Advice needed please .NET Certificate

Discussion in 'Training & Development' started by beanyboy, May 14, 2009.

  1. beanyboy

    beanyboy New Member

    7
    0
    1
    Hi peeps,

    I am looking for some advice I have recently graduated from university where I obtained a Bsc in computers and multimedia systems. This basically covered all aspects of computing from the circuitry and machine code of microprocessors up to software engineering and development and all thats in between. I thought that doing this would have stood me in good chance for getting an entry level I.T position after a couple of months of trying to find a job in the north west I am struggling. I am very open minded as into what branch of the I.T sector to enter into I am applying for helpdesk jobs, junior web-design, junior application developers, network support basically anything that I can get.

    All the job vacancies seem to want experience and preferably a microsoft certification I have looked into certain certifications but as I've found on this site they are very expensive to go via a TC after enquiring to a few TC's and pricing them up I thought about self studying A+ and Network+. As I believe I wouldn't need much tuition as I have a fairly good knowledge of most aspects of computing.

    Then one of the companies I enquired with:

    www.dotnettrainingonline.com

    the course apparrently costs 4000 pounds to run but they pay half and I would pay the other half so they were asking for 2000. The bonus of this company is that they give you 3 months commercial experience as well as the training. As I was thinking of self-studying I told them that it was still too much money, the guy I had been communicating with then said that If i could raise 1000 pounds and I would only have to pay the other 1000 pounds if I was successful in finding a job in the .NET industry. I am after peoples thoughts and advice whether this sounds like a viable route and whether the .NET industry is as successful as this man claims. He claims that the industry is leaning towards .NET developers now, and that there is a lot of money in this industry. It is a sixth month course and on completion I would be a junior level developer which he claims earns approximately 20-25k salary and then after 2-3 years experience I would become a senior .NET developer earning in excess of 35k. Below are the certificates that the course entails.

    Microsoft’s MCTS .NET Framework 2.0 Web Applications
    course details
    70-528 Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 - Web-Based Client Development


    Microsoft’s MCTS NET Framework 2.0 Window Applications
    course details
    70-526 Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 – Windows-Based Client Development

    Microsoft's BizTalk 2006
    course details
    70-235 Developing Business Process and Integration Solutions Using Microsoft BizTalk Server

    Microsoft's MCDBA
    course details
    70–431 Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - Implementation and Maintenance

    I am aware that the .NET framework is now on version 3.5 so i don't know if I am being sweet talked into this role or whether it would be a good choice

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated thanks

    beanyboy
    :biggrin
     
  2. dmarsh
    Honorary Member 500 Likes Award

    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

    4,305
    503
    259
    Well in general I'd advise just teaching yourself C# from books and applying for junior development roles. You BSc, some self study and the right attitude should be more than enough to kick start your career.

    Dude, professional trainers from training companies in London generally cost £400 per day per student. Theres no way you will get quality training for the period you will require for £2000.

    You will first need to learn C#, this will probably take the best part of 6 months part time, it could take longer.

    After that you can start to think about getting an MCTS in either web or windows development, really you should have professional experience, doing it without experience will be VERY tough. However if you remain unemployed you might as well spend your time coding...

    See the booklist on this page for self study :-
    http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcpd/windev/default.mspx

    People on msdn forums seem to reccomend these two :-
    http://www.amazon.com/CLR-via-Secon...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242328415&sr=1-2
    http://www.amazon.com/C-3-0-COMPLET...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242328527&sr=1-2

    Not read them myself.

    The core exam for all the .Net tracks is 70-536, this is not an exam for people without experience or a Computer Science degree, ideally candidates should have both.
    This is the first exam in all .Net tracks, it gets pretty scant mention on their site.

    There is limited demand for BizTalk, if you want to program I wouldn't make it my main focus at the moment.

    MCDBA can no longer be obtained and could only be obtained on MS SQL 2000. 70-431 is an MCTS exam on MS SQL 2005.

    If you have good SQL skills from college, a little study and play with SQL 2005, maybe a CBT and you could probably pass this.

    The fact they cannot get basic facts right means I would not touch them with a bargepole, they could disappear with your £1000 and you could never see anything for it. You ever watch watchdog ?

    There are some fairly dubious claims on their site.
     
  3. Kitkatninja
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Kitkatninja aka me, myself & I Moderator

    11,140
    555
    383
    I agree :)

    One thing to note is that in this climate, it's going to be even harder to get your foot in the IT door. It's important, imo, to make sure that good training deals are throughly checked out. The last thing, I believe, you do not want to end up with is still no IT job and more in debt.

    While it's taken some people a few weeks/months to get into IT, it's taken longer for others (myself 5 years, someone else I know 10 years and some people, eg my ex classmates on my BSc, have actually given up) and that was years before this recession.

    Don't go in with that frame of mind, remember the old saying:

    -Ken
     
    Certifications: MSc, PGDip, PGCert, BSc, HNC, LCGI, MBCS CITP, MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCE, A+, N+, S+, Server+
    WIP: MSc Cyber Security
  4. beanyboy

    beanyboy New Member

    7
    0
    1
    thanks for the advice guys I think I might self study and start off with the basics A+ and N+ and maybe MCDST then apply for jobs as helpdesk support to get my foot in the door and then decide what branch of I.T I want to follow
     
  5. Jiser

    Jiser Kilobyte Poster

    385
    10
    37
    Just go for everything to get your foot in. Just don't have high expectations for good money. Don't let one interview failure get you down as the next one might be the one!! Once you have that first bit of experiance your on your way. Good luck.
     
    Certifications: BSc (Hons), PGc, MCTS:Win 7, MCSA W7/MCITP EDST, ITIL Foundation, Prince 2 Foundation, C&G: Web Design, MOS 07: Excel, Word, Powerpoint, Outlook.

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.