Is MCITP the right next step ?

Hi there,

I m currently considering doing the MCITP Enterprise Adminstrator , but not sure if its the right step foward and where to do it .

I have CompTia A+ , CCNA and 6 months work experince in a hosting company in London .

I m not sure if its good idea to go for the MCITP to get a combnation or carry on on Cisco route . Also Not sure where I get the best providers at not very higt cost as I m not intersted in on line stuff .

Many thanks

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howiehandles

That's a question that you'll need to ask yourself. What direction do you want to go in? What interests you? Where do you want to be in 2 years, 5 years, 10 years?

earweed

As far as providers whatever direction you decide to go you could do it a lot cheaper doing self study. You would save enough money to get yourself a lab setup to help with your studies.
Whether you continue Cisco or go the MS route you will need some hands on experience and a home lab is the best way to start.
If going the MS route be aware that the MCITP:EA tests now cover Server 2008 R2 so you will need to be able to lab a 64 bit VM. Best to just get/build something you can set up with Hyper-V and use that.

han.net

thats not what I really want , but what the market and the industry demanding , and also I have to be realastic with my where I want be in 5 years time .

earweed

So where do you want to be in 5 years time? An answer of making a lot of money is unrealistic and shortsighted.
What is it that interests you?

han.net

Well , the thing is that I dont want to do a course or get new skills without being appreciated from employers , Money is sake of everybody but I want be in the right way up , in my carrer . I like IT in general but at the same time I want to obay the markets need . I did my CCNA and liked it very much , and I thought Iit might be good idea to have some software knoeledge and also to expand choices . But again I need amn advice on that .

Bl8ckr0uter

earweed wrote: »

So where do you want to be in 5 years time? An answer of making a lot of money is unrealistic and shortsighted.
What is it that interests you?

I have to disagree. If money interest him and so does IT then him saying he wants to make a lot of money seems realistic to me. I can tell you this within 5 years I want to make 100k+. I'd like to make it in network security and *nix security. I don't think it is shortsighted to keep your eye on the $

han.net

Yes , true , but what is right direction , still have no answer .
If sombody know about Cisco , then is Cisco Pix and firewall speciallist will the next step or ccna security , I dont know the difference

earweed

I have to disagree. If money interest him and so does IT then him saying he wants to make a lot of money seems realistic to me. I can tell you this within 5 years I want to make 100k+. I'd like to make it in network security and *nix security. I don't think it is shortsighted to keep your eye on the $

To choose ones path merely on what others view as a path to more money is probably a better way to put it. He could just listen to the ITT/Devry commercials about how he's gonna make money and have this way better lifestyle and go that path..
What I was mainly trying to say is that the 100K jobs are not easy to obtain and require a lot of work. There is no set path anyone here could recommend for him to get to the riches that he may want. You are in a different position in that your money goals and interests at least intersect and you aren't just pursuing a path completely for the $.

han.net

Ant ydeas ??? non of questions were answered !!

earweed

In my opinion you should round out your knowledge with Microsoft and get the MCITP:EA. Go the self study route and buy the books, CBTs, and practice tests.
No on answered your questions mainly because there are so many variables to consider.
Is my opinion an answer to your question? probably not but it's all I have given that I know little about your circumstances.

han.net

many thanks for that , however I d like to o any course through class rooms , and more than happy to give any answer to help any body to form a more in depth about me .

Bl8ckr0uter

han.net wrote: »

many thanks for that , however I d like to o any course through class rooms , and more than happy to give any answer to help any body to form a more in depth about me .

