What Certification to go after next?

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Hi guys,

I haven't posted on here for some time. I have earned my MCP cert (271) and have also earned my CCNA. I run my own IT business, so my certifications are not aimed at employability, more at building ym skills as an individual and having a good bit of qualifications behind me. I am studying a BEng in networking at university, and i guess if my business was to fail i would like to be qualified enough to get a job!

I have years of experience in technical support, hardware repairs, PCB work, etc.

I have considered going after CCNP, however the certifications is quite hard and very time consuming- not that i am not committed, i just want to know its worth while.

Is CCNA enough for a network technician or should i go further?

I am really looking for suggestions on which certs i should go after next to further qualify me as an IT professional? Perhaps i should go further with Microsoft certs, further with cisco, or try something different?

I appreciate any suggestions.

CR

 

I think you may be right regarding the Cisco stuff. I am studying the engineering degree in networking and i also have the CCNA, so that is probably enough to qualify me for most networking jobs. It might be better to do the CCNA Security to provide me with some security qualifications?

As for the certs you mentioned, i know very little about any of them. could you give me a bit more info on them and which are the most sought after in the industry.

I would rather not do certifications i have to resit ever 3 years, as i dont have much spare time and it could all become too much to keep up with.

I considered going for MCITP or MCTS- as i mainly work with Windows OS.

Let me know your thoughts

Thanks

 

If you're certifications aren't aimed at employability then what are they aimed at? Certifications 'should' only really be aimed at proving your abilities whether that's to clients or employers, they should never be used as a way of qualifying you for a role. It's more about experience than certifications and you would be wise to remember that.

If I were in your shoes (and I have been having spent 12+ years as an IT contractor) I would look at what's beneficial to your line of work and leave it at that, there's no point in getting the CCNP if you never actually get hands on with Cisco hardware because two things will happen :-

1. You will lose all the knowledge gained to pass the exams.
2. Without commercial experience no sane employer will let you go hands on with their hardware without practical experience, an engineering degree wouldn't give you that experience either.

Look at the kind of work you're doing, is it more Microsoft based? Cisco based? then decide what kind of work you want to get into.

As was previously mentioned going for a vendor neutral exam like the ITIL Foundation would definitely be a good starting point, that gives you more of an idea of why companies run their IT services as they do (assuming of course that they have adopted the ITIL framework). Perhaps also look at some project management training, again to give you an idea on why things are done like they are when talking about projects.

 

When i say they aren't aimed at employability, i mean, i work for myself so i am aiming at what is best to demonstrate my skills to clients. I know it is more about experience and i have a fair bit. But as you say, i probably won't be working with Cisco gear enough to merit doing the CCNP. I mainly work with windows software, both in domestic support and business (where i will be working with server editions as well). I would like to gain more knowledge about security so i might do the CCNA security cert, which would allow me to better assist clients with network security(as i am bound to learn something i dont already know).

Based on your advice. i think a better Microsoft cert might be worth perusing- perhaps the MCITP in windows 7 support?

I dont quite understand this ITIL thing, i hadn't heard of it ntil reading these posts today. I assume it is a set of standards companies should work by? how do i go about studying the foundation one? also how much is it?

Thanks for the help guys, its very much appreciated.

 

Have a look at the ITIL site to get a better understanding of what it's about. It's a framework that companies use to ensure smooth running of their IT business process, from the service desk, to SLA's with internal customers and underpinning contracts with your external service providers, it ensures that you have a defined set of processes and functions within your IT environment.

 

Thanks guys. so what exactly is involved in the |CITP? i had a look on the website and it seems a bit vague. How many exams are involved in gaining the cert? how much will it cost in total?