The Guide to Self-Study

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I know what you mean mate.

I'm at postgrad level and I'm 24 years old, but I'm still nervous about self-study. Certificates aren't everything...experience is almost everything. I got two degree in biochemistry and I'm on minimum wage.

I think a training provider is not just selling you the books and the exams...but also their contacts and advice to get you into the job market. The job market is another world to me right now...so I might need his guidance.

 

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Considering many training providers advise that you get as many certifications as possible (despite not having enough experience), you're usually much better off getting that advice elsewhere.

You want career advice? Use a forum made up of IT professionals, like this forum. You want contacts? Build relationships with the people on this forum and with people in IT professional organizations. You want guidance on something you don't understand in the books? Ask the people in this forum, several of whom are themselves IT trainers and published authors.

Hey, if you don't mind spending the money, by all means, use a TP. I simply state that there are other options available which are usually better and always less expensive.

That'll be $1.

 

wow, u r indeed a God send. i am out of work and i am tired of doing odd jobs and i have been thinking on how to get into the IT industry. this info is just ideal for me. thanks alot. and gud luck in ur future career.

 

Thanks so much for all that info, I am like all the other keen IT wannabes, I got me money and want to take me chances but I am going to do it your way and save myself a good few pounds in the process. thanks simon

 

Glad I found this before booking a place with a training provider!
Time to go book shopping!

Will keep reading on this forum! so far it has been a massive help!

Merv

 

Hi Zimbo,
Really inspired reading your post, the only thing is that i'm looking to do a Master CIW designer course which costs anything from £3500 to £5000 which i've been quoted, now i know you studied MCSE but maybe you might be able to point me in the right direction to do the above course in the same way u did yours...

 

great write up Zimbo... i'm a believer in self study.. when i wanted to do my ITIL V3 foundation this year. i swas quote £700+ by a provider .. bought a study handbook on amazon for £7.40 found a site for free practice questions and paid £100 exam fee. total cost to me £107.40 saving over £600!!!

 

Great post thanks! I just wanted to add that if you can make your studying fun, you're well on the way to success. Obviously if something is fun you're going to want to do it more (I won't give any other examples ). Anyway I found this site which makes games out of revision: braineos. Added bonus: if you have a Google Adsense id you can actually make money from it!

 

Brilliant post, thank you very much, mate I was in despair as to what books to get and where, and whether to try self studying at all ) Helped a lot

 

Thanks a lot! great help

 

I have just purchased CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition (Exams 220-701 & 220-702). I am using this with other material to self-study, i would rather save my money than use training providers, and I know some offer jobs at the end, but do you think this is really going to happen, maybe they will provide you with interviews for these jobs.

 

thank you for taking the time to post this information its a great starting point for people like me not long out of University and struggling to know where to go with my IT career!

 

Yeah! Self Study Rocks.

 

Hey there, Just wanted to add my thanks to the huge pile you already seem to have accumulated. Can I just check that the books listed for the MCSE course you listed are still valid (since we've had what, 2 major windows updates since 2003)? I'm looking to pick up some certificates and it looks like the most logical place to start for me


Thanks

 

hi guys,
congrats on the great post just a couple of things to mention thou, i have been working in IT and in electronics for the past 10 years and you have hit the nail on the head on youre post but just to add a few things to this.

if you are just starting out and are looking to get into a carrer or a hobbie of IT then the best way to start is to buy an A+ plus book this is a great place to start it lets you know and understand the ins and outs of computers and how they work i used A+ fast pass but then i was needing only a refresher course to remind me of the small issues i could look over when trouble shooting. another thing is testing youre self alot this helps alot of the time even if you dont wish to work at a fast pace test youre self either weekly or monthly (remember the test can be made up of over a thousand random questions) once you think you have done the A+ and see this as an interesting carrer to get into then all are welcome as kids nowadays are getting smarter and more computer literate than adults. so guy my sugestion to this is start at the bottom A+ try it have a read before you go spending loads on any other training courses. as the A+ certification lets an employer know that you can work with computers and that you understand the functions of a computer and that you can repair a computer. (you have atleast two years of experiance with computers and you can prove it with the A+ cert)

 

I aspire to run a network somewhere: I have passed my CompTIA A+ and I am about to take and pass (hopefully) the N+. Not sure where to go from here?

I have found 'The Guide to Self Study' helpful and it seems to suggest that MCDST as the next port of call.

http://www.certforums.co.uk/forums/thread11894.html

However this is a 2006 posting and I believe that this exam is retiring in June 2011 and it also based on the XP OS which appears to be about to be overtaken by W7 in popularity:

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp

My questions are then:

1. What is the more modern equivalent of the MCDST (say based on W7)
2. And is this a wise ‘next course’ for me?

 

Truth is, most businesses still predominantly use XP. You'll find that businesses tend to migrate much slower than home users, so the business adoption rate is, in my opinion, quite a bit lower. Even when W7 does finally overtake XP, there will still be XP boxes to administer. Believe it or not, there are even a few Windows 2000 boxes that are still standing! So companies will continue to need techs who are can administer these technologies, and they will seek out techs who hold those certifications.

Another thing to consider is this: once the MCDST is gone, it's gone for good. By contrast, the corresponding Vista and W7 certifications will be around for quite a while. Wouldn't you rather have the older AND newer certifications instead of just the newer ones? As an employer, who would you rather hire, someone with just the W7 cert, or someone who has the XP *and* W7 certs (and, for those companies who have Vista boxes - yes, they exist - those who have the Vista cert as well)?

There are MCTS and MCITP certifications for Vista and Windows 7.

In my opinion, the wise "next course" for you would be to grab the MCDST. But even more importantly, you should start looking for an IT job, if you don't already have one. You've already got the certifications you need to start building the experience that employers desire.

 

Thanks the reply BM. Lots of stuff for me to consider there. I like your reasoning on the XP OS but I presume 'the exam retires in June 2011' means that I would have to pass the exam before July and I might find that a bit of a tight squeeze.

 

I did the two exams needed for the MCDST in two months. If you get cracking you should be able to do it.

 

Hi Premier Martin

I am a 'newbie' to the whole IT career path and am planning on following the self-study advice to train myself up. Your post about starting out on A+ has helped me decide that, that is definitely where I will begin. However, when it comes to doing the exam/certification process, where can I go for information on the topic? Or is this something that I need not worry about just yet?

This is open to anyones input =] Thanks in advance