there are a lot of jobs where this is valuable. However, if he sees Server+ on the resume, it doesn't equate to a specific skill and it is often overlooked. Additionally, a lot of networks have boundary protection (firewalls, IDSs, and IPSs) running on UNIX or derivatives such as Linux. Between Server+ and Linux+ I see Linux applying to security much more. Congrats again. Darril Gibson Author: CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Aheadwww.sy0-201.com Security+ Tip of day Tweets twitter.com/DarrilGibson
Samurai004 wrote: » Thanks for the great replies. I will definitely go for Linux+ next, then I think it is time to setup up these two cisco routers I have lying around. I definitely need to gain exp. in linux, I am not even a newb with that subject. It looks like a great system though. After gaining a good understanding with that I will go for CCNA. Do I have to have CCNA before getting CCNA:Security? Or is it just a different style of test?
