Mcdst & a+

Hello,

I posted earlier re: no having any IT experience or degrees but I do have the 2009 A+ cert. It's been suggested to me to obtain a MCDST cert as well to make my resume look more attractive due to the lack of exp. & education.

My question is would possessing both of these certs be somewhat redundant as they cover OS basics/troubleshooting, etc.?

or

Would it definitely be to my advantage to break into entry level desktop support/help desk with both certs as opposed to just the A+??

thanks in advance,
ROB

Find more posts tagged with

Save $250 on 2025 certification boot camps from Infosec!

Book now with code EOY2025

Button

Comments

ibcritn

DrumRobC wrote: »

Hello,

I posted earlier re: no having any IT experience or degrees but I do have the 2009 A+ cert. It's been suggested to me to obtain a MCDST cert as well to make my resume look more attractive due to the lack of exp. & education.

My question is would possessing both of these certs be somewhat redundant as they cover OS basics/troubleshooting, etc.?

or

Would it definitely be to my advantage to break into entry level desktop support/help desk with both certs as opposed to just the A+??

thanks in advance,
ROB

Advantage.

MCDST is more practical, or version specific knowledge. Not only will it make you look better, but it will also increase your skills.

You can get an entry level help desk job with your credentials! We all start somewhere...you have a leg up you do have a degree...granted non-IT, but it still shows you set goals and achieved higher education.

Work towards the M$ certs and apply on monster.com, dice.com, careerbuilder.com. Attend any job fairs near you and network through linkedin.

Don't limit gaining knowledge to just whats required for your certification either. You should also be familiar with the basics of networking: OSI Model, TCP/IP, Ports, Protocols, Networking components (cabling, router, switch, hub, WAP), DNS, DHCP, to get you started this will likely all show up in an interview as a question "Explain what DHCP does?"

Good luck!

Cisco Inferno

i too am starting out. i just took my network+ exam.
looking at the mcdst objectives, i see a lot of overlap from both those exams. and it is what i am doing right now to nab that first helpdesk job like you.
XP is still highly used so i still see this cert still holding weight for a little bit longer. after your mcdst id suggest network+ and or the Windows 7 version mcdst called MCITP:EDST7. then when youre properly seated and exposed to IT, you can go anywhere!

good luck.

Psoasman

I think having both certs will help you. If you choose to do the MCDST, then I would upgrade to the MCITP:EST7 next, taking the 70-682 exam.
Another option would be to do the network+ and security+, then move onto MS certs.

Claymoore

Cisco Inferno wrote: »

XP is still highly used so i still see this cert still holding weight for a little bit longer.

Are you aware that the MCDST exams are retiring in June? 6 months isn't that long.

If you want to break into IT, skip the outdated XP exams and move on to Windows 7. The large deployments are starting and those teams will need people for the next couple of years. Contract deployment work isn't glamorous, but the pay is better than entry level helpdesk and you will get the experience that you need for full time positions later on. Look into the 680, 686 and 681 exams for the management and deployment quals on Win7.

Cisco Inferno

Claymoore wrote: »

Are you aware that the MCDST exams are retiring in June? 6 months isn't that long.

If you want to break into IT, skip the outdated XP exams and move on to Windows 7. The large deployments are starting and those teams will need people for the next couple of years. Contract deployment work isn't glamorous, but the pay is better than entry level helpdesk and you will get the experience that you need for full time positions later on. Look into the 680, 686 and 681 exams for the management and deployment quals on Win7.

i know and those are my main goals immediately after mcdst.
its actually retiring on 12-31-11 and my books already here. and judging from what people say its fairly easy and i plan on knocking it out quickly and moving on.

not meaning to hijack but what makes 680 so difficult?, i keep reading about people saying questions that weren't covered in the book appeared and or they failed. scary huh?

maybe i should do 681 before 680?

Mike-Mike

I have A+ & Net+ and I'm currently studying MCDST, there is a lot of overlap, but it goes a lot more in-depth, i think it's beneficial to have A+ & Net+ prior, but I don't think you could just A+ &Net+ and walk in and pass the exam..

N2IT

70-680 will open your mind.

Claymoore

Cisco Inferno wrote: »

i know and those are my main goals immediately after mcdst.
its actually retiring on 12-31-11 and my books already here. and judging from what people say its fairly easy and i plan on knocking it out quickly and moving on.

not meaning to hijack but what makes 680 so difficult?, i keep reading about people saying questions that weren't covered in the book appeared and or they failed. scary huh?

maybe i should do 681 before 680?

The 271 and 272 exam retirement was extended from March 31, 2011 to June 30, 2011.
Windows XP Exams - Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) certification ? retirement extended and retiring soon! - Born to Learn - Born To Learn - Born to Learn

The 680 is a solid, enterprise-level client exam. I didn't think it was hard, but it was more difficult than the 620 Vista client exam - that was insultingly easy. I took the 680 in beta so I cannot comment on what is or is not in the book since it wasn't written yet. I doubt there will be a book or Transcender for the 681 as the equivalent Vista deployment exam wasn't very popular.

N2IT

Claymoore wrote: »

The 271 and 272 exam retirement was extended from March 31, 2011 to June 30, 2011.
Windows XP Exams - Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) certification ? retirement extended and retiring soon! - Born to Learn - Born To Learn - Born to Learn

The 680 is a solid, enterprise-level client exam. I didn't think it was hard, but it was more difficult than the 620 Vista client exam - that was insultingly easy. I took the 680 in beta so I cannot comment on what is or is not in the book since it wasn't written yet. I doubt there will be a book or Transcender for the 681 as the equivalent Vista deployment exam wasn't very popular.

It's not that easy for me. A lot of the ideas are new concepts like setting up the USB with diskpart and mounting a ISO image on a server OS for deployment.

That's all new to me. It's going to take me a while that's for damn sure. I am glad my 290 book comes with a 180 trial of server 2003. I am going to focus on 680 for at least 3 months probably. If and when I pass that I might move onto 290. Hell it might just be 680 this year. Being strictly a help desk guy who support routers, switches and desktop clients I have little to no experience with terminal server OS's.

Cisco Inferno

N2IT wrote: »

It's not that easy for me. A lot of the ideas are new concepts like setting up the USB with diskpart and mounting a ISO image on a server OS for deployment.

That's all new to me. It's going to take me a while that's for damn sure. I am glad my 290 book comes with a 180 trial of server 2003. I am going to focus on 680 for at least 3 months probably. If and when I pass that I might move onto 290. Hell it might just be 680 this year. Being strictly a help desk guy who support routers, switches and desktop clients I have little to no experience with terminal server OS's.

whoopsies. well hopefully the march 31st deadline aint that bad. im sure i can do both these tests in 3months. just like how comptia's deadline pushed me, im sure this is a good thing.

Mike-Mike

it's June

N2IT

Cisco Inferno wrote: »

whoopsies. well hopefully the march 31st deadline aint that bad. im sure i can do both these tests in 3months. just like how comptia's deadline pushed me, im sure this is a good thing.

I was talking about Window 7 680.

Not 271 and 272. I've read both of those books and been supporting XP for over 5 years. I could probably walk into those test and pass them now.

Cisco Inferno

Mike-Mike wrote: »

it's June

oy... my brain hurts...forgive me