Hello everybody - a very general query

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Hi - I am looking to get some kind of certification.
My situation is that I have done some work at helpdesks for about four years in total. However, I took a career break a couple of years ago and really struggled to get back into IT. Instead I found myself working in sales (yikes!) and most recently training to become a teacher (double yikes!).
My trouble is that I don't really have much to show IT credibility. My helpdesk work was supporting specific software products using skills that aren't really transferable.
I have one key talent - I am multilingual. I speak French, Polish, Spanish and German in addition to English.
I have just left my teaching course due to stress. I have a bit of cash saved up and I would like to get some kind of IT certification.
I love self-studying with foreign languages. I am nerdy enough to listen to German news radio for hours on end, learning new phrases and looking up words in books.
So I think that self-study could work for me.
I think that I am more of a software person than a hardware person. I enjoy working with Excel macros, for example, and I spent one summer when I was a teenager programming a computer so I could play Countdown without needing to wait for the TV program to come on each day. I have never been the sort of person to take things apart and see how they work. But I do love analysing things and using my brain.
Can anyone suggest some certification that can help me get back into the IT market?
Regards
Rick

 

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Hi and welcome to the board.

I would recommend that you complete MCDST (Microsoft Desktop Support Technician), or if you feel that won't test your skills enough you could start the MCSA/MCSE program with Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Exam 70-270). Both of these exams/certs are geared towards the help desk/technical support side of things.

If you were interested in going into networking and don't have any experience of that side of things I would recommend CompTIA Network+ with an aim to progress onto Cisco CCNA.

This site is an excellent tool to help you self study the material needed to pass most certification exams, there is a whole host of resources available ranging from peoples personal experience of the exams they passed to what books are recommended to buy.

I know from my own experience that you can complete a certification by self studying, I have completed MCDST, Network+ and CCNA since joining this board and hope to become MCSA certified with in the next three months.

 

That's positive to read! Thanks for your quick reply.

Any kind of qualification will be appreciated. I might well go for the MCDST as a first step. Time to start beefing up that CV!

Regards
Rick

 

Hi Welcome

Unless you have the relevant experience you should not do MCSA,MSCE or CCNA having those certs without the relevant on the job experience can hurt your employment prospects because employers expect you to know what your doing by having those certs. However getting the MCDST would be a good idea as would compTIA A+ and Network +.

Good luck

 

Hi RickUK and welcome. I am also relatively new to this forum and just about to hopefully embark on my A+. You must be a very good learner though to master four other languages as I tried to learn basic Spanish last year but in the end admitted defeat and left it to my wife as she is far better than I am at languages.
Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

Hi folks - cheers for those replies

How about if I want to become an Excel VBA specialist? Is there a specific qualification for this? I am thinking particularly about the London banking market here. In the long term, I would like to become a Visual Basic coder. How do people think it would look on my CV if I went for the MCDST and then moved across to programming? It looks like the Microsoft hardware and software certifications are in two different categories.

Sorry if these questions seem stupid but I am finding it a little difficult to get my head around all the different Microsoft information..

Regards
Rick

 

If you're really good with languages you ought to consider looking into programming. That is basically an exercise in using languages that are limited in size to describe how a task should be done in exquisite step-by-step detail so a computer can follow the directions.

 

Hi & Welcome to CF

NB

 

Thanks folks - I am going to train initially as an MCDST, as I think that in addition to my language skills and experience, it should make me employable fairly quickly. Then hopefully I will add some development skills to my CV. See you around on the site!

Regards
Rick

 

good luck

 

Hi and welcome to the forum.