Career Advice and best certs for next job

Discussion in 'Training & Development' started by satz, Jan 16, 2012.

  1. satz

    satz Bit Poster

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    Hey Guys

    I was looking for some advice from all you IT Gurus. I'm 25 and looking to establish my career in IT

    My current situation:
    I'm IT administrator at a local radio station.(1year & 4months) I started of with a junior role but my background knowledge and experience gave me the opportunity to replace the head of IT when he left.My day to day job role is management of around 40 clients and 6 servers (one is 2003) also i managethe web site side of things. I work with quite a lot of radio side technology e.g a recent project was setting up a VOIP server connected to 3g hand held devices. I usual just pick up what ever the job throws at me and usually i always over come challenges.

    I've always been in to IT, i was building computers when i was 12. So with out getting in to more details i feel I've had a fair amount of exposure to an IT environment. But i have no real qualifications excpet for BSc in Multimedia and NVQ 3 in AVCE IT.

    Now i'm looking for my next career move and wondering what qualifications should i pursue to reinforce my wealth of experience. I've had a few offers for first line support roles and IT analyst but feel i can do better then this considering my current role.

    I'm thinking of doing compuTIA or should just go straight for something like MCTS. Also im quite interested in persuing areas of virtualisation
    I know this still may seem vague. But any advice is much appreciated :)

    Cheers!
     
  2. Boffy

    Boffy Megabyte Poster

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    If you're already in IT, looking for the paperwork for the future, rather than a stepping stone to get into IT - I'd skip the A+/N+ and go straight for an MCTS.

    70-680 and 70-685 give you the MCITP Desktop Support Technician in Windows 7.

    Even if you're more inclined to go straight to Server Admin (MCITP) get the DST first as you can use those exams towards it.


    Unfortunately I don't know the virtualisation route, there are some VMware certificated guys here I'm sure who could point you in the right direction.
     
    Certifications: BSc Computer Game Technology, A+
    WIP: MOS 2010
  3. satz

    satz Bit Poster

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    Yeh i was thinking the same thing just jump straight to the MCTS although thought compTIA is a good refresher
     
  4. TechTock

    TechTock Byte Poster

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    Todo VMWare VCP you have to attend a course and pass the exam otherwise they will not certify you. Hyper-V certs you can do like normal MS certs. If your already working in IT then skip the CompTIA A+ and Network+ unless you need to fill in gaps of your knowledge. I would go down the route of doing some MCTS certs first as Virtualisation is a heavy topic and you need to know Networking fundamentals before you tackle it.
     
    Certifications: A+ | Network+ | Security+ | MCP | MCDST | MCTS: Hyper-V | MCTS: AD | MCTS: Exchange 2007 | MCTS: Windows 7 | MCSA: 2003 | ITIL Foundation v3 | CCA: Xenapp 5.0 | MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator | MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Support Technician | PRINCE2 Foundation | VCP5
    WIP: Having a rest :-)
  5. satz

    satz Bit Poster

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    Would MCTS be a stepping stone to MCITP
     
  6. TechTock

    TechTock Byte Poster

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    Some MCTS certs are standalone certs whilst other MCTS certs make up the MCITP cert. Depends on which MCITP certs your doing.
     
    Certifications: A+ | Network+ | Security+ | MCP | MCDST | MCTS: Hyper-V | MCTS: AD | MCTS: Exchange 2007 | MCTS: Windows 7 | MCSA: 2003 | ITIL Foundation v3 | CCA: Xenapp 5.0 | MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator | MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Support Technician | PRINCE2 Foundation | VCP5
    WIP: Having a rest :-)
  7. satz

    satz Bit Poster

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    Thanks for your response i need to research more in to which exams I should study for. Boffy had a good suggestion which would be to go for the 70-680 and 70-685 get the desktop side of things solid and then think of chasing the server side qualifications.
     
  8. Boffy

    Boffy Megabyte Poster

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    Satz, take a look at this link - its a MS certification guide.

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IGM0FlQXyB8/TDWaZoLiNeI/AAAAAAAAAE4/raekoTXkGsI/s1600/ICT.png

    It doesn't include all the MCTS available - such as MS Exchange (this is a standalone MCTS)


    CompTIA exams are great, but since you're already in management, I'd focus on the MS route to ensure you have a decent grasp of the infrastructure and lead the company forward.

    The A+/N+ provide basic fundamentals and knowledge of working systems/networks, something I hope you have already proven before you became Head of IT 8)
     
    Certifications: BSc Computer Game Technology, A+
    WIP: MOS 2010
  9. satz

    satz Bit Poster

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    Ah that helps a lot. Now which route shall i take the blue pill or the red pill lol
     
  10. BraderzTheDog

    BraderzTheDog Kilobyte Poster

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    Since you've worked with server 2003 maybe MCSA / MCSE which I thank has been replaced by the MCITP recently. This would give you a good shot at being a server admin in a corporate environment. I can recommend a good certification course that will be almost bullet proof in getting you a pass. (Yes it is a little expensive, but you have to make the decision; is this a life/career investment you wish to take up).

