Career Advice, Certification Route...

New to the forum. Wanted to start off saying I am currently an IT consultant doing hardware repairs, QA test, and inventory. Recently graduated with a bachelors in computer information systems and have obtained my A+ certification.

I received a call for a service tech level 1 position at Microcenter. Would this be a good way to get experience if I were interested in ultimately trying to get into Systems Admin, Network Admin, or Database Admin?

After the A+ most generally seem to go for the Network+ then one of the Cisco (CCNA) or MS (MCSE). Is what is most marketable dependent on the area you live in or is there just simply one better route to go?

If I interview well and get the job, I would assume it would be best to stay on the job for 12-18 months to show stability at a company and commitment to the position versus jumping around. But, would I end up being stuck in a low level position if I don't take the opportunity to keep looking for something better while I have the new job?

Any advice on the job or certs would be very helpful. I had been lurking around on the forum and decided to post my own thread here. Just curious about what is the best way to go about gaining the work experience, when to and what type of certifications to get, and getting a nice balance. I can provide a generic sample of my resume if that would be of help or interest.

Again, thank you all!!

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Comments

srabiee

It really depends on what interests you the most. Would you rather get into networking, security, systems administration, Linux, virtualization, etc? Once you figure out what you want to focus your career on, you can pursue the certs that will assist you in obtaining that goal.

What are the specific duties of the job that you are interviewing for?

This isn't definitive by any means, but it's something to play around with:

CompTIA Career Pathways

neuTEW

I am looking into possible Linux Admin, Network Admin, maybe virtualization. Btw I've never seen an employer looking for Server+. Is it useful or does it have a low ROI? Also heard that Server+ does not expire after 3 years as is the case with all other CompTIA certs.

srabiee

Server+ isn't as popular as some of the other CompTIA certs. I still learned a bit when studying for it, and the exam was just as easy as the A+ IMO. I don't really think any of the CompTIA certs have a high ROI, except for maybe the Linux+ 3-in-1/5-in-1. Depending on where you are in your career or how much you already know, you may want to skip them and go straight to Cisco, Microsoft, VMware, etc. Or if you are going the Linux route, go for the Linux+.

loxleynew

Depends on the job duties of the "service tech". ISP identifies their techs as "service tech's" and they just take calls and tell you to unplug your computer.

All those comptia exams seem pointless and a waste of time besides maybe sec+. Start studying for your ccna or mcsa or sec+.

Job hopping in IT is a non factor. I say stay at a job for 1 year and re-evaluate. If you are no longer learning anything then move on. My first IT job at a call center was for 5 months and no one ever questioned why I left. I think if you stay at a lower position more than a year it leaves question marks to your desire to move up. I mean think about it. How long can someone really be satisfied with resetting user passwords and telling them their monitor is not turned on?