newbie - career change

atakata · August 2006

i'm a middle aged man looking to get out of teaching. So i thought about IT - spoke to my district's network admin and he suggested the local ccna classes at a nearby community college.

i have experience in basic web programming and can javascript and actionscript in Flash - networking is completely foreign to me though.

Question - after getting a ccna - what should be my next step? I guess I'm looking for some direction as to what my path should be.

Can anyone help?

Allen

mwgood · August 2006

My recommendation is not to plan your path too much.

As you learn, you will discover more and more about IT and what interests you and the practical demands on the job.

You are better off taking it one step at a time. When the time comes to move beyond the CCNA level, your next step will become clearer.

Some possible next steps include:

CCNP
CCSP
Security+
CISSP
CEH
MCP
MCSA
MCSE
and many, many more.

BTW - you may even consider beginning with Network+ instead of CCNA. CCNA is definitely worth it, but if networking is completely new to you - you will find Network+ an easier place to start. Also, if you get your Network+ and A+ certification (which is where many people start in IT) - that will substitute for an elective on the MCSA/MCSE path.

PCHoldmann · August 2006

I agree with mwgood, you should probabaly look at Net+ (Maybe A+) and Security+ before CCNA. This will give you a much better foundation, and make studying for, and passing, the CCNA much easier. It will also get you a look at some of the other areas in IT, and give you some guidence for a next step,

Hope that helps,

Peter

keenon · August 2006

PCHoldmann wrote:

I agree with mwgood, you should probabaly look at Net+ (Maybe A+) and Security+ before CCNA. This will give you a much better foundation, and make studying for, and passing, the CCNA much easier. It will also get you a look at some of the other areas in IT, and give you some guidence for a next step,

Hope that helps,

Peter

i was definitely going to suggest N+ at a minimum before looking at a ccna

Slowhand · August 2006

I'm going to agree with the others, on this. Going into something like CCNA requires a little bit of prerequisite knowledge. I'd also recommend looking at the CompTIA certs before moving on to Cisco. I usually recommend the "first four" to people just starting out:

A+ > PC hardware and software, pretty much DOS and Windows on the software end.

Net+ > Basics of networking, gives you some of the foundations for a lot of other things, like CCNA and MCSE, (great when paired with A+.)

Linux+ > Just what is says, foundations of Linux. This will give you an idea of "other" OS'es that exist, not just Windows. (Also a good starter if you're wondering about Unix.)

Security+ > Foundations of IT security. This will get your hands dirty with a little bit of everything, from encryption to social engineering, and all points in between.

For most people, A+ and Net+ are enough to get started, but I still recommend the other two, to really get a feel for the foundations of IT and networking, in general. Of course, these are not requirements for doing CCNA, or anything else, for that matter, just recommendations by the vendors and by us, the geeks that wish we had done it this way when we first started out.

Danman32 · August 2006

mwgood wrote:

Also, if you get your Network+ and A+ certification (which is where many people start in IT) - that will substitute for an elective on the MCSA/MCSE path.

For MCSA, yes. For MCSE, no. Security+ is accepted for both though.

I too suggest starting at Net+, and possibly A+. Although Intro in CCNA does cover a lot of required prerequisite ground.

mwgood · August 2006

Danman32 wrote:

mwgood wrote:

Also, if you get your Network+ and A+ certification (which is where many people start in IT) - that will substitute for an elective on the MCSA/MCSE path.

For MCSA, yes. For MCSE, no. Security+ is accepted for both though.

I too suggest starting at Net+, and possibly A+. Although Intro in CCNA does cover a lot of required prerequisite ground.

Being that MCSA is part of the MCSE path, it does apply to the MCSA/MCSE path, but does not substitute for specifically an MCSE elective.

newbie - career change

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