Already experienced - where to start?

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Hi,

ive been a computer engineer for 4 years. That was until 2003. Im still more than confident building and repairing PCs. Networking and server knowledge isnt too good though.

Question is - Would it be to much to go straight for the MCSE? or should i be looking at the A+ and N+ ?

What does the A+ cover? are we talking about the real basics? Installing RAM etc. Or will need to know about clock frequencies etc ?

thanks

 

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A+ *is* basic - but when I studied for it I was surprised at how much I *didn't* know, despite years of dealing with PCs!

So don't turn your nose up at it because it is basic!

N+ would be a good start on networking if you consider your knowledge to be shaky!

Harry.

 

Thanks. Well ive got so many questions, but will try and pace myself. ;-)

Will the A+ and N+ count towards an MCSE ? ie. will i be able to skip any exams?

Will the N+ book i found on Amazon cover everything i need? Or are there a series of books required?

thanks!

incedently Harry - what areas of the A+ surprised you? What didnt you know?

 

No, but they do count towards MCSA.

No one book alone will cover everything you want to know. This is where using the software, reading the book, researching on the internet, forums, etc all come into play. The book will just be the start of the learning process.

 

Sorry, what software are you referring to?
I will be looking at the self study route with these courses, so if all the info isn't in the 'one' book. where would i know what other specific info i needed?

 

Operating systems, MS Office suite, Mail server programs, database programs etc.

Depending on which track you decide to go down you will undoubtedly need the operating system or applications that the course requires you to learn. You usually get a trial version of MS software when you buy one of their MS press study books.

Depends what you're after but google is always a good start. There are some good book reviews from CF members if you're after a particular subject, or you could just post your question on CF, after all that's what we're here for!

 

You may want to look at exam simulation software such as transcender etc

 

So am i right in thinking this is one of the downfalls of self study - the not knowing 'exactly' what to study?
I assume in a training course situation they will tell you what exactly you need to learn...

Its great i can post questions on here - but how will i know what the exam requires? Can i get hold of the course outline, and areas need to be studied?

I dont want to be a sucker and pay a company when i dont need to, but it all just feels a bit vague to me.

sorry for all the Q's. lol.

 

The objectives for each exam are on the vendor's Web site. Training providers have access to the same objective information as you do, so training providers are sometimes no better at telling you "exactly" what to study than you can find out on your own. So I'd recommend that you follow those objectives, get some well-reviewed study guides, and stick to self-study. You'll save a lot of money by doing so.

See my certifications in my signature line? Every one was achieved through self-study and on-the-job experience. I did it; you can do it too.

Best of luck!

 

One thing springs to mind - I had for years been thinking of the Pentiums as totaly 32bit. When I read in Meyer's book that they had a 64bit memory bus I thought "That's wrong"!

I then decided to check, and looked in my Intel spec books, which showed that *I* was wrong!

I then realized I should have known from the memory widths, but it just hadn't registered!

So you never know just what you are missing until you work through a structured set of requirements like the A+.

Harry.