Starting at the bottom but love what I'm doing!!

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Hi all, finally landed the starting path to what I really want to do and that's IT, im currently a ''Apprentice IT Technician''.

Now I have IT knowledge as follows:

- Take apart and desktop, Laptop fix issues, know all the connections, how to upgrade, however this is merely from family repairs and I found that there isn't a niche in the market to do this for myself due to the floods in the newspapers offering family repairs.

What I want to do is eventually run a a companies IT department however I'm keen to increase my knowledge as i really really want to succeed and can't wait.

I'm looking into: 70-686 Windows 7 - Enterprise Desktop Administrator.

I'm joining this site to learn and help me achieve my goals, hopefully one day I'll be on here offering advice.

What I want to know is this: Should I be taking other maybe more basic exams to taste IT and will look great on my CV for the future.

Thank You!

 

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Really the basic saying goes that you should certify in what you work with. However there are certs for people starting out in IT and certs for people who already work in IT.

Basic IT certs for new to IT and people wanting to get in IT are:compTIA A+, compTIA Network+ and Microsofts MCDST then you can do the upgrades for the MCDST which inlvolve windows Vista and Windows 7 to get you MCTS/MCITP

 

Isn't the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST)

which you suggested out-dated?

 

I will answer your question with a question: do companies still use XP (which is covered on the MCDST)? The answer to that question will let you know whether the MCDST is worth having.

Welcome to the forums!

 

XP will still be a majority OS for years to come even after MS stop supporting it so having techs that know how to administer it is and will be very important. Not many companies can afford to adopt a new operating system just because Microsoft release a new one.

XP is popular amongst home users and companies for many reasons but the main one in my opinion is because its trustworthy and it does what you need it to do. Where as if you look at how vista went, it had many issues such as driver problems and not working with bespoke apps that some companies use.

Windows 7 has addressed these issues in the main but some companies still wont upgrade to it for many years if at all.

 

RE: compTIA A+, compTIA Network+ and Microsofts MCDST

These exams, can anyone recommended from past experience, as I'm going to self-study what preperation materials, sites are good to use in preparing for these exams.

Don't think I was being rude, just have a strong eagerness to learn.

 

For the A+ I'd recommend getting the CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition book, and the Street Smarts book as well. If you have a spare PC on which to dismantle/rebuild etc, then that would be good too.

The professor messer videos are also a recommended (free) study aid for the A+.

HTH

NB

 

The same applies to certifications, if you have the experience the use a certification to back it up as there is a danger of over certifying without the experience to justify it. Start at the bottom (this will increase your knowledge as your experience grows) by studying A+ / N+ and depending on your particular role you can begin to specialise on the technologies within your company.

Ideally you should certify in something that will not only accentuate your experience but be of great benefit to the company you work for. In the current job market you need to make yourself and your position indispensable.

It's refreshing to read you love doing what you're doing, passion is a powerful driving force.

Phil.

 

No, no and NO again. Agreed with what greenbrucelee and BosonMichael already said ^^

Long live Windows XP

Welcome to CF!

 

This very site is an excellent resource, what with all the senior-level techs, instructors, and authors here. You can get awesome advice from the members of this forum.

For the A+ and Network+, I'd recommend the All-in-One books by Mike Meyers. Make sure you get the latest editions. For the MCDST, I'd recommend Microsoft Press and/or Sybex.

Practice exams can be helpful in determining whether you're ready to try the real thing. But beware - there are braindumps out there, which are illegal collections of questions stolen from the live exam. If you're discovered using them, you can be decertified and banned from getting any further certifications for life. Not worth it. Stick with the well-known, legit practice exam providers, such as Transcender/Self Test, Measure Up, PrepLogic, or Boson (disclaimer: I write practice exam content for Boson). I would recommend downloading demos from each and seeing which one best prepares you for the exam. Don't just get the cheapest... get the one that is going to help you understand the concepts and help you be a better tech in the long run.