Switching career to IT

Hi guys and gals, so heres my story. I recently graduated with a degree in Electrical Engr and couldn't find any job in my field. So I decided to look for an IT helpdesk type job. I have about a year of part time experience working in a helpdesk job back in college and I just recently found a temp job as a helpdesk technician. The problem is I don't know if this would translate into a perm position or not. But i do like the type of work I'm doing right now, especially the networking part of it. So the question I have is what kind of certification should I get if I want to eventually become a network admin or even a network engineer?

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Priston

CompTIA Network+ and CCNA. Welcome to TE

rogue2shadow

Priston wrote: »

CompTIA Network+ and CCNA. Welcome to TE

Prinston hit it on the head. If you did the 2 exam approach to the CCNA, I feel that the CCENT will give you the Network+ knowledge and more from a Cisco point of view.

CCNA - Career Certifications & Paths - Cisco Systems

After CCNA, look to specialize in a field (Security, Voice, SAN, Wireless). A strong networking foundation has many applications across job titles and will lead the way to a great career in IT.

Daniel333

Start with a+, ccent, mcitp: enterprise support technician. In the meal time get out and volunteer build your experience up. Senoor centers and churches are a good start.

Chris:/*

Government and Contracting firms drool over two degrees Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. You match that with a CCNA and Network+ you will be on your way to working in a NOC. IF you choose to work with the government you will be required to get Security+ at least for that tech level.

shodown

^^^^^

What he said above. You have a degree in EE. While it may not be a IT degree you have proven a aptitude for learning at some of the highest levels. Get some certs in the direction you want to go and trust me you will be able to move up. It may require so relocation on your part though.

crazychrono100

Thanks for all the inputs and suggestions guys. I just did some research on some of certs you guys mention. The CCENT looks like a good one to get since that one counts toward getting a CCNA. Can anyone recommend some good studying material for the CCENT? Another question is the MCITP a good cert to have, what i mean is do company look for someone that have one?

rogue2shadow

crazychrono100 wrote: »

Thanks for all the inputs and suggestions guys. I just did some research on some of certs you guys mention. The CCENT looks like a good one to get since that one counts toward getting a CCNA. Can anyone recommend some good studying material for the CCENT? Another question is the MCITP a good cert to have, what i mean is do company look for someone that have one?

This book by Todd Lammale should take care of both exams:
Amazon.com: CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide: Exam 640-802 (9780470110089): Todd Lammle: Books

You should definitely try to get your hand on real equipment or if you decide to take classes try to find a school that is offering the Cisco Networking Academy. This will give you access to Packet Tracer which is an amazing labbing tool and should get you through at least the CCNA.

The MCITP is relatively new but most HR goons like seeing the MCSE 2003 (because its been around so long and thats what is generally known as "the" cert to have as a sys admin). The MCITP and its disciplines are definitely on the rise and will be more well-known soon enough; in terms of whether to go for 2003 or the 2008, its up in the air (theres tons of threads on this forum as to which to choose).

Chris:/*

Yes but lay out your goals and what you want to do then match your education needs to where you want to go. Being able to understand servers and system administration will not hurt a network admin or engineer. Studying that will take time away from working towards your professional level knowledge in your chosen career goals.

earweed

For the CCENT you could use the Odom book Amazon.com: CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide, 2nd Edition (9781587201820): Wendell Odom: Books: Reviews, Prices & more or the Lammie book Amazon.com: CCENT: Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician Study Guide: ICND1 (Exam 640-822) (Exam 640-822 With CD) (9780470247020): Todd Lammle: Books and if you're a visual learner I've heard the CBT Nuggets are good.
For the CCNA course you will want some hands on with either real Cisco gear or a good simulator. Check the CCNA forums here on TE for advice on simulators or what gear to get for practice.

RobertKaucher

Chris:/* wrote: »

Yes but lay out your goals and what you want to do then match your education needs to where you want to go. Being able to understand servers and system administration will not hurt a network admin or engineer. Studying that will take time away from working towards your professional level knowledge in your chosen career goals.

I cannot agree with this statement enough. Expecially at the beginning you need to focus on the fundamentals of your chosen career path. If networking is the direction you want to go, then for the next year you should focus most of your effort on that. If you are currently working on a help desk or as a desktop support tech, them getting an MS cert like the MCITP Enterprise Support Tech would help you in your current job, but it will not advance your chossen career and should be looked at as such.

Once you get the basics of networking down, strong CCNA skills, you can start to branch out a bit. But make sure most of your time and effort go to help you get the job you really want to have.

Now if you are not certain about doing pure networking and you enjoy system administration as well then I think the path suggested by Daniel333 is very good.

EDIT: I just want to add that I believe Systems guys like me are helped far more by having strong networking knowledge than network guys are by having strong sys or server admin knowledge.

it_consultant

I wouldn't start with the A+ and Net+, start with the Windows client exam in the MCITP:EA route (it will give you credit to the higher certification) and do the CCNA composite exam instead of the CCENT exam then the CCNA. That way you can take two tests and be prepared for entry level IT (on the path to network engineering) and you will have an MCP and CCNA, which are highly recognized in the field.

EDIT: I just want to add that I believe Systems guys like me are helped far more by having strong networking knowledge than network guys are by having strong sys or server admin knowledge. -YES YES YES

earweed

it_consultant wrote: »

EDIT: I just want to add that I believe Systems guys like me are helped far more by having strong networking knowledge than network guys are by having strong sys or server admin knowledge. -YES YES YES

Couldn't agree more! That's why I'm going after the CCNA after doing my MCITP:EA