I had this exact same train of questioning. I thought I settled on doing some MS certs, then not, then doing a few but not as many, and now I am back to thinking I am not going to do any (especially since the new CCNP:Security will be out soon.). I suggest that you make the decision on what you want to do and then go from there. If you want to be a generalist, do some MS, nix, and go from there. If you want to be a cisco person go for more cisco certs. I can tell you this, most people go from generalist to specialist as far as their certs. Some people mix and match, some generalist certs and some in their chosen track (like security or voice). Some people go after their track and try to force their way into the job they want (that's me lol). I can tell you this, the first two are going to be what most people here will suggest to you.

han.net

I have no doubt about you experience and your ideal advice . In fact I liked the CCNa very much and scored 902 on my first , however there couple of stuff to consder . First , I have to to ask the best track to get into the IT career rather just go with what I fancy more than the other as the both field are in IT and technocal which I love . Second , I need to ask the people who are within the industry to give a realastic view about what I call OSI layers of IT field . Third , as I m not practising the ccna skills , I think I need to go back to revise some . Therfore I still need an advice , and according the ITjobWatch , site the cisco are going down , whereas the MCITP is going up .

Can you also recommend a provider ??

Asif Dasl

You say you work in a hosting company, do they have cisco gear you can get your hands on or what do you do in your job? If Cisco is the route you want to take then you need to be getting hands on experience to make your CCNA more valuable in the market place.

If you are getting more experience with Windows then going down the MCITP:EA route would be more beneficial. Either way you need to be getting hands on experience with the work you find most enjoyable. It's not an either/or scenario you could get both, but it will only have a value in the market place when you have the experience to back up your certs.

I would focus on the work you find most enjoyable rather than a website which lists keywords. In my opinion. What’s to say in 6 months Cisco is not back up rather than down in job listings. You can best get a job where you have an interest, a skillset and an opportunity. You will find opportunities with both routes, this is why it is so important to choose which field you find more interesting. Things will become clearer for you once you make that decision.

han.net

The Good news is that I got that job without work experince , just after I finished my CCNA and I was :

· Providing a professional first point of contact for customers experiencing technical difficulties, raising a ticket for each job and working with Field Engineers to enable a swift resolution
· Actively involved in ordering Cross Connect on behalf of customers involving liaising with Adapt (Internet and connectivity provider) to produce detailed diagrams for future reference
· Liaising directly with Engineers to book and process access requests to the company’s data centres on behalf of customers
· Raising tickets for all new customer orders, arranging for the Field Engineers to manage the installation process and assigning IP addresses to customers according to their needs
· Creating forward and reverse DNS entries for clients and making decisions on the most appropriate network topology and technical configuration on Cisco Layer 3 switches
· Responsible for the configuration of Cisco Firewalls and Power Distribution Unit devices according to customer needs and creating sensors on bandwidth monitor system for customer devices
· Providing detailed technical information to customers including IP allocations, PDU and bandwidth monitor log-in details
· Maintaining and updating the CRM system with accurate and up to date information on customers and technical details
· Working in close conjunction with other members of the team tasked with delivering virtual machines to customers on Citrix platforms involving configuring Cisco switch and Xen server, creating and installing the virtual machine on the Xen server and completing all associated provisioning work

· Actively involved in the upgrade of Cisco IOS internally as well as updating HTML web pages for new PDU links
· Investigating and resolving connectivity and other technical issues on Cisco switches and providing subsequent reports
· Additionally involved in configuring Juniper switches, upgrading PDU firmware and creating ACL for Cisco Core switches in line with security policy
· Playing a pivotal role in managing the company’s partnership with Cisco including ordering and processing SmartNet services to fix or replace faulty firewalls

The BAD news is that I resigned from my posion because of an extream stress that i had there which led to some health problems , but I m recoverd now .

Regards

Asif Dasl

han.net wrote: »

The Good news is that I got that job without work experince , just after I finished my CCNA and I was :

The BAD news is that I resigned from my posion because of an extream stress that i had there which led to some health problems , but I m recoverd now .

Not to get too personal, but were the reasons for stress job related? As in not being able to do the job or were there other reasons for that?

han.net

Its not having a good relationship with owner of the company , and going into situation where he reflect his anger of some other members to me as I m the new person by picking up for example a speling mistake !!

