was it worth the effort ?

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Hi Guys,

I dont know what to do next really ? have finished CCNA and N+, I am ready for A+ (ridiculous exam fees ), but I am not convinced that will help and have been in two minds if I want to give exams at all , as its been almost 7 months of jobhunting and have had no joy at all...have redone my CV number of times, the irony is, since I got it done professionally I am not even getting any calls . ( I will revert to my old CV ) and yet there are scores of IT jobs advertised...are they being filled from within the organisations or companies ?? are job adverts just for the sake of it ? or for legal reasons ? or are you going to land a job by word of mouth only...I am really really frustrated.. the worst thing is because of this I cant even concentrate on my current job... and this is really affecting everything around me ..it just kills your enthusiasm, trust me I was so upbeat and full of energy and enthusiasm when I started off..its comepletely the opposite now...

 

What experiance do you have in the industry ??

CCNA is a pretty high end cert, employers would be looking for the experiance to back it up for the wages and positions associated.

A+ and N+ are more entry level for getting into the industry and/or getting established.

Andi

 

It would help to understand your background, work experience, etc... and what types of roles you're applying for.

Whether getting certified was worth the effort is really based on the individual.

For example, I'm in a Sr. role, but got the job without relevant certs. My past experiences got me the interview and job. No word of mouth, just 'cold-call'. I've recently re-done my CCNA and am looking at the CCNP. Although this *may* open doors for me in another company, it will do nothing where I am as my current team is made of CCIE-type folks. This is just to have some paper behind the skills I already have.

 

Currently there seems to be a bit of a lull in the job market. We have an unofficial hiring freeze, and some London banks are making noises about redundancies. And there are a number of noticeable business failures.

So I suspect that conditions are getting tough, and you will need a lot of persistence to get a job.

Harry.

 

Seven months of job searching? You're just a rookie yet, so don't give up. My job search took almost 3 years....

 

Keep looking I have been for years

With no official IT experience it may be best to hide the CCNA on your CV until you gain some experience then once you have that experience you can put it back on your cv and look for a more qualified experience.

Perseverance will get you there in the end.

And don't do what I was and applying for jobs that are way beyond your experience level.

Good luck

 

You've just got to keep on going. Like what's been said, A+ and N+ are more entry level which will help you get a foot in the door more than CCNA will. I'd take it off until you've got more experience to back it up.

 

There seems to be a major slowdown here in the USA right now too. Guess I might as well do one more cert... and maybe redesign my website with Microsoft Expression.

And watch out for fake job postings. A lot of headhunters post jobs that don't exist just to gather resumes and get leads (from your previous gigs and references.) So don't assume all those jobs you're seeing are really being filled. If you search other areas you might find the exact same listing; they just move the bogus posts around.

 

Yup. A major slowdown in a lot of areas. There was an article in our local newspaper about an online auction site, and the owner of that site said that in the last 4 months she has dealt with more desperate people than in the last 4 years. She said people are selling their family heirlooms for gas money.

Seems to me there is a major depression on the way. This big giveback of income tax money is the first I've seen of anything even close to this large. The government must be really worried.

 

I'll simply echo what others have said... if you don't have real-world IT experience, get your A+, and remove your CCNA from your resume/CV. The CCNA will do you more harm than good when searching for entry-level jobs.