Is 70-680 an entry level exam?

Discussion in 'Windows 7 / 8 /10 Client Exams' started by soundian, Jun 29, 2011.

  1. soundian

    soundian Gigabyte Poster

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    Not wanting to hijack another thread I thought I'd start a new one.

    What are your thoughts on this? Would you recommend the 70-680 as the best cert for someone looking to break in to IT?

    Personally I don't think it's entry-level. It seems to be aimed at people working in a 2K8/W7 environment and doesn't really touch on the basic, entry-level stuff like setting up dual monitors, installing drivers etc etc. With the demise of the MCDST and Vista market share dropping like a stone there's nothing to fill the gap for entry-level and small business support.
    Discounting Vista that really just leaves 270 and 680 as viable options.
    A quick look at some OS usage stats on various sites show Windows 7 closing in on XP usage wise, but they will be skewed heavily in favour of home users I imagine. There's a lot of corporate machines out there that are either blocked from the internet entirely, using a proxy whitelist with very limited sites available or they're not the sorts of sites you'd need to visit in the course of a working day. Extrapolating from that I would say that XP is still the dominant OS in business use and looks set to remain in that position for another year or two, probably closer to two.

    Weighing things up, I'd say the best client exam for someone looking to break in to IT is the 270 at the moment.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+,MCDST,MCTS(680), MCP(270, 271, 272), ITILv3F, CCENT
    WIP: Knuckling down at my new job
  2. kevicho

    kevicho Gigabyte Poster

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    I would consider it to be an exam that we would want a 1st line technician working for us to have passed.
     
    Certifications: A+, Net+, MCSA Server 2003, 2008, Windows XP & 7 , ITIL V3 Foundation
    WIP: CCNA Renewal
  3. JonnyMX

    JonnyMX Petabyte Poster

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    I'd agree that with the removal of MCDST there is a gap in the market in terms of getting started.

    I would say though that MS isn't really in the business of 'education' - they just certify people in using their products. I doubt very much that they have an awful lot of interest in helping people break into IT (other than the fact it's more people using their products).

    I guess it's up to others, such as CompTIA and the BCS to look at personal development rather than simply technology. Mind you, is certification really the way to break into IT anyway? All the guys I work with have computer science degrees. Not sure about that, I'm sure it will make for a rich debate! :biggrin
     
    Certifications: MCT, MCTS, i-Net+, CIW CI, Prince2, MSP, MCSD
  4. SimonD
    Honorary Member

    SimonD Terabyte Poster

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    No, it's not an entry level exam and in all honesty I wouldn't expect my first line guys to start out with it, guys looking to move on from 1st line to 2nd line yes (I expect my 1st line guys to be the call loggers and basic admin guys, they don't need to have the knowledge that 680 would give them).

    From an exam perspective for an entry level person I would expect the A+ and N+ or the Microsoft Networking MTA, for 2nd line I would expect the Sec+ and start looking at Microsoft Security MTA or Windows Client MCTS exams.

    Things like the 70-680 expect you to have a little more Enterprise experience with knowledge that an entry level person usually won't have.
     
    Certifications: CNA | CNE | CCNA | MCP | MCP+I | MCSE NT4 | MCSA 2003 | Security+ | MCSA:S 2003 | MCSE:S 2003 | MCTS:SCCM 2007 | MCTS:Win 7 | MCITP:EDA7 | MCITP:SA | MCITP:EA | MCTS:Hyper-V | VCP 4 | ITIL v3 Foundation | VCP 5 DCV | VCP 5 Cloud | VCP6 NV | VCP6 DCV | VCAP 5.5 DCA
  5. Kitkatninja
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Kitkatninja aka me, myself & I Moderator

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    In my opinion, no the 70-680 is not an entry level qualification. The Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) level exams are.

    While the MCITP: EDST7 is the Windows 7 replacement for the XP version (MCDST), it is by far alot harder.

    -Ken
     
    Certifications: MSc, PGDip, PGCert, BSc, HNC, LCGI, MBCS CITP, MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCE, A+, N+, S+, Server+
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  6. Rob1234

    Rob1234 Megabyte Poster Forum Leader

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  7. algorithm&blues

    algorithm&blues Nibble Poster

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    To be honest as someone who currently works in 3rd line support (albeit mostly Novell admittedly) I found 70-680 to be very difficult. I didn't prepare fully, but I must say at times I was stumped!

    Our 1st line guys would struggle big time with the exam and they are currently popping out a first line fix rate of about 75%
     
  8. Modey

    Modey Terabyte Poster

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    You have 1st line techs doing OS deployment via MDT and working with servers then? I defo wouldn't consider this an exam for 1st line people. Obviously 1st line at one place can be very different to another, but I don't consider it either to be 1st line or entry level.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCP, MCDST, MCSA 2K3, MCTS, MOS, MTA, MCT, MCITP:EDST7, MCSA W7, Citrix CCA, ITIL Foundation
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  9. soundian

    soundian Gigabyte Poster

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    I have it on good authority that MS Cert live support consider it an entry-level exam. Since this is at odds with their audience profile (1+ years experience in an enterprise environment) I can only assume this is a training issue with MS Cert live support personnel.

    Personally, I'd be dubious of someone with the 680 and no experience. I'd certainly want to test their tech skills before making a job offer.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+,MCDST,MCTS(680), MCP(270, 271, 272), ITILv3F, CCENT
    WIP: Knuckling down at my new job
  10. JonnyMX

    JonnyMX Petabyte Poster

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    Maybe they mean entry level as in 'suitable for someone who hasn't done any certs before' rather than 'someone who has never worked in IT'?

    :blink
     
    Certifications: MCT, MCTS, i-Net+, CIW CI, Prince2, MSP, MCSD

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