Looking for some general advice....

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Hi guys....

This is my situation: I have recently graduated from uni after doing my MSc in MIT. The irony of it is that depsite it having a Masters in Managining IT, I feel like I know next to nothing when it comes to actual hands on IT skills, and nearly all the jobs I have looked at in the IT field that pay a decent wage requires some sort of specialisation (Networks, Databases etc), so despite feeling gutted that the £3k I spent on uni fee has pretty much a waste, I also feel that I have wasted a chunk of my life doing a degree is not really worth anything.

So I have decided that I am going to get some professional qualifications that will enable me to actually have some usefull skills that I can put into practise at work. After dabling in CCNA, I found that I really wasn't intrested in networks and that I was more attracted towards the Database Adminstration side. So my question is this: Are qualifications such as MCDBA really worth getting? My plan is to get the basic A+ and N+, then move onto MCPA and then MCDBA.

I know that a qualifications alone is not worth much and I would need some 'hands on experinence', but assume that I somehow was getting experience whilst working for my MCDBA, would it be worth it? and if so, what other things can I be doing to aid that?

Generally any sort of advice as to where I can go from here would be much appreciated.

Thanks for reading

 

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Hi and welcome to CF!

I *assume* you went for the Managing IT degree because you wanted to do management? Or have you now changed your mind?

There is nothing unusual in being fresh out of college and feeling that you don't know much - this is true for most degrees. You pick up the practical stuff throughout the rest of your career. But with a Masters you have demonstrated that you *do* know how to manage stuff in a theoretical way. You should be able to get an entry job based on that. So the cost hasn't been a waste.

In addition, any reasonable degree (i.e. not ones in flower-arranging and the like) will put you above the rest of the crowd, who will have neither experience nor a degree!

A+ and N+ are good certs - but without the experience will not get you a job.

Harry.

 

I agree with Harry.

You shouldn't expect to jump right into a database administration job... those jobs aren't usually given to people with no real-world IT experience. You'll probably have to start out at the bottom with an entry-level job, just like everyone else.

However, your situation isn't as bleak as it sounds. As Harry stated, your Masters degree will certainly give you a great advantage when competing against others for a job... and for most people, getting their first IT job is the hardest thing they'll do in IT. Your degree, combined with the A+ and Network+, will help you a LOT in this respect.

Additionally, your degree will likely help you to advance faster up the IT career ladder. Not because you have letters after your name... but because you've got a lot of theoretical knowledge and have proven with your degree that you can stick to a field of study and complete it. If you've gained any business knowledge with your degree, that will help as well... most techs can't see things from a business perspective, and I've found that to be a huge advantage when discussing technical topics and needs and requests with management.

Hope this helps give you a little hope with your situation! Welcome to the forums!

 

Hi tully,

First of all, I am very happy you realize you do not know everything as a graduate. I've met graduates thinking otherwise ...

I agree with all the lads above. Start at an entrylevel job. Working yourself up shouldn't be that hard since you have proven you can study. Do not get certifications without corresponding experience, you will make yourself overpriced...

Good luck on finding a job...

Guido

 

Hi welcome

I agree with whats been said, and just to add if you have just finished studying do the A+ etc self study, it can be done and since you've just finished you'll be used to reading and taking notes it'll save you a lot money that can spend on something else other than a training provider.

 

Thanks for many replies guys, and hopefully you guys are right.

But I still want to know if doing a MCDBA course and such is a good way to go if that is where I want to be in a few years? I am really struggling to find even an entry level job in IT as the many many interviews I have been on all went well until I was asked if I had any networking, database, or programming knowledge etc.

Would you guys recommend doing MCDBA, if being a database adminstrator is where I want to be in a few years time?

 

If those employers require that sort of knowledge, you are likely not looking at entry-level jobs.

The MCDBA is a good certification to get... but not at this stage of your career. It's not designed for people who don't have experience. Before pursuing the first exam in the MCDBA track, Microsoft recommends:

In addition, you'll have to take a Windows Server OS exam, which is not easy to do without experience.

How do you get that experience? Start at the bottom with an entry-level job, even if it's unrelated to database work. Build your skillset, and show interest in working with databases at your job. Eventually, you will build that experience. A certification won't enable you to magically get a DBA job without experience.