Got A+ & N+ 2005 but no job yet - swot up for new N+?

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I've still to find that elusive first IT job but I'm busying myself reviewing the materials for my existing certs; but my query is would it be worth my while splashing out on some books for the latest Network+? Or should I perhaps ignore the older technologies that are covered in the books on the 2005 exam?

Also as I've obviously no experience, should I just concentrate on reviewing the A+?

 

Agree, if you have the A+ and N+ then I wouldn't go back to them. I think they are good certs for knowledge but they aint going to get you a job in all fairness. HR like it or lump it tend to look for MS and Cisco certs. I would therefore good for either your MCDST or MCSA next.

 

Go for the MCDST.

IT is really difficult to get into it could take you a while. You need to keep trying.

There is no need in doing the newer compTIA exams, employers dont care which version you have done they care that you have it.

 

MCSA without experience? I thought it was MCDST for an entry level job.

 

Where abouts are you living as i thought you would easily have got a foot in the door with these certs as i did with only the A+. Is it maybe some of these jobs are lower paid than your current one and not worth it?

 

Out of the two I would first opt for doing the MCDST as you will get MCP status after passing either of the exams. At the end of the day you have to make yourself stand out from the crowd. As long as you understand the technologies and principles of what the MCSA is teaching and have a home lab then I don't see any issue in going down that route.

IT is hard to get into these days and the goal posts are always changing with supply and demand and unfortunately a lot of employers either don't know what CompTIA certs are or don't really care. Thats not to say they aren't useful but I think they are more for brushing up on your knowledge starting in IT then being a stand out cert to employers or agencies.

I personally really enjoyed doing the A+ and N+ but don't think it's helped me greatly to get a job as all I get is what MS certs do you have and do you know this this and this technology. This is a big problem that people have because HR and some employers can't see past Cisco and MS certs. The fact that MCSA/MCSE is still believed to be the must have MS cert and a surprising amount of agencies don't even know about the new MS certs is a little worrying. If you want to improve your chances then get a MCP under your belt and if you can possibly do some voluntary work in IT to gain commercial experience.

Even with working it IT for 7+ years for some big companies and I now consider myself a professional I still think me not having completed my MCSA is having a negative effect on my job prospects. Hence why I'm starting to pull my finger out and get it completed.

 

I do. The MCSA is designed for people with 6 months of experience administering servers, preferably in a multi-site, multi-server environment with 250+ users. And not just 6 months in IT... 6 months of doing server administration. Getting the MCSA without experience isn't going to do Jo's CV any good, because the MCSA doesn't have anything to do with entry-level tech work. In fact, being overcertified can actually do more harm than good. You've been on these forums long enough to know why, so I'm surprised that you'd even suggest someone get overcertified.

Certification isn't designed to teach you new things... certification is designed to make your CV more attractive to employers. Now, granted, I'm in the US, but I've listened to enough UK folks on this very forum to know that the A+ and Network+ absolutely make a difference in getting an entry-level job there.

Then you're either applying for jobs that require/prefer server administration experience, or you're applying for companies staffed by a bunch of clueless individuals. If the latter is the case, is that REALLY an employer you want to work for?!?

7 years of experience is a darn sight different than just starting out in IT.

 

Like it or not Agencies want MCP's/MCSA and MCSE's regardless of if they meet all the guidline's set out for what experience you should have. I also think whilst the cert itself doesn't teach you new skills the process of getting it does. If I was starting off in IT now I would still go down the route of A+ and N+ first but does it get you a job....no in my honest opinion. In all the years of looking on job sites I'll be lucky if I've seen 2 jobs asking for CompTIA certs and all the agencies I've dealt with not once been asked about my A+ or N+.

Whilst I would never encourage anyone to gain an MCSA/MCSE without understanding the concepts I don't think you need to be working in a job that uses all those skills. Lets be honest most companies either have their network setup and you won't get to do a lot of what the MCSA perquisites are. I work for a big organisation and they wouldn't allow me to mess around with their DNS so does that mean I should stop my MCSA dead until they do just until I can say I've setup a DNS Primary Server? Like wise who gets to setup an Exchange server or VPN solution from scratch? I would say not a lot of people as they tend to be setup and if your lucky you might get exposure to updating the software or tweaking it.

