Passed with 797

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Just passed with 797 (needed 764). Not amazing I know, but I'm happy. I want to advise people to make sure they know about free software, both standard windows ones like netstat and freeware ones like Sam Spade. They come up, you get questions asking you which free utility you would use to perform a specific attack. Make sure you know about netcat, nessus, nmap, and others.

Still, I now have two certs under my belt (this is my second after A+). I'm working towards MCSE, what do people think would be the best of the MCP exams to do first?

 

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well done

I would advise you not to do the MCSE untill you have proper experience.

Having the MCSE and no experience can actually damage your job prospects. Microsoft recommend you have a years experience in administering desktop and networked operating systems before doing so.

If you do a search on here you will find peoples posts who have got the MCSE but can't get a job because employers don't value the MCSE with no valid work experience.

 

Congratulations

 

Congratulation

 

Congrats on the pass! What greenbrucelee is kind of true BUT then on the other hand at your level no certs can also mean no job. Microsoft do say you need that year but with the value of the MCSE now much less than what it was before many people are now considering it an "entry-level" cert to get a MS job - now many people here disagree but thats my take on it. I suggest you look at 70-270 - the XP exam first then maybe MCDST and start looking for a job if you dont have one. Gain some experience then start looking at further exams.

Good luck!

 

Congratulations on the pass. Well done, mate.

 

Congrats!

I agree with GBL completely - get the MCSE after you get experience. Zim is unfortunately mistaken in his belief that employers consider the MCSE to be "entry-level" - as someone who has been in IT for 10 years, I can state with certainly that nothing could be farther from the truth.

I don't know how much experience you have, but if you're not yet in IT, start looking for a job NOW... you're already well-certified. You might consider doing Network+ and the MCDST, but that's as far as you should go with little-to-no experience.

 

Congrats on passing Security +

I would go for Network + then the XP client exam for an MCP.

Then tackle the MCDST.

There is no point in going for MCSE unless you are working or are soon to be working with, the technology that it covers.

Advanced certs like MCSE, should always go hand in hand with real world work experience.

 

Good job !

Congratulations !!

 

Mike i wish i was talking rubbish mate. We had a presentation from a few recruitment companies for our Comp Networks class and the honest truth is in the Uk without something like an MCSE and CCNA you have little or no chance of even breaking into IT. Yes MS say you need x yrs experience but how many people are doing the cert now without that experience? I would say more than majority dont have it - which will bring up the no certs no job and no experience and certs no job debtate.

 

The other UK guys on here are singing a different song than you are, mate. There's more than one real-world example here who I can point to...

 

Congratulations on the pass! Good job and well done.

To be honest I would agree on the fact that it's more beneficial to get the experience first as a pose to getting the high end certification. Reason I have this belief is that I've been told by my employer that he would only higher someone with a good amount of networking experience for a job of an MCSE. He said that yes having the cert is an added bonus but these days it's mostly the experience that counts.

When I got hired, I was hired to do a desktop support job, and I can honestly tell you that even if I had the MCSE when I got hired there is no way that my boss would let me do a network admin job. It's the type of field where you have to work your way up and there are very few people out there who start out pretty high in the field that don't have much experience so they compensate with their talents and a lot potential and are able to do their job really well, but not everyone is like that.

Having high level certs in my opinion is a good thing and not so good. The good thing is, if you studied honestly with no cheating you learn a lot that would definitely help you with your work, however it could also sabotage your chances of getting a job because you will seem over qualified. I heard this mentioned by many members here it makes a lot of sense.

What I would do is start at the basics and grasp the material well and work my way up from there. After all the senior network administrators also had to start from the beginning and work their way up. For the majority of us it's extremely hard to have the knowledge of an experienced network admin when we first start out, no matter how much we study or what certifications we have.

 

Im not saying you right and im wrong.. if there is someone who should know its you, but looking at the market and from what i been told the MCSE is being treated as such. Why havent i finished my MCSE? Because i followed the advice you guys are giving out at the moment - that experience is needed - so then i think you can say i do agree with what you and everyone else is saying - only im saying that MCSE is often asked for on your first job role - which is very wrong. Look around the forum and see how many people are starting off with an MCSE? The vast majority right?

 

Zimbo I know exactly what you are talking about, I've seen it my self. Usually the recruiters don't know what an MCSE, or CCNA, or a Network+ is, they just hear the words and automtically think like it's a degree or something not knowing what it actually means. It's sad I find.

 

No, I wouldn't say the vast majority of people are starting off with an MCSE. The vast majority of uninformed people are pursuing the MCSE without experience... but that's not to say that a majority of techs are getting the MCSE without experience.

Even if they were... if a bunch of techs were jumping off a tall bridge, would you follow? Of course not. Just because everyone else does it doesn't mean you should make the same mistakes.

The MCSE is *not* often asked for on your first job role. Would you like for me to take the painstaking amount of time it would take to drag up numerous links of examples on job search sites?

In any case... if an employer is so uninformed that they don't know that an MCSE doesn't do entry-level work, then that's probably not an employer you want to work for!

 

Thanks for all the comments guys. I'm currently getting experience working on a helpdesk, and looking to move on to better paid jobs when I get more experience/certs. Am now pursuing the XP MCP exam. This thread seems to have gone into the perennial debate about the worth of certs, particularly certs without experience. I am assuming that certs are basically helpful in getting a job (otherwise why would anyone bother to do them, it surely can't all be a waste of time and money?)

So good luck everyone with your careers, I hope to report many more passes!

 

Yep, they are certainly helpful in getting a job. Experience trumps certifications, but certifications can be the deciding factor when an employer is weighing two similar individuals.

Additionally, certifications can open employment doors that are otherwise closed to uncertified individuals. But, as I mentioned before, an employer won't be looking for an MCSE who doesn't have ANY experience.