Advice..

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

I am currently studying for the 70-620 exam which my manager is fine with but that I want to study for the ITIL v3 and then the 70-640 but here is the problem my manager is not very keen on me doing ITIL or the 70-640.

I currently work in a first line role with some second line tasks, my manager says that the ITIL is more for management and that as we don’t use server 2008 there is no point doing the 70-640 any ideas how I can persuade him to allow me to do the two certifications?

 

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

Do you currently administer Windows Server 2003 servers?

 

Yes, but I was thinking 2008 will be better on my cv for the future and I have experience with server 2003 which I can put on my CV as well, so I then cover both bases.

 

As bosonm is no doubt about to say, study 2k3 route then as its aplicable to your environment. However also if you really want to study the 2008 track and ITIL then you dont need to involve work in it. In fact if you self study and fund then you dont owe them anything and its got nothing to do with them.

ITIL v3 foundation would be a good cert to go for to start with and its absolute piffle about it being a management cert.

 

Getting a certification on Server 08 doesn't automagically cover your bases if you haven't administered Server 08 in a real-world environment. It just means you've passed some tests.

Think about what you're asking your employer to do: let you take an exam on a technology that you're not required to support for the company which will make you look more attractive to OTHER employers... so that your current employer will end up having to lose you or pay you more in order to keep you. Where's the benefit to your employer? Gotta look at it from their perspective. If I were them, I'd have told you the same thing.

So... why not get your employer to pay for the Server 2003 exams? Since you administer them, your employer is much more likely to fulfill your request.

 

I could do it off my own back but work will pay for it and they let me study during work time which they will be less incline to do if it is certs they do not want me to do.

I understand what you are saying about studying 2003 route but I really want to do 2008 as I think it will be more valauble for longer and like I already mentioned about the CV thing.

But what can I say to persuade my manager to let me study ITIL I know it is rubbish about it being a management cert but I cant really say that to him so I was trying to think of other points I could make to prove that it is a good cert for me to do.

 

Yep what you are saying has hit the nail on the head I can't say I want to do the 2008 for my CV and not worry about the company thats why I was wondering if there was a better way to approach during the 2008 so my manager would be more willing to pay for me to do it.

At a guess how many more years do you think 2003 will still be being used by companies 5 years?

 

Companies still use Server 2000, and Server 2003 is likely to be the dominant server OS for a while longer - and even when Server 08 is predominantly used, there's STILL going to be a need for Server 03 administration! Dude, I administered an NT 4.0 PDC and BDC as late as 2006. That Server 03 certification will look good for years to come.

 

There isn't, unless you want to contractually obligate yourself to the company for a number of years in exchange for the training. And I wouldn't recommend that.

Longer. See my previous post.

 

Sorry for the back-to-back-to-back posts, but something else came to my mind that will likely change your opinion about the whole 2003/2008 thing, if it hasn't already...

Let's say you go for the Server 2008 certification, and your twin goes for the Server 2003 certification.... and you both apply for the same job. Who's gonna look like he's been doing IT for longer? The MCSA/MCSE on 2003, or the MCITP on 2008?

Plus, which certification is going to have more brand-name recognition for longer? The MCSA/MCSE, or the MCITP?

And on top of that... your twin is going to eventually be able to upgrade to the MCITP on 2008. You wouldn't similarly be able to downgrade to the MCSA/MCSE on 2003. Get it now, while you can.

Shoot, if the MCSA on Server 2000 were still around, I'd urge you to get that... again, makes you look like you've "been there, done that" for much longer than the 2008-newbs.

 

You have made some good points I will think about it one big downside to the 2003 exams over 2008 is that the mcsa is like 6 exams whereas I can take one exam for the 2008 and get a cert, I know its not all about the certs but either way I will still be learning things.

 

Err you can get a cert straight away with the 2003 track the MCP is awarded once you pass any one of the exams on the MCSA track. which again is a very well known and regarded cert to have. Either way you want to go is obviously your choice but if you do the 2003 track then its just a couple of exams to upgrade to a 2008 cert.

BM has made some very compelling points there, but obviously in the end its down to personal preference. I've never been offered to have the training and exams paid for me but I still wouldnt accept it if they did, no one is gonna own my a** for longer than I want them too!!!!

 

So you'd have an MCTS on Windows Server 2008. But really, what does that MEAN to an employer? To those employers for whom the certification would mean anything, they'd KNOW you've taken just one exam. How much MORE would it mean to an employer if you were to show an MCSA certification? The knowledgeable employer knows that's FOUR exams, at least. You'd have to achieve the MCITP: Server Administrator certification to get the same effect.

Plus... you can get a certification with a single Server 2003 exam: the MCP. In truth, that's the same level as a single MCTS exam.