I personally don't think it's crazy to setup a home lab these days and learn all you need for the MCSA from that. With free tools like VMWare and trial versions of most software (or technet subscription) I think it's possible to learn more from a home lab than a live system your not going to break. IT is cutthroat now to get into an if you have to bend the rules on the requirements to get a job then personally I would.

 

Then that is an agency that is clueless about the IT job market.

Sure it does. But that's not the point of certification.

I and a buncha other people on this forum simply disagree with you.

Doesn't mean employers don't look for them or that they don't make a difference. There are enough real-world stories on this very forum that have indicated that it DID make a difference.

And 'nuff said about "those agencies".

Microsoft disagrees with you. If you doubt, check their recommendations for yourself.

There are no MCSA prerequisites. The MCSA recommendation is that you have at least six months of experience administering servers in a 250+ user, multi-site, multi-server business IT environment. Are you saying that people aren't able to do this?

Don't confuse "exam topics" with "Microsoft recommendations". It is not necessary for you to have performed every single exam topic in real life before pursuing the MCSA. But I'd certainly recommend that you've got the experience Microsoft recommends: 6 months of real-life server admin experience.

No, it's not crazy to set up a home lab these days, and I never cautioned against it. And although it's worth doing so to expand your hands-on knowledge, it's not considered experience by employers.

There are no "requirements". What you're not understanding is that you will likely be passed over by most employers if you apply for a job with the MCSA and no experience. Those who have a job that isn't relevant to the MCSA will pass you over because the MCSA isn't relevant to the position... and those who have a job that is relevant to the MCSA will pass you over because you lack the experience.

Disagree if you will... but that exact scenario has happened far more times than I care to count. There's a reason people warn against being overcertified, dude... it can make you unemployable.

Knowlege != certification. Don't get the two confused. Knowledge without experience is great. Certification without experience isn't.

 

We will have to agree to disagree mate as I fully believe that you have to make yourself as employable as possible and sorry but in an ideal world you would probably be right but most agencies/employers will simply take someone with an MCSA over someone without. Yeah your probably right a lot of agencies are clueless about the industry but they help get jobs and that's what pays the bills.

 

I will agree that you have to make yourself as employable as possible. We simply believe differently on what makes you more employable. I know what I look for when I sit on this side of the interview table... and I've heard what you guys have said about your experiences from the other side of the interview table. Both of those have shaped the advice I give.

 

The one thing I would say that even if you have overcertified for the recruiters with their key words scans, you will still have to interview and 99.99999% of interviewers will ask for work related scenarios where you used the technology to solve an issue, or bring productivity, if you have no experience then an employer may think you can click a few buttons, but may have no clue of the underlying principles, or the business reasons behind deploying various solutions.

Personally I would study the MCSA material if I had the time and the base certs already, but I would hold back on the exams, and I would maybe put on my CV that I was studying MCSA topics.

 

Just my 2 cents, but experience is still king in the job market, especially in a depressed economy. While job adverts may say they want an MCSA or MCSE (and are willing to pay pennies for them), that is really a "wish list". Also, companies the deliberately hire overqualified applicants are shooting themselves in the foot. The minute an MCSE can get a job that matches his or her qualifications, they'll drop the desktop support job like an angry rattlesnake.

I have to agree with the MCDST option as the most realistic under the circumstances. Go ahead and apply for support jobs that say they want an MCSA/MCSE. That doesn't mean you're out of the running. You may end up being the best person for the job. Also, even if you don't sit for more advanced exams, it's always a good idea to keep reading, studying, and practicing newer skill sets. Never know when they'll come in handy.

 

Swansea, about which Dylan Thomas once wrote 'graveyard of ambition'

 

I'm definitely going for the MCDST.

I never meant attempting the newer Comptia exams! .

My point was, should I buy and study the books on the latest Network+. I've still got my books for the '05 version.