can u help

Discussion in 'General Microsoft Certifications' started by itnewby, Jan 9, 2008.

  1. itnewby

    itnewby Bit Poster

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    hi i am a IT newbie i am at present taking a NVQ level 3 advanced dip for IT professionals .and they are already asking what courses we are thinking about for next year .i am a mature student and dont really want to spend the next 2 years wasting my and the tutors time .i am looking for quals that will stand me in good stead for when we go to canada in 3 to 4 yrs time .Can anybody give me a pointor as at collage i feel like they are selling me something i dont need.And can i get a IT job with this qualification .i seam to be doing this course but not knowing where it will take me .thanks ps is a ccna any good.
     
    WIP: nvq l3ictss
  2. greenbrucelee
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    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

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    Hi Welcome :)

    If I were you I would look at compTIA A+ certification if becoming an IT tech is your goal, you do not need to do this at a college you could do it by self study.

    http://certification.comptia.org/a/

    The books most recommended to get for this are: compTIA A+ all in one exam guide by Mike Meyers 6th edition and PC Technician Street Smarts by James Pyles.

    Once you are confident with the material you book your exams through http://www.prometric.com/default.htm or http://www.pearsonvue.co.uk/home/ you will find out on these sites which test centre is nearest you.

    As for jobs and IT no IT qualification or cert can garantee you a job but they can make you stand out to an employer.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?
  3. Kitkatninja
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    Kitkatninja aka me, myself & I Moderator

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    Hi,

    Just looked at PlusJobs, which is a Job site for Canada and so far the majority of employers actually state that they require job candidates to have a recognised degree (BSc or BA), I don't know how true this is as each country is different (for example when I lived in the Phillipines 12 years ago, you had to be a 2nd year college student to get a job in McD's). Once you have your NVQ 3 then I would maybe take a look into that. Other certs that may be of use to you, regardless of here or in Canada, would be the A+, Network+ and the MCDST, as you have a limited 3-4 year gap.

    Other sites that you may find useful would be:

    CIPS - this I am told is Canada's version of the BCS.
    APCC - another IT professional association, don't know much about them.
    Canada Visa - a website dedicated to entering Canada and Visa requirements, also has a few job site links

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

    itnewby Bit Poster

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    hi they are trying to sell the idea of taking ccna for 2 years is that any good?
     
    WIP: nvq l3ictss
  5. Kitkatninja
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    Kitkatninja aka me, myself & I Moderator

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    Depends on various factors:

    1. Cost
    2. Your previous knowledge
    3. Whether or not you actually want to go down the route of CISCO.

    The CCNA sit at level 3 of the UK's NQF.

    The college where I work part-time offers the CCNA program (in conjunction with BTEC/Edexcel) part-time for 2 evenings a week for 1 year at £442 (inc exams). The place that you're at may be offering a program that encompasses more than that as they will offer it over 2 years (or maybe it'll only be 1 evening a week).

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

    TimoftheC Kilobyte Poster

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    Ken - a little off topic but, when you say they offer "the CCNA program... at £442 (inc exams) do you mean the individual modules or the all of them? A college local to me that I have looked at offers the modules (part time) at £420 each or £1470 if you sign up for all four of them and I don't believe that cost includes exam fees (they are listed as an additional £130 each per exam)?

    Just curious is all as not really looking to do CCNA myself
     
    Certifications: A+; Network+
    WIP: MCDST???
  7. greenbrucelee
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    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

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    As Ken said CCNA is dependent on things like experience, this is a cert for people who have been in IT and working with Cisco equipment for at least a year.

    Why not try the A+ as I suggested earlier.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?
  8. Kitkatninja
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Kitkatninja aka me, myself & I Moderator

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    Hi,

    Tresham Institute is an Microsoft and Cisco Academy, for starters. So Tresham can offer Professional courses cheaper than alot of places. Secondly, the CCNA course that Tresham offers is in conjunction with the Btec/Edexcel iPRO, because of this, this course is partly funded by the Government hence the price of £350 + £92 for the exams, see here for course listing.

    You just don't do the CCNA, you also do a couple of BTEC/Edexcel units to gain the BTEC/Edexcel award also.

    Hope this helps

    -Ken

    References: Tresham, Edexcel, iPRO/OCR.
     
    Certifications: MSc, PGDip, PGCert, BSc, HNC, LCGI, MBCS CITP, MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCE, A+, N+, S+, Server+
    WIP: MSc Cyber Security
  9. dmarsh
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    dmarsh Petabyte Poster

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    I would have thought that if you want to emigrate that your best bet in general is to get some good experience along with a recognised degree.

    Most countries specify a 3-4 year undergrad degree as a base level requirement for a professional visa application.
     
  10. Kitkatninja
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    Kitkatninja aka me, myself & I Moderator

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    You can get a BSc in Computing in 4 years part-time or the BSc(hons) in 5 years part-time if you wanted. This is by going via the HNC -> HND (maybe) -> BSc -> BSc(hons) route.
     
    Certifications: MSc, PGDip, PGCert, BSc, HNC, LCGI, MBCS CITP, MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCE, A+, N+, S+, Server+
    WIP: MSc Cyber Security
  11. itnewby

    itnewby Bit Poster

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    thanks we are going in on my wifes qualification she is a teacher .i have no qualification just a few cse's from school i have been a househusband for the last 7 years the nvq will give me 3 extra points and you know what points make!!.i want to get in to IT but finding the right way is difficult. gaz
     
    WIP: nvq l3ictss

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