Aussie in kent.. starting his certs! howdee!

Discussion in 'New Members Introduction' started by Ozinkent, Jan 21, 2011.

  1. Ozinkent

    Ozinkent New Member

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    Gday guys.
    Just droping by.. seen at this forum a few times, and now signed up!

    been working for 3 years as an IT Techy at a grammar school. 'Learning on the job' as it where... but this year i am going to make full use of it, and pursue an IT future.

    i have been looking at take a few 'starter' courses, like the A+/N+ but hear the A+ is being made redundent soon??
    SO, i am about dive in and start the : MCTS: Windows 7, Configuring : Exam 70-680.
    going to buy the book, and found some training matirial online to study from. and then do the 70-685 to compleat the MCITP... (any advice on this being my first Cert?)

    anyway, howdee all.. and hope to see ya on the forums.

    Regards
    Andrew.

    (PS.. any 1 in Kent, uk.. know where/how to book and take MS exams.. iv look at local collages but they dont.. so im alittle lost atm, with regards to after i study up for the MCTS.. :? )
     
  2. Apexes

    Apexes Gigabyte Poster

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    I think the A+ exam is still going (as far as i know anyway)

    What sort of experience do you have at the moment? Finding that out could help you determine the best exam to go for, i think the 70-680 could be a good start depending on what you use at work

    I'm like you, i've got 3 years experience in some quite indepth stuff, but no qualifications, so i'm going straight for an MCTS in Server 2008 R2 - and i hope to start MCITP by the end of this year.

    Welcome to the board :)
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2011
    Certifications: 70-243 MCTS: ConfigMgr 2012 | MCSE: Private Cloud
  3. soundian

    soundian Gigabyte Poster

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    You've been misinformed about the A+.
    If you work with XP, or have a lot of experience with XP, you should look at getting the MCDST before it retires (end of June I think). With 3 years experience you should be able to pick that up before retirement. Note: it's the exam that's retiring, not the cert.

    I'm currently studying the 70-680 and would not recommend that as a first cert. If you work with W7 primarily I'd suggest a gentler introduction to studying like the A+ or even (and don't laugh) the 70-620 Vista Client. I found that I had to learn how to learn all over again, as well as the material for the exam, doing my first cert. I think you may become disillusioned if you tackle the 70-680 first.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+,MCDST,MCTS(680), MCP(270, 271, 272), ITILv3F, CCENT
    WIP: Knuckling down at my new job
  4. Ozinkent

    Ozinkent New Member

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    Well.. the school im working at use mostly XP, but i and some other staff are 'testing' useing W7, and we will be deploying it later this year, hopfully! apart from that.. mostly just normal techy things, mantaining users/ profiles.. and maintain all the ICT in the school!
    i havnt had much to do with servers.. alittle play but nothing massive.. and ofc i use W7 at home.

    SO.. if the A+ is retiring, will the cert be 'pointless' in a few years.. (cant think of the right word..lol )

    hmmm... may rethink.

    Thanks for the info and advice! :)

    Andy
     
  5. soundian

    soundian Gigabyte Poster

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    The A+ isn't retiring. The only real change is that it needs to be recertified (by passing the network+ ,security+ or doing the exam again, or somehow managing to gain enough Continuing Education points to satisfy CompTIA that you don't need to pay them any more cash) every 3 years.
    Certs are there to certify what you know and to back up your work experience. If you work primarily with XP, get the MCDST before it retires. That should bring you up to speed on studying and the MS way of doing things. Then look at the 70-680.

    Let me put it this way, the 70-680 covers a lot of enterprise level technology. If you don't plan to use BranchCache, DirectAccess, BitLocker, IKEv2 etc , most of which require 2008R2 to operate, then you'll be learning a lot of useless stuff and not focusing on what is useful to your job.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+,MCDST,MCTS(680), MCP(270, 271, 272), ITILv3F, CCENT
    WIP: Knuckling down at my new job
  6. Ozinkent

    Ozinkent New Member

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    Ok gr8 guys, thank you very much.

    Looking at the MCDST, could cram that in b4 june.. Just that niggiling question in the back of my mind.. 'why do that, when your just going to upgrade it to win7 in a few months'... :/

    (still dont know where to take the test near me.. will google it! xD )

    Maybe after, do the A+... or just going on to the MCITP W7...
    hmm... one thing at a time i think!

