Experience/study

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Hi All,

Have a couple of points here so bear with me.
I have just completed my Comptia A+ and am in a bit of a quandry as to what to do next.
I am considering the cisco route but having read some previous posts regarding CCNA it would appear that getting this without experience would be detremental to my CV. Would anyone recommend the CCENT which cisco have just brought out?
Also when I was in the class at the Comptia A+ course the lecturer suggested that it was maybe not worth
sitting the A+ exam if you were planning to do say MCSE as the A+ was would be considered as an O level when compared to the MCSE which would be compared to a degree in comparison and therefore not worth doing to save money on exams as when you achieved the MCSE you wouldn't bother to put the A+ on your CV.
He advised doing the MCITP 2008 next, is this a jump too far without some experience first? He was also quite sceptical as to the amount of job opportunities in the cisco world compared to the Microsoft certification route.

I was originally advised in one of my earlier posts to do Comptia A+ N+ and then CCENT before doing MCSA.
However some posts now indicate that you should go no further than N+ and then look to get experience.
I approached the IT department where I work to get some work experience but after an initial positive response they have now indicated that some support guys are looking for this experience in this department
and indicated that I would be last in the queue. A large amount of duties involved in this department seem to
encompass a lot of the skills picked up in A+ studies. My situation is that I can't compete with the support guys for experience. I have thought of maybe contacting my local computer shop to see if I can get some experience there, what do you guys think of this idea, would it strengthen my case at my company or would
you recommend further study before going back instead?
Following in the footsteps of the IS support guys and applying to get into their department is not an option
as their department is far remote from the main base where I work.

I am now desperate to get experience and get on the ladder but obviously would not want to be too hasty
in jacking in my current job until absolutely necessary especially in this current climate.

I am now considering taking a risk with one of the Cerco/Just IT guarantee you a job type schemes but feel
that they may be a bit dubious. What do you guys think of these comanies?

Many thanks
D

 

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Not without experience, no.

That would be all well and good if you could get the MCSE and hop right into a server administration job. Unfortunately, that's not how it works... you have to work your way up to server administration. And to do that, you have to get an entry-level job - one that doesn't require an MCSE at all. And the A+ is what you need for an entry-level job.

If you're itching for more certifications, I'd recommend the Network+ and MCDST, but no farther until you've built some real-world experience.

Yep, way too far a jomp. Most people progress up the IT career ladder like this:

Entry-level tech
Desktop Support Tech
Systems/Server Administrator
Network Administrator

You're ready for the MCSA when you meet Microsoft's recommended experience levels: 6 months of experience administering servers in a multi-site, multi-server domain environment. Not 6 months in IT... but 6 months doing server administration.

You're ready for the CCENT when your employer lets you go unsupervised in the same room as a Cisco router.

Working at a computer shop is a great way to get experience. Study is great... but it doesn't get you ANY experience.

Never, ever, ever leave a job until you've got another job offer firmly in hand.

In my opinion, most offer promises and few deliver on them. I'd recommend avoiding them - save your money and use self-study methods. Better yet... get into IT ASAP. Every day you sit on the sidelines studying is another day of experience you're not getting.

Welcome to the forums!

 

Thanks very much for the advice, yep I think my next move might be to get experience in a computer
shop if possible whilst doing the N+ at the same time.