I fed up simly

Asif Dasl

han.net wrote: »

Its not having a good relationship with owner of the company , and going into situation where he reflect his anger of some other members to me as I m the new person by picking up for example a speling mistake !!

I fed up simly

Not to make too big a point about it, but there are many spelling mistakes in your posts. But were you able to do the job? The job description doesn't seem to be all that entry level, it seems like there would have to be quite a bit of training involved for that position and you would have quite a bit of hands on with Cisco firewalls. Not really what is included in the CCNA.

han.net

I was geting no training what so ever , I manged to get my hands on and configure cisco firewall after I searched on the net and compared some firewalls already installed and get it up and running . I also was involved in Configuring Junper switchs and all the other bit and peices which I had no Idea about them . He went to me one day saying , this job for 2 people , I cant afford to pay 2 people to do the job . And he always seemed not happy and got his eye on one think simple and make a huge fuss about it , and ignoring other peoples big mistakes because and according to him , that he could not speak to them rudly like he did to me because he cant afford to lose them . Thats in addition to another funny thing when he wanted me to search and do an upgrade for server from 2003 to 2008 to our customers even though that I dont have any certification or work experience in servers .
And alot more

Asif Dasl

han.net wrote: »

I was geting no training what so ever , I manged to get my hands on and configure cisco firewall after I searched on the net and compared some firewalls already installed and get it up and running . I also was involved in Configuring Junper switchs and all the other bit and peices which I had no Idea about them . He went to me one day saying , this job for 2 people , I cant afford to pay 2 people to do the job . And he always seemed not happy and got his eye on one think simple and make a huge fuss about it , and ignoring other peoples big mistakes because and according to him , that he could not speak to them rudly like he did to me because he cant afford to lose them . Thats in addition to another funny thing when he wanted me to search and do an upgrade for server from 2003 to 2008 to our customers even though that I dont have any certification or work experience in servers .
And alot more

By the sounds of things you were being put in to scenarios which were very unfair to say the least. You would probably be better placed in a different company, one which at least wants to train you and fit in better. It probably has hit your confidence a bit. Don't let a job like that discourage you, keep working on your studies and you will find a suitable position which will treat you right. But first, which side of things do you think you would prefer? Cisco or Microsoft?

han.net

first of all , i m sorry for spelling mistakes as English is not my first Language , however I speak fluently . I loved the CCNA and scored 902 at my first attempt , and to be honest , yes my self confidence was hitted , especially when he comes back to me not appreciating anything and say to me I could have done this myself . I m not sure to be honest , which one is I like most , but generally speaking I like hands on and meet people , andd would rather go on the correct step forward for sombody with my skills . Bascly I like Cisco and Microsofty , but what I like the most is getting into right step ladder .

Asif Dasl

han.net wrote: »

first of all , i m sorry for spelling mistakes as English is not my first Language , however I speak fluently . I loved the CCNA and scored 902 at my first attempt , and to be honest , yes my self confidence was hitted , especially when he comes back to me not appreciating anything and say to me I could have done this myself . I m not sure to be honest , which one is I like most , but generally speaking I like hands on and meet people , andd would rather go on the correct step forward for sombody with my skills . Bascly I like Cisco and Microsofty , but what I like the most is getting into right step ladder .

I figured it wasn't your first language, that's why I think it was a bit of a cheap shot. I'm not going to lie, spelling is something you need to work on, especially if you are a customer facing technician.

But really, you need any position which will enable you to learn and build your confidence up again. Doing more Cisco certs probably won't be of much use to you, you need a position where you can get more hands on CCNA experience. If you go the Windows route, the Windows 7 70-680 exam is a good place to start. It wouldn't do you any harm in the job market that's for sure. Keep applying for entry-level CCNA positions, your previous job wasn't really an entry-level position.

han.net

Does anybody know about funding opportunities for the CCNP or MCITP or anything similar?

Asif, do you think I need to apply for work experince to enhance my ccna skills ?? any ideas where ?