A+ or MCSE

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I am looking to get into IT indistry and was wondering witch qualification would be better to start on or if there if any other qualifications that i should look at ??

Cann any one help me out from a proffesional point of veiw??

 

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If your looking to get into the industry and have little or no experience then go for the A+ which will teach you all the basics which you will need for an entry level position.

The MCSE is a much, much more advanced cert designed for people who have been working in the industry for a decent length of time. the two certs are essentialy no comparable

A decent suggestion for a cert path might be A+, N+, MCDST and then look at what you want to do in It before choosing what cert you go for next. If your more networky then perhaps thinking about cisco certs or if your looking for a more general adminstration role then the MCSA or MCSE or something more specific with regards to a certain product..

 

MCSE I would stay away from until you have a IT job, experience and other certs under your belt

 

Hi Andy,
It all rests on your own knowledge, what do you know now!
Have you tinkered with a PC or built/rebuilt one, are you any good with operating systems & troubleshooting?
If you Like working with operating systems the MCDST is a easy start go for 70-271 then 70-272.
If you are more confident with operting systems go for the MCSA as it can count toward the MCSE (holy grail) if you are clever and choose MCP's that relate to both MCSA & MCSE for a list of cross compatible MCSA / MCSE I have found these links for : MCSA MCSE
The MCSA/MCSE is the fastest route to $$$
The CompTIA A+ is a good hardware & operating systems course and the prior advice given is correct, however, it is a longer route to $$$ despite counting toward MCSA.
Also it would be worth mentioning that CompTIA A+ exams cost £120 x 2 for your full A+ Certification. where as the Microsoft exams cost around £100 each!
The easiest route into IT is web designing, it's just cut and paste nowadays!
You can buy one MCP/CompTIA course/book and see how you go, the above links to a site that allows individual MCP purchase as oppose to buying a whole collection!

It is all about where you want to go and what you want to earn, a good source of information can be found at http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/

Good Luck!

 

Unless you have the experience (in a job) big money is not gauranteed.

You can get discount vouchers for A+ from www.gacetechsolutions.com and this knocks of the VAT & £6 in total for both exams. LIke I said you wont get $$$ unless you have the experience behind you regardless of your qualification or certification.

Back in 90's it was, not now. IT is competative wherever you decide to go.

Take anything these sites say with a pinch of salt, it depends where you live & how the current market is on what you will get paid.

Seconded.

 

You are correct, of course.
But I was pointing out the earning potential (averages) the site mentioned also filters pay buy location.
Experience is always a major factor in employment, especially in IT!
I do believe that someone who wants to break into IT should consider their best path, and only by looking at jobsearches and payscales can they calaculate if it is a good idea or not.
The job descriptions on http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/ will show experience required and pay is based on this directly.

Be happy

 

I know what you mean, I just wanted to point out that the MCSA and MCSE are for people who have a vast amount of experience & knowledge they are not for people looking to get into IT. You only need to look at Microsofts prerequisits to see that someone who has never been in IT before has no business looking at the MCSA or MCSE.

 

Very True,
although those greedy training companies disagree and some say Microsoft wants you to take your time and by the time you've passed, they bring out newer courses that eventually render old ones invalid. If Microsoft had their way we would all be buying new software every year, thank god the companies don't follow!

P.s new to this, chatroom, how do I see all my other correspondances/replies. I have not posted anything, only helped (perhaps) a few people. I'd hate to miss a question etc

thanks

 

At the top of the page:-

Go to Quick Links -> My Profile

Click on Find all posts by The_Dark_Side


Additionally - click on your name in a post you made then click on Find all posts by The_Dark_Side, that'll work too.

Qs

 

I had a chance to speak to some folks at Microsoft Education back in 2002 when I was at Redmond doing a bit of consulting. The ones I spoke to were distressed at the number of inexperienced students pursuing an MCSE and even more so at the number of "paper" trainers who were helping the situation along. They viewed the role of the MCSE as being there for validating existing IT skills.

 

Halalujha!

May the force be with you!

 

Yes and no,
You need some form of qualification to get a job in IT in the first place, but you are right, the MCSE needs practice as well as theory and there are too many paper trained "MCSE"'s out there that struggle to turn on a pc!
It is advisable to first get a lower grade qualification like MCDST then work in the industy for a year or two, then go for MCSA/MCSE.
It is amazing how cheap an MCDST course costs nowadays see http://www.e-careers.co.uk/online/mcdst.html. In my day I had to pay a good K per MCP!

 

That's cheap?

Screw that - self study it, it's a helluva lot cheaper.

Qs

 

QFT, plus you can study at your own pace. I work stupid hours, sometimes days and sometimes night so a course wouldn't be feasable for me. Now I didn't know that you didn't have to a course to get a cert when I was first enquiring about certification, I am glad I found out It saved me money and let me study when I could.

 

If you can self-study with those foot-thick books without ending up like my friends,
you deserve an OBE

 

It's trying not use the books as a club thats the problem

 

I'll ask for one once I finish the reading material - about 50% of the way there at the moment (70-271).

Qs

 

I think for two books, its about 40 quid, also re that link

"Average Pay: £30,000"

What a crock, ive not seen one desktop support (even in london) thats offering that much money for the person who a MCDST is aimed for (which is basically someone looking to get an entry leve job)

 

Ive read several so where's my OBE ;)

Also most people use VMWare to do practical side of things, makes it more interesting and makes the information stick