    Thanks again.


    Edit : and yes, just seen i was wrong about the A+.. its no longer a life time cert.... as you said! xD
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2011
  7. soundian

    soundian Gigabyte Poster

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    You book the exam through Prometric. Have a look on their site for your nearest testing centre. Cost is £88 per exam iirc but vouchers are relatively easy to come by (15% off vouchers in the back of MSPress books for example).
     
    Certifications: A+, N+,MCDST,MCTS(680), MCP(270, 271, 272), ITILv3F, CCENT
    WIP: Knuckling down at my new job
  8. Ozinkent

    Ozinkent New Member

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    THANK YOU!! xD
     
  9. Boffy

    Boffy Megabyte Poster

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    Welcome to Cert Forums!

    I've been an IT techie a couple of years (only 1 year full-time) in a private school, while we are on W7 I've decided to step back and do the A+ first. The 70-680 MS book covers quite a large range of information in regards to W7.

    http://www.prometric.com covers both CompTIA and MS courses, make sure you get a voucher for discounts :)

    www.professormesser.com has some good online videos/resources for both exams. Perhaps get a feel of what both exams include from those videos.

    Good luck with what ever you decide. Keep us updated :)
     
    Certifications: BSc Computer Game Technology, A+
    WIP: MOS 2010
  10. Ozinkent

    Ozinkent New Member

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    Boffy... Pro-messer on youtube.. been watching he vids.. and love them!!

    i got 5 days till payday, and now now sure wot books to buy! :/
    ty
     
  11. soundian

    soundian Gigabyte Poster

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    A+: Meyers All-In-One
    MCDST: I found the MSPress books sufficient.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+,MCDST,MCTS(680), MCP(270, 271, 272), ITILv3F, CCENT
    WIP: Knuckling down at my new job
  12. Boffy

    Boffy Megabyte Poster

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    +1 to the Mike Meyers all-in-one book. Very informative and the content covers both exams (701+702)
     
    Certifications: BSc Computer Game Technology, A+
    WIP: MOS 2010
  13. ethernet0

    ethernet0 Byte Poster

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    Out of interest soundian, why are you not doing the direct upgrade 70-682?
     
  14. ethernet0

    ethernet0 Byte Poster

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    To be honest if you are moving to Windows 7 in a few months then I see no logic in doing MCDST. Yes, the exam is difficult but you can use the knowledge from the upgrade to maximum effect. A good quality guide, video training materials and Boson/transcender testing engine should fully prepare you. Just bear in mind that this is an exam concentrating on Windows 7 in an enterprise environment - stand alone product knowledge simply won't cut it.
     
  15. soundian

    soundian Gigabyte Poster

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    Because I have never worked with W7 in an enterprise environment, only consumer level support. I was looking to add a W7 cert asap, which I've failed to do. Financially I couldn't justify it after getting paid off and the deployment section is killing me, which is why I've ordered the Sybex book. The Boson exams plunged me into the depths of despair because if that's how hard the 70-680 exam is, the 70-685 must be a killer.
    My new job is in an XP/Office 2003 environment supporting 3500 users so not much chance of them upgrading soon either.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+,MCDST,MCTS(680), MCP(270, 271, 272), ITILv3F, CCENT
    WIP: Knuckling down at my new job
  16. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    Welcome! :)

    The reason to do the MCDST is because Windows XP will continue to be used by businesses for years to come. After all, XP is *still* the predominant workstation OS out there. Doesn't matter if the company you work for is migrating entirely to Windows 7... because you never know what will happen tomorrow. What happens if that employer goes out of business? Or perhaps you find an awesome opportunity administering a network with a bunch of XP workstations? It'll make your CV look more attractive if you have the MCDST *and* the MCITP certs rather than just the MCITP cert.
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  17. Ozinkent

    Ozinkent New Member

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    Thank you every1.

    i have just bought the A+, all-in -one book for both the exams i need, going to rush throu that i hope.. and still may look at the xp exam..., goo point about XP being around for a few years to come, but it depends on how easy/quik i will be about to learn it.. anyway...

    A+ from now (or 2-5 working days.. xD )

    thank you again.
     

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