Mcse

[Schecters]

Hey guys,

I am leaning towards wanting a career in network admin. I am currently enrolled in an associates program for computer networking and recently got my a+. The CCNA and MCSE are two certs I'd like to have. Are they worthwhile for this kind of work? (I don't plan on being able to land an admin job right away after I graduate from school, but I want something to shoot towards).


Thoughts/suggestions would be much appreciated! Thank you!

[Mak213]

Hello,

As a Network Admin you really dont need MCSE. Unless you go for MCSE with things like Server related tests and such. Net+ would prove to be of use for Network Admin.

Cheers,
Mak

[Lexluethar]

I agree with mak, go with Network+ first then your CCNA. MCSE will take you a lot longer to complete too, it requires 8 exams (or is it 6?) while the CCNA i bellieve only requires 2. CCNA will also be focused more on networking.

[Schecters]

So after reading what I posted, I guess I meant to say systems admin. my bad

[Mak213]

Schecters,

What type of system admin? Some companies still run Windows 2000 while many others are on XP and some even on Vista. Then you have companies that have Server 2000, Server 20003 and Server 2008 that they run along side of the other machines.

So to go with MCSE you would have to complete all the stuff for Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Server 2003 and Server 2008 which i can say is not going to be a easy task. There is at least 3 or 4 exams alone each. Plus Lex is right. It takes roughly 8 exams to get MCSE. 6 i believe is for MCSA.

Your best thing would be CCNA first. Then start on Windows XP. Take those exams. Jsut completing 1 exam will earn you the title of MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) and that helps. You might even get into a company that will pay for you to get the rest of the exams and get MCSE.

MCSE is tough. In the end it is worth it and makes you value go real high. But you could also eliminate yourself from jobs by being a.) over qualified b) to expensive for what they are looking for.

CCNA should be first. That is the easiest. Then go MCP and then work for MCSA and MCSE if it turns out that you can get the jobs that would pay you for having those certs.

Cheers,
Mak

[Schecters]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Just out of curiousity, do you have an it-related job Mak?

[Mak213]

No. I have been trying but sadly even with the skillz i have and the knowledge i have i am not in IT. I have yet to get many of my certs as well. I only have A+, Net+. I am working for MCP right now.

[mikesgroovin]

Obviously school is what it is.

Some people are able to find free time and don't need money.
Others perhaps can't find any free time and need money badly (your typical student)

Or you might find a mix. But, if you do have a solid job right now and a day or two of free time, you might want to try and find something on campus or at a church/library/private school system to help out with as an intern. Basically, try and find some entity that accepts volunteer college student for the "Grunt" level IT work. Most companies take reliability and accountability extremely seriously and frown at this... but you never know, you may stumble upon something that will benefit both parties (Knowledge and Experience for you and a self-sufficient volunteer for them without having to worry about benefits, et cetera. Might be worth an 10 hours a week to volunteer somewhere...

As for the certification question, the answer is pretty clear. You can definitely benefit from MCSE in the network administration world. I don't know too many people that just understand 1/2 of the OSI model and choose to ignore the OS portions ya know? In asying that, CCNA would be key but just remember that in Network Administration, there are "monkeys" that go from job to job crimping cables and help program routers... certainly. Then there are others out there that realize this is only about 20% of the potential of the network. Sure, there is a TON of things you can do with a 1700 series cisco router or a 4xx PIX but the eal deal is being able to tie that in with AD\Novell\a VoIP PBX system\et cetera... Cisco is just a layer of the onion.

I've had one solid truth that never really went away from my mind as I went from certification to certification ... be truth and be versatile, don't guess at stuff you don't know and NEVER be afraid to say "I'm not sure", but be sure where to get the answer

[prodigy]

Get your Network+ to get a rudimentary understanding of Networks. You will not want to go for CCNA or MCSE until you get some work experience first. If you get all these certs (assuming you pass) and have no experience, employers will shy away from you because they will assume you are a paper MCSE and the product of a diploma mill. If I'm not mistaken; CCNA is supposed to reflect and validate 2-3 years of experience and 3-5 for MCSE.....roughly. You will, most likely, have to start off at a Help Desk and then eventually move your way up while obtaining your MCSE, CCNA, or both. The company will probably end up paying for them as well. You may also get lucky and be able to be something like an assistant system admin where you would be mentored by a senior admin.

[bla!!]

I work for a computer training company, and here's my two cents on certs.

They are great for getting past the HR person's desk and into an interview. From there you need to be able to show and demonstrate that you know what you're doing and know how it applies to business in general. Certifications have been known not to directly correlate with know-how or hands on application.

If you're just starting out, I would go for the A+ and Net+ as other's have recommended and then go for an entry level job (helpdesk with some AD support) and then work your way up the IT organization to get experience. As you go companies may pay for you to get your Certifications, if not then you will have some money at least to pursue them as you progress on your career path.