Which IT course for newbie? So confused!

Discussion in 'New Members Introduction' started by IT newbie, Mar 2, 2011.

  1. Consultant

    Consultant Bit Poster

    44
    11
    25
    Perhaps I was being a little harsh.

    It was based on my own standards and bias, and wobbly thought process. Here's my logic flow as to how I came up with this particular conclusion. Apologies if this is somewhat OTT.

    Assumption 1:
    Time is limited; Money is not. What I mean is, I have a finite amount of time on this planet, but the amount of money that can be earned is more flexible than my life. At one end, you have someone flat broke and in debt, at the other is Bill Gates, et al. The resolution in between is in the order of billions wih many people at all different places on that curve. Life on the other hand (specifically working life) is usually between around (16 and 65) and probably much less in the realm of IT, even if you convert those 49 years to days, it's still only a resolution of about 18,000 (assuming we even make it to 65!!).

    Assumption 2:
    We go to work, to earn money, to pay the bills and give our family the life they enjoy. If you can go to work and enjoy it, that's a bonus, and if your job is the thing you love more than anything else in life, then you'll never have to work a day in your life.

    But my assumption is that the large majority of people work because it's what we all need to do, in order to do the other stuff in life that we enjoy more than work, whether it be voluntary work for the Church, Fishing, WindSurfing, Playing Guitar, or just chilling with our loved ones. If I can earn the same in 4 days that I might have previously earned in 5 days through study and certification effort, that's an extra day I get to spend with my family and do the stuff I like more than work.

    Conclusion:
    The quicker we can improve our position in this zero sum game, where death has the final word (assuming your not a buddhist, etc), and the more efficient we are at exchanging our time for money, then the less of our time we need to exchange, in order to do the things we love, with the ones that we love. I want to invest as few of my 18,000 days as I have to in order to gain a good position on the $ graph as I can (without making my life all about money!!)

    Don't get me wrong I'm not all about the money over everything else. But it's logical that I want the shortest (honourable, ethical, legal, moral) route to earning what I need (theoretically), to maintain me and my family in a happy, comfortable life. I want maximum return for any time investment I make (that's the whole concept of the wheel and many things since)

    Universities are wonderful places for a whole number of reasons, and if you're looking to be a lawyer, doctor, biologist, physicist, then they're absolutely essential (although note that all of these require vocational training anyway (bar exam, medical school, PhD, etc).

    But with these assumptions in mind the choice between vocational education (real-world on the job experience and vendor courses/certifications), and University style education, for an employer, my career and best return on exchanging my time for money, in my opinion, would be the vocational route. To highlight, the amount of skill honing, practice and vendor qualifications that a person can achieve, for the same effort as a 6 week University course would take, my belief is that the former will give a better return on time invested than the latter. I'm not anti-university at all, I just don't think they currently offer the best return for time invested.

    (as a side note, I could have it very wrong, but this is why I chose not to go to Cambridge and get a degree from a top university, and instead entered the work place, maybe that makes me a bit senile, but I think I've done OK)

    There are exceptions to the rules, there always will be, and not everyone will share my philosophies on life, but as they say "If two in a people in a discussion agree about everything, one of them is no longer necessary"

    Hopefully this isn't seen as a rant, it certainly wasn't intended as one, and hopefully all of the scholars out there aren't going to come and give me a good flaming. This post is simply a small window in to my warped and twisted mind, where a hamster and a rusty wheel, squeak constantly, ad infinitum.

    Cheers

    Tony.
     
    Certifications: ITIL v3 Foundation, MySQL OCA
    WIP: OCP MySQL DBA
  2. JonnyMX

    JonnyMX Petabyte Poster

    5,257
    220
    236
    Heh heh!

    Thing is, they are two completely different things.

    The OU is an academic institution, as such it is designed to give a balanced and structured learning experience with all the necessary support.

    Certification is the process of validating your existing skills by taking exams.

    There is some overlap, which is why it can get a bit untidy. But generally it depends on the nature of the student and their experience. Some people just don't 'self study' well, for various reasons.

    I've done both OU and certification, so I have mixed feelings on the subject. As an employer, if I see an OU qualification I know that a person has studied at a recognised and controlled level (allbeit generic) and has demonstrated a set range of skills. These may not be pure technology related, they include the abilities to assimilate information, make assessments and produce professionally written documentation.

    On the other hand, if I see that someone holds a certification, I know that person has passed a certification exam. I'd like to think that they did so because they had the relevant experience to do so, but I think we all know it isn't that black and white. I know in theory that person has demonstrated a level of competence and understanding with a particular technology, but not much more than that.

    I'm not really trying to say that either is right or wrong - just that there is room for both. I would certainly recommend the OU to anybody starting out, who doesn't have much experience and may be a bit rusty in terms of 'learning new stuff'.
     
    Certifications: MCT, MCTS, i-Net+, CIW CI, Prince2, MSP, MCSD
  3. Modey

    Modey Terabyte Poster

    2,397
    99
    154
    Not at all, but you have changed what's being discussed a little in my opinion. On one hand you are suggesting 'messing about in a self created lab' as an alternative to structured learning, then suggesting that time is so precious that you don't want to waste any and should pursue the most efficient path to your goal. The two don't seem to match up from what I can tell.

    Anyway, I think the topic is becoming a little derailed as it is now. You made many good points, but I just wanted to defend one alternative that I thought wasn't being done justice.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCP, MCDST, MCSA 2K3, MCTS, MOS, MTA, MCT, MCITP:EDST7, MCSA W7, Citrix CCA, ITIL Foundation
    WIP: Nada
  4. Consultant

    Consultant Bit Poster

    44
    11
    25
    Fair Enough

    T.
     
    Certifications: ITIL v3 Foundation, MySQL OCA
    WIP: OCP MySQL DBA
  5. IT newbie

    IT newbie Bit Poster

    10
    0
    4
    Hi

    I've just passed the Essentials of A+ today. As a total newbie, I'm really pleased after nearly 3 months of continuous study both with a training provider, Prof Messer, Sybex and Meyers books. Was very nervous today especially as it cost over £100 - didn't want to pay again! A few questions were about Windows 7 which I didn't really know but anyway I passed!! Hooray!!
     
  6. Kopite_21

    Kopite_21 Gigabyte Poster

    1,309
    64
    130
    Congrats on the pass!
     
    Certifications: National Diploma IT Advanced ECDL
    WIP: A+
  7. IT newbie

    IT newbie Bit Poster

    10
    0
    4
    Thanks.
     
  8. systempsyche

    systempsyche Nibble Poster

    59
    2
    27
    First off, A+ is not for you buddy its for repair techs also database is very hard to get into and there are loads of people who have quals but work in shops. Its kinda difficult but i would say go the mcitp route 1st
     
    Certifications: A+, network+, server+, mcdst, mcp, ccent
    WIP: mac integration, ACSP, ACTC
  9. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

    14,292
    265
    329
    I disagree I think DBAs and programmers will benefit from having certs like the A+ because it gives them a grounding in how the hardware works and therfore will help them code their programmes in relation to the hardware that their code will run on.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?
  10. systempsyche

    systempsyche Nibble Poster

    59
    2
    27
    Guess we will just have to agree to disagree on this one because how far can that go? learning about electricity because the computer uses it and then so on and so on. The poor guy/gal will get too confused going off in different directions.
     
    Certifications: A+, network+, server+, mcdst, mcp, ccent
    WIP: mac integration, ACSP, ACTC
  11. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

    14,292
    265
    329
    Knowing how to program for 32 bit and 64 bit hardware is different and knowing the differences can help a programmer code easier.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?

Share This Page

Loading...
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.