    Microsoft MCSE 2003 Training & Exams | Guaranteed Certification in 14 Days

    p.s. When I gave them a call to book my Cisco CCNA / CCSA I managed to get almost a 2k discount ;) Its worth testing the water?
     
    Certifications: CCNA R&S, CCNA-SEC, CCSA, JNCIA FWV, MCITP, MCTS, MTA, A+
  11. SimonD
    Honorary Member

    SimonD Terabyte Poster

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    Sorry but whilst I like Firebrand I have to throw caution to the wind here.

    When I did my MCITP with Firebrand there were a number of people that failed some of the exams, some of them failed the same exam twice in the time that they were on the course, if they do fail twice in rapid succession they then have a two week cooling off period, ergo they can't get certified in 14 days.

    Now the reason these people were failing the exam was because they weren't ready for the course, the idea behind these high pressure courses really should be that they are aimed at someone who is ready for the exams and needs to certify quickly (when I did it I was a contractor, the more time off work, the more it costs me, not just for the cost of the course but also lost earnings). Some of the guys on my course hadn't worked with Windows 2008 (never mind R2) at all, it's unrealistic to expect to pass all your exams in such a short time if you don't have any experience.

    Please be careful, if you have the experience to pass the exams this crash course is great for you, if you don't have the experience please don't really expect to pass the exams in 14 days. Some Training Provider sales guys (certainly not limiting this to Firebrand) will sell you a course because it's a sale, I have been lucky with my contact at FB because he doesn't pressure me or try to sell me inappropriate courses (thank you Duncan).

    Training Providers are great at providing training to people who can assimilate it but not so great at those that would struggle, that's not the fault of the trainer but more the salesman.
     
    Certifications: CNA | CNE | CCNA | MCP | MCP+I | MCSE NT4 | MCSA 2003 | Security+ | MCSA:S 2003 | MCSE:S 2003 | MCTS:SCCM 2007 | MCTS:Win 7 | MCITP:EDA7 | MCITP:SA | MCITP:EA | MCTS:Hyper-V | VCP 4 | ITIL v3 Foundation | VCP 5 DCV | VCP 5 Cloud | VCP6 NV | VCP6 DCV | VCAP 5.5 DCA
  12. BraderzTheDog

    BraderzTheDog Kilobyte Poster

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    The above is actually true if you don't have some familiarity with working in server 2k8. I failed my MCITP (70 - 685) after I had the training for it, mainly because I didn't have a lot of experience with 7, and partly due to getting about 30 scenario question that were a page long each confusing me! :@ Maybe getting hold of a copy of VMWare (on a decent PC with a quad core and maybe 4 - 8GB or ram) and watch the CBT nuggets series so you have some understanding. Then do the labs on your Virtual Machine, this would make the FB MCSE / ITP more of a viable option maybe? :)

    Just like Simon said... Pre reading study before an intense course will help put the pieces together, along with the experience you have working at your radio station should help. At the end of the day, when you call a training provider such as FireBrand you talk to a salesman that may not have done the course and know the severity of the course content, ultimately leading to a big shock if your not prepared for it when you arrive.
     
    Certifications: CCNA R&S, CCNA-SEC, CCSA, JNCIA FWV, MCITP, MCTS, MTA, A+
  13. satz

    satz Bit Poster

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    Thats what i'm doing right now, I got my self a dell power edge server which is running at home with w2k8 r2 and VMware to play around with so if i mess anything up there's no effects on mission critical systems. Also got some videos from CBT nugget videos which are great.

    The radio station has given me a great platform to grow on. At the moment i'm just exploring VPN and remote desktops at work. But i feel I still have a few gaps after looking more in dept in to the certs.

    I'm going to aim for getting 70-680 and 70 -685 for the desktop side. And for server side 70-640, 70-642 & 70-646. Also considering Comptia Network and Security + this is my 2012 targets. The Firebrand seems good but paying for training is out of my budgets at the moment and don't want to take any finance out as there's no real guarantee for my next job. Also I was thinking if theres any funding available for community organisations
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2012
  14. BraderzTheDog

    BraderzTheDog Kilobyte Poster

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    Sounds like a plan, I'm on the same path as yourself currently working on the 685 as I've just passed the 680. Good luck with that, and maybe something will come your way in terms of training. All the best bud, Brad.
     
    Certifications: CCNA R&S, CCNA-SEC, CCSA, JNCIA FWV, MCITP, MCTS, MTA, A+
  15. satz

    satz Bit Poster

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    Cheers pal! what's your objectives are you interesting in being a server admin?
     
  16. BraderzTheDog

    BraderzTheDog Kilobyte Poster

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    Well I suppose I will have to take that route, since my original plan was to become a Cisco engineer. However even with the Cisco certs its hard to get experience with the equipment making you quite un employable. Suppose It will be some more time on tech support for me then move onwards and upwards hopefully a job as a junior network tech will become available. If not get my windows server qualifications and then see where I wind up from there :)
     
    Certifications: CCNA R&S, CCNA-SEC, CCSA, JNCIA FWV, MCITP, MCTS, MTA, A+

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