CCENT or MCTS?

I am a security guard transitioning into the IT field. I still haven't landed that coveted IT job but I recently passed the A+ and I am currently studying for the Network+. I am not sure what direction my career will take, thus my medium term goal is to get CCNA and MCITP certified. This can be accomplished via the CCENT and MCTS, respectively. My first question is: in terms of job prospects (most likely in helpdesk support), what is more marketable - CCENT or MCTS (Windows 7)? I am more inclined towards the CCENT as I am currently studying for the Network+ but I assume that the MCTS is more relevant to helpdesk support. My second question is: again, in terms of job prospects, is there any merit in pursuing the HDI Desktop Support Technician or the ITIL Foundation certification or should I concentrate on the purely technical certificates at this stage?

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ptilsen

CCNA and MCITP:EA are not short goals. Combined they will probably take least a year. For someone with no experience they could take even longer, 2-3 years if you are studying in most of your free time.

I'm not saying don't get both,but focus on the track that you want to be in. If you want to be a Windows sysadmin, go down the Microsoft route after Net+. If you want to be a Cisco guy, go down the Cisco route. For short-term prospects, MCTS: Win7, configuration has more market value than CCENT, but that shouldn't be the deciding factor for you.

Ivanjam

Ptilsen, I appreciate the wisdom of what you recommend regarding the choice of track but market value is actually the deciding factor for me right now as I need to land an IT job ASAP. Thus, I will most likely go with the MCTS after the Network+. Some folks advocate the trio of A+, Network+ and Security+ as the best entry-level certifications but I don't think that will work for me, as my most likely first job in IT will be in helpdesk support and most users needing support run some version of Windows. I will make a decision as to what track I will pursue when I hold my first paycheck in hand.

higherho

Depends on what you want to do. If you are going to stay in help desk support then why get those CCNA or Microsoft Server certs? Do you want to go down the networking path or server path? To me their will always be a back end (networking gear) and you can easily get into a support job (NOC) for networking.

I think you should go for the Cisco route if thats were your passions are. Market value is determined not only by the certification / education but by your passion / experience.

Ivanjam

Higherho, maybe you are right! I finally decided to get into IT because it is my passion too so I may as well follow the path of my passion into networking and finally into security. Thanks

Darril

Ivanjam wrote: »

My first question is: in terms of job prospects (most likely in helpdesk support), what is more marketable - CCENT or MCTS (Windows 7)?

From a strictly numbers perspective, you have a much better chance at landing a helpdesk job supporting Windows users. There are many more users running Windows than there are network devices that need to be managed.

You might like to go to a job site like monster.com and search on "helpdesk support" in your area and browse through the jobs to see what skills they're asking for.

I'm wondering how likely it is for someone to land a job managing network devices without any experience in IT. I can't answer it for sure, but I doubt that this is the first job for many people in IT. I do see that people are commonly hired in helpdesk support jobs with some knowledge and a desire to help others, but without any measurable experience.

Ivanjam wrote: »

My second question is: again, in terms of job prospects, is there any merit in pursuing the HDI Desktop Support Technician or the ITIL Foundation certification or should I concentrate on the purely technical certificates at this stage?

I don't see the HDI Desktop Support Technician pop up much at all but out of the two, it has a much better chance of helping you land a career changing job. ITIL Foundations is more focused for people with experience, and is something that may be worthwhile after you have a couple of years of experience. I don't see it helping you get your foot in the door.

N2IT

I agree with Darril.

HDI is not common I wouldn't waste time and money on that certification

ITIL is good for people with 2 years experience. I know some will say it's an easy exam, but I still think you should have some experience

Windows 7 would be an awesome certification. First of all it's heading to almost every enterprise you can imagine. That alone makes it valuable. It also snaps into several MCITP's certification tracks. So once you get more experience you can plug that right into the certification plan and become a MCITP.

Ivanjam

Thanks Darril and N2IT for your input.
I have posed the first question to a number of persons both online and offline and opinions seem to weigh heavily on the side of tackling the Windows 7 exam immediately after Network+ to beef up my entry level certifications. Quite likely I will go that route and leave Security+, CCENT as well as ITIL to a later date.

Chrono

which one is better:

MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Support Technician on Windows 7

or

MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator on Windows 7

JeanM

Many would suggest that once you have a couple certs like A+/Network+ , you may want to then find a job and start getting hands on experience as well to put on your resume. Then you can start figuring out what direction you may want to go into

Network+ will be a good foundation for CCENT/CCNA etc..
Security+ is also a good cert if you are interested in security principles.

Some go into MCP or MCITP or MCSA/MCSE then later on as well. It all depends

chopsticks

I would say try to get both. In my personal experience and current role, due to many responsibilities, tasks assigned, and resources constrained, our team can no longer be bounded to only our job title. Basically we are all covering each other bits and pieces on desktop and mobile devices, telecommunication (analog, digital and IP Tel), network infrastructures (routers and switches), server farms (physical and virtualisation), supportive role in e-security (nothing but just proactively participate in anti-virus activities, security patches, etc). I believe this is also happening in many organisation, so I think it is not a bad idea to have both, in order to do our job in a better way. However, be warned that in such environment, sometimes we do get burned out quite often due to so many domains one is supporting. Basically there are so many things to learn yet with so little time we have.

Ivanjam

Chrono: I cannot say which one is "better" but I can say that they both require passing exam 70-680 (Configuring Windows 7). I suppose they are just different roles as outline by the descriptions.

JeanM: Indeed I will be looking for an IT job after passing Network+ however job-seeking is a passive process most of the time so I will also be preparing for the next certification.

Ivanjam

Darril: do you have a book written specifically for exam 70-680 (Configuring Windows 7)?

rsutton

If you want to be a Windows System Admin, which in many companies is a hybrid role where you touch many different systems, the CCENT followed by the MCITP is a good course to follow. The CCENT is a network primer and is good for almost anyone.

Darril

Ivanjam wrote: »

Darril: do you have a book written specifically for exam 70-680 (Configuring Windows 7)?

Sorry, but no. I did write a Windows 7 Desktop Support and Administration book that some people have said has been helpful for them when preparing for the 70-680, but it isn't targeted for that exam.