Up and coming geek :)

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Hey I'm Sam,

17 year-old with a keen interest in anything computers, more specifically Linux related (Arch, Debian). I run gaming servers for a tight-knit group of friends, enjoy it more than actually playing them Currently studying at College and about to complete my second year of a National Diploma (Predicted DDD).

I'm still kind of wondering what path I am going to take, I would love to complete some certifications - namely Cisco (I did 1 of the 4 CCNA modules back in September & thoroughly enjoyed it). Thinking of taking a year off to work part-time, do some certifications, self-study & think about going to Uni.

Hope to soak up some of the smarts & get some help / advice. Take it easy!

 

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Welcome to CF

 

Welcome, you'll fit right in

 

Linux, love it! although i never get to use it in work as we're all windows based (I did sniff out a redhat server a few months back but can't get my hands on it, bastards)

Ahhhh game servers, back in the day when counter strike was the game to play (1999 - 20034 i think i was hooked on that!) i used to do the same! rent a centos box from a company and setup about 4 game servers, always cheaper than renting out 4 individually ;)

Welcome to the forums dude

 

Hello and welcome to CF

 

Slow down, cowboy. The Cisco certifications are designed for people who are starting to work with Cisco gear in a real-world business IT environment... not someone starting out in IT. I would recommend that you get an entry-level IT job (if you haven't already) and work your way through the entry-level IT certifications, such as the A+, Network+, and MCDST (or MCTS on Vista and Win7) while you build up some real-world experience. Considering your love of computers, these certifications shouldn't take you long.

Welcome to the forums!

 

Hey Boson,

Because I was comfortably ahead with my work I was offered the opportunity to take the first module free, I figured that I would see how I like them I should be finished with my work around April at which point I plan on either A. asking to volunteer within the College (someone from last year got the opportunity to complete several certs for free) or B. looking for a part-time or entry level IT job

I was told by my lecturer that I shouldn't go for any of the CompTIA certifications because I wouldn't be of any interest to a company, I had previously enquired about taking them before I enrolled on this course, we are talking about that same lecturer that has been nothing but negative all year though & told me that Cisco certifications never expire (hmm). I have been told that I should be going for my Cisco certifications right away...

Anyway thanks a lot for the reply, clears a few things up for me

 

Is Sauerbraten one of those games you play?

 

It's been minecraft for the last few months, haven't played sauerbraten before it's really nice!

 

You don't need to take courses to be able to take exams... all you need is a good book and, when possible, the software or hardware that the technology covers.

I'd recommend you go with option B. However, volunteering is better than nothing.

It doesn't sound like your lecturer works in the IT field, then. First off, entry-level certifications (such as the A+, Network+, MCDST, and MCTS: Vista/Win7 certs) help you get entry-level jobs... which are jobs in which you ENTER the IT career field. More advanced certifications (such as the MCSA, MCSE, CCNA, and CCNP certs) help you get advanced jobs that generally aren't given to people without experience - regardless of how many certifications they have. Logically, doesn't that make sense?

Second, Cisco certifications absolutely DO expire; they must be renewed every three years. Thus, there are two issues if you were to get your CCNA today... 1) The CCNA doesn't have anything to do with entry-level tech work. So why would an employer with an entry-level job be seeking someone with a relatively advanced Cisco certification? 2) What you don't use, you'll lose. So if you don't start working with Cisco gear within the first three years, you'll just have to end up studying for, paying for, and passing the CCNA all over again in order to renew your certification.

Third... I've been playing Minecraft too... usually while streaming a movie or something.

Hope this helps. Feel free to shout out any questions... I know that it can be confusing and exciting when starting off on a new career path!

 

Everything seems a lot clearer now I guess I just shouldn't listen to my lecturer. (turns me into a total stress head)

I have been stuck on the decision of whether or not to go to University, it just seems like a lot of money and time in education, I suppose I could do some of these entry level certifications and work my way up the ladder, when I finish College I could order in some books and get stuck right in. Do you have any suggestions as to what certification I should do first? I guess Network+ makes the most sense because It's all I've been doing for the last year and a half..

It's probably getting a little annoying now but I really do appreciate this thank you!

 

Certainly get an entry level job now if you can, but don't discount other part time study options like foundation degrees at local universities. If you have a good local college and decent transport it could work out well to do both.

If you're looking to go into work at 17 I'd be looking at a driving license and a car ASAP.

 

I was planning on starting driving lessons this year I noticed alot of the jobs require that I can. I could still go into a Degree this year, I'm just feeling a little tired of full-time education, think I'd benefit more from working / studying in my own time for certifications, no reason I can't go onto University next year if things go tits up - it's a big decision

Cheers

 

I went to college at 15 when i left school to do "PC/Servicing course" - 3 hours out of 18 a week was just that. i had 9 hours of programming, and the other 6 hours was networking, on windows nt machines!

Being that the majority was programming and i hated it, i left after 2 months - and i think that put me off of uni. So i managed to break into IT as a junior technician at a school, on 10k a year ( ooh yeah!! ) stayed there for a year and progressed up from there havn't looked back since.

 

A degree isn't required for most entry-level IT jobs. It'll make you look overqualified to some entry-level employers, but more attractive to others. You can avoid this problem by working in an IT job (full time if you can handle it, part time if you can't) while you're in college, building up the experience that employers desire. What I would warn you against is going to college INSTEAD of working. Someone with four years of real-world IT experience will almost always get a job over someone with a degree and no experience.

If you can't afford it, you don't HAVE to get a degree to succeed in IT. I've known plenty of techs who didn't get a college degree and are doing well. However, a degree will open up higher-level jobs later in your career that would have been otherwise closed to you.

So... I'd recommend getting a degree... just not at the expense of getting real-world experience in a job.

 

Hi Risegeek

If I could go back in time I wouldn't have gone to uni full time. I would have gotten a job from leaving school, got some certs and done a degree part time later on.

I also think your tutor doesn't seem to know what he is on about as sais Cisco certs need to be renewed every three years and no network manager will hire someone with the CCNA and no experience to manage and support their network it just doesn't work like that.

Good luck with whatever you do.