Career Change, need some reassurance..

Discussion in 'Network+' started by rudd, Aug 26, 2012.

  1. rudd

    rudd New Member

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    Hi, new to the forum and iv signed up purely to gain as much information to help me decide if this career change idea is for me or not.

    Apologies in advance, and i expect its been asked millions of times but straight to the point. As a complete novice, is it a MUST i study, and take the comptia A+ exam prior to any other studying, or can i jump straight into the N+ exam.

    Iv bought a mikey meyers version 5 n+ book but now im unsure wether i should slow down and get this a+ sorted first? Iv googled it abit and some people say A+ is pointless, others say its a must.

    I currently work for a treeworks company and im ready for a change, had enough of smashing my body to pieces.

    From what iv read up, and i have no idea if this is right or wrong....but I plan on passing the N+, then beginning with the CCENT, with views to work towards a CCNA. Obviously i understand i will require some hands on work experience along the way, but is this cert path the right way to do things?

    Any help will be appreciated, please understand that all of this is fresh to me. Cheers
     
  2. dmarsh
    Honorary Member 500 Likes Award

    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    If you're set on Cisco training, why not start with IT Essentials ?

    Also why it helps to be aware of the big vendors, I don't think you should base your career choice solely on marketing or a single vendor.

    A lot of network engineers may have started their careers with Novell Netware for instance but they barely exist in the network space anymore.

    You should ideally state your goals and motivations, 'I want to be a network engineer because...'

    Typically people start with the A+ because you need to understand some prerequisite stuff before you start to learn networking.

    Also people normally enter network engineer roles after having one or more IT support positions.
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2012
  3. rudd

    rudd New Member

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    Tbh mate, im not set on anything, this is just a path iv been recommended... Im open to all options really. Can you study the IT ess similar to home study and take the exam similar to the comptia setup?
     
  4. dmarsh
    Honorary Member 500 Likes Award

    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    IT Essentials is broadly the same as the A+ followed by the N+, to do the IT Essentials you have to go to a Cisco Academy.
     
  5. rudd

    rudd New Member

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    Ok thanks, So if i wasnt to go ahead with the cisco based certs, and say for instance i was sat here now with the A+ and N+ exam, what job roles could i apply for and where could i go from here cert wise, focusing purely on networking..?
     
  6. dmarsh
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    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    Depends on the employer, job markets not great at the moment, you'd be lucky to break directly into a network engineer position.

    Bear in mind that when you interview you will most likely be up against candidates with industry experience, networking degrees, etc.

    Some people manage to go from cabling or telecoms to networking but nothings guaranteed.

    The general route people advise here is to start in IT support and try to break into networking from there.
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2012
  7. rudd

    rudd New Member

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    Ok, appreciate the help mate. So would you say its a must i study the A+, or can i push straight onto the N+, attempt to get a help desk job and go from there? Is the n+ enough to get me a basic IT job thats what im getting at.
     
  8. dmarsh
    Honorary Member 500 Likes Award

    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    Why are you trying to skip the A+ if you are a complete novice ? The course is designed to make you not a complete novice and give you the foundation skills you need to do 80% of IT jobs...
     
  9. PPD2387

    PPD2387 Byte Poster

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    Same here. I have a friend who was working as an Engineer (Server 2003, 2008 etc) for a large company and had been doing for many years. The company decided that it wanted all of its staff (irrespective of experience and/or qualifications) to pass the A+ exam, so that they could be sure they all possessed a certain level of knowledge and expertise.

    Some may say that for a lot of the employees it was a waste of time and in the case of my friend it probably was but it just goes to show how highly regarded A+ is by some companies.
     
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2012
  10. The Zig

    The Zig Kilobyte Poster

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    It's not a bad idea. People who've worked in IT for a few years and know their stuff won't have lose more than a few hours on it (and the refresher will probably do them good anyway). And on the other hand, I'm betting it's not just me who's had to work with someone who has high-level knowledge in a couple of areas, but a weak general grasp of how stuff works. I think the A+ is a fair baseline to expect of anyone in IT. It's a solid foundation.

    I still like the A+ because it is - IMO - the broadest exam in IT.
     
    Certifications: A+; Network+; Security+, CTT+; MCDST; 4 x MTA (Networking, OS, Security & Server); MCITP - Enterprise Desktop Support; MCITP - Enterprise Desktop Administrator; MCITP - Server Administrator; MCSA - Server 2008; MCT; IOSH; CCENT
    WIP: CCNA; Server 2012; LPIC; JNCIA?
  11. RichyV

    RichyV Megabyte Poster

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    Do you think that the changes that have been made for the newest version are for the better?
     
    Certifications: B.Sc.(Hons), MBCS. MCP (271,272), MCDST, MCTS (680), MCITP:EDST7, MCSA:WIN7, MCPS, MCNPS
    WIP: 70-686, then onto MCSE: Desktop Infrastructure via MCSA: Server 2012...
  12. The Zig

    The Zig Kilobyte Poster

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    To be honest, haven't sat the 8- series yet. I've heard they include more practical stuff like simulations and such.

    If properly implemented, that can only be a good thing. It's always been a little too heavy on numbers, codes and facts, and would certainly be improved by more emphasis on how to actually DO stuff (like how to set a network address, ping a server, access logs and such)
     
    Certifications: A+; Network+; Security+, CTT+; MCDST; 4 x MTA (Networking, OS, Security & Server); MCITP - Enterprise Desktop Support; MCITP - Enterprise Desktop Administrator; MCITP - Server Administrator; MCSA - Server 2008; MCT; IOSH; CCENT
    WIP: CCNA; Server 2012; LPIC; JNCIA?

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