Newbie alert

Discussion in 'New Members Introduction' started by ptee, Mar 20, 2009.

  1. ptee

    ptee New Member

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    Hi guys, stumbled onto this site after researching some MS certification. Have had a quick nosey and been impressed with the knowledge on here so thought I'd say hello :)
    The reason I've been researching certs is I currently work in IT for a major financial institution that has recently been taken over and there's a good chance I will be 'potentially' redundant some time in the short-medium term (12-36months).

    I have a good amount of experience 8+ yrs and having worked my way to a senior analyst position I have some very good skills/experience supporting a wintel environment from WinNT to W2k3 and first level support of a whole range of apps from Exchange/SQL/Oracle/Citrix/Web. I also have a couple years experience on the AS/400/iSeries platform. I could go on! It all sounds great but I'm somewhat worried in that I don't have a single IT qualification :eek: and work just refuse to pay to certify me :x
    Everything I've learnt has been self taught/learnt on the job or from in-house courses and I'm beginning to think that I may come a cropper if I have to start handing my CV out to potential employers and have to hope that my word, and a reference from my employer, is enough to convince them I can do a job.

    So I'm thinking it would be a good idea to look at some certs to back up my experience.
    What I can't decide is, is it best to fork out on a tutor led course or go self study? If I took the self study option I'm lucky enough to have a books24x7.com IT pro account via work which means I have access to pretty much any book I want at no cost but I don't know which books I'd need, there seems so many different ones :blink

    I'm thinking of going down the MCSA route rather than MCSE as that's more on the lines of my current role.
    Also thinking of doing either the MOS or MCAS to back up my office skills.

    Any ideas realistically (I'd rather take some time to know I'm taking in what I'm learning) how long the MCSA and MCAS certs would take?
    Also any pointers to the best self study books if I was to take that route?

    Sorry for all the questions.
    Cheers

    Pete
     
  2. StormTHX

    StormTHX Byte Poster

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    Certs would definitely make you more marketable. I would knock out the MCSE after the MCSA as I see it as a requirement for more jobs than I do for the MCSA.

    You have come to the right place for solid direction and have made a very good decision to get yourself certified.

    A guy I work with set a goal of 5 months to get his MCSE, because another colleague got his done in 6 months (we're competitive lil' nerds). His recommendation for the W2K3 track was study like a mother for the first one as you are going to be nervous and not know what to expect and then schedule the next exam 4 weeks from the day you passed the previous exam.

    This sounds ambitious and he is one helk of a good Exchange admin and Server Lead with about twice your experience, but you can knock one exam out a month depending on your dedication. He used the MS books and looked for help online (like this site) for the stuff that didn't quite sink in.

    He also recommends starting with 70-290 first.

    I think one a month is reasonable for a cert depending on your work/home/free time.

    Good Luck!
     
    Certifications: MCDST, MCP (210), A+, ITIL Foundations
    WIP: Taking a break then onto MCSE
  3. ptee

    ptee New Member

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    Hi Storm, thanks for the reply. Just found the self study thread and its pretty much made my mind up to go that way. Thanks for tip on starting with the 70-290.
    Not sure I could manage the full lot in 5 months, but stranger things have happened! :biggrin Think I'll set myself a target of end of the year and try beat that.
    I'll no doubt be about the the boards asking for advice etc.

    Time to start planning!
    Cheers

    Pete
     
  4. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    Certifications are a great way to back up your knowledge with some bits of paper. And I wholeheartedly recommend the self-study option. I have a ton of certifications, and every one was achieved through self-study and real-world experience.

    I wouldn't recommend you start with 70-290. Instead, I'd suggest pursuing the 70-270 Windows XP exam or the 70-620 Windows Vista exam first. Both fulfill the client requirement for the MCSA, and both are relatively easier than the 70-290... a great exam to get your feet wet before taking a bigger bite with the 290.

    For Microsoft exams, I'd recommend either MSPress or Sybex. In fact, I'm quite partial to the 70-620 Sybex book... check the authors' names, and you'll probably be able to guess why. ;)

    Welcome to the forums!
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  5. Mr Machfisto

    Mr Machfisto Nibble Poster

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    Sell Sell Sell
     
  6. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    Stay classy, Machfisto.
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  7. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    Welcome to CF Pete 8)

    Pete
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  8. Pheonicks56

    Pheonicks56 Kilobyte Poster

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    Welcome and congrats on finding CF. This is definately the place to be and I recommend self study, especially with your level of experience, you should be able to retain most of the information in the books since you have real-world experience to back up most of the concepts. I think taking your time with cert is the best practice and setting a goal of by the end of the year is a good start. That said I would not leave it to that, time goes by quickly, so I suggest breaking that into smaller goals by saying you want to take XXX exam and pass by a certain date. This will help motivate you and keep the ball rolling. Good luck and ask questions constantly.
     
    Certifications: BSIT, AAIT, A+
    WIP: Network+
  9. Kitkatninja
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Kitkatninja aka me, myself & I Moderator

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    Hi & welcome to CF :)

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

    StormTHX Byte Poster

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    I take it the other author is BosonJosh as well?

    Have you guys written any other books?

    You guys are pretty dedicated to the cert community. We are pleased to have the Boson boys!:beers2
     
    Certifications: MCDST, MCP (210), A+, ITIL Foundations
    WIP: Taking a break then onto MCSE
  11. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    Yep, the one and the same! James and Lisa are listed because we "borrowed" some of their content they wrote for the Windows XP Professional Sybex book.

    We have not yet written any other books. I've had a book idea rolling around my head for a while, but haven't had the time to put pixel to paper. We have been approached to write another book which we are considering, but we'd have to clear it with our current employer first.

    Thank you for your compliment... we are pleased to be of service. Although it would be nice if you guys would buy the stuff we create because you know the people behind it, that's not my purpose. My goal isn't to pimp product; you'll only rarely see me mention our products. My goal is to simply contribute to the certification community - by providing advice on certifications, on building a solid IT career, by leading people away from braindumps, by providing technical advice... and by throwing some humor in every now and then. To be honest, we're no different from any of you guys... we started out in IT just like you guys did. If I can help you guys in some small way... my mission is complete.
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  12. Sco0t

    Sco0t Byte Poster

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    Yeah, think a bit of humour is needed in cert books sometimes to spice it up a bit. Was thinking of getting the sybex CCNA book, heard good things about it.
     
    Certifications: Bsc Net/Sys Support, HND Tech Support
    WIP: Network+
  13. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    Well, we're often told to NOT use humor in products... studies have shown that, while it increases the interest factor, it can sometimes distract a reader from what they're trying to learn. So I get my humor out on the forums. ;)
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  14. ptee

    ptee New Member

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    Thanks for the replies/welcomes. Guess I'll head over to the MS forums with questions etc.
    Glad I found this place, think it will prove very helpful. :beers2

    Pete
     

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