After A+?

[Wayward21]

A few weeks ago I really decided to start pushing myself to move into the IT sector. I've always enjoyed IT as a hobby, and I wanted to take it further. I'm currently in a reasonably average job as office administration which I've been doing for a few years, so I have no relevant IT experience at all.

I've checked the local job sites and theres quite a bit of work for helpdesk people, but I've not got a lot of chance being shortlisted with no experience and no qualifications; a few offer training but not many.

A+ seems a common entry level qoutation, so I grabbed a book a few weeks back and I don't think I'm far off being confident enough to pass the test, which I'll be booking soon. After that, what is my best bet? Should I take another CompTIA course, or a different course, or just start applying for jobs? I've read a lot here about people who are spending too much time doing certs who have no experience at all, and I want to get a new job as soon as possible!

Thing is i'd rather do my certification before I get a helpdesk job as I'm earning more money right now than I'll get at an entry level helpdesk position, and I don't want to start applying for loads of jobs with just an A+ if there are other qualifications I could learn relatively quickly that would really look good on my CV.

 

[porkchopexpress]

I'd consider the Windows XP exams

70-270

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-270.mspx

or the MCDST on XP exams i took them a few months ago and they were pretty straight forward.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcdst/default.mspx

I picked up the exam cram books and worked through them for a few weeks then booked tha exam.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss...url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=exam+cram

 

[CiscoGuy33]

Wayward21,

Nothing says networking like Cisco does - try the CCNA - not easy but if you learn it well - it can be a nice add to your resume

Hope this helps!


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[porkchopexpress]

Would you not think a CCNA is a bit advanced for your first cert if you was looking for an entry level position? I haven't taken it yet so i don't know.

 

[CiscoGuy33]

porkchopexpress,

No - not really in fact I was at a Cisco Networkers convention 2 years ago and Cisco felt that with ALL the down sizing in IT that entry positions now would be a combo of A+ (PC tech) and CCNA (network tech).

Most companies are not hiring PC techs - they are having the network guys (CCNAs) do what the PC techs were doing in the past.

Just what Cisco told us and they DO A LOT of talking to people in the IT world to make sure that the Cisco Academies are meeting the needs of the communities!

Hope this helps!


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[porkchopexpress]

Ok food for thought there, i'll find out soon myself if work agree to pay for it

 

[Aplusgrad]

Good luck with A+ I earned it last year. I bought a bunch of study guides to help me but kept failing the test then a friend told me about certkiller.com it gives you the type of questions you will see on the exam,It gets you thinking in terms of the exam.

another road to go down is go to an IT bootcamp. I had a good friend that did that. he went to ced solutions and after three weeks earned A+,Net+,Security+. now it is hard work. now it is hard work you get up in the morning have breakfast provided have lectures for four hours eat lunch the have lectures for four hours, go to your hotel and study for six hours at night.

hey just keep going push yourself to get A+ make it a goal to pass the os exam by christmas. any questions about the exams let me know.

 

[kmcferrin]

I disagree with the CCNA option. In ten years I've never once seen a network engineer doing PC tech work. In most organizations they IT area is silo'd into Helpdesk/PC Tech, Servers/Storage, and Network. Of course Cisco would push CCNA as an entry level option because that means there are more people familiar with their product. Microsoft, RedHat, and even Novell (if they were still heavily pushing Netware) would be doing the same thing.

Get your A+ and get an entry level position as a helpdesk tech/PC tech. The A+ should be enough to get you in the door.

As you're gaining experience I would recommend the Server+. A lot of the Server+ material seems to be a rehash of A+ PC Technician, but with more info about server basics thrown in. Once you have your A+ it should be a little easier to get the Server+. Having Server+ isn't going to get you a better job, but it will help build your knowledge and your resume.

After that I would recommend getting your Network+ certification. This will probably be harder than either the A+ or Server+, but you'll get a good understanding of the way that networks operate. Also, a lot of the Network+ material is covered on the CCNA INTRO exam (to get a CCNA you need to pass the INTRO and ICND exams), so if you want to go that route it will make studying a little easier.

By this point you should have a good fundamental understanding of three of the major areas in IT (client systems, server systems, and the networks that connect them). You'll be in a good place to decide which area interests you most if you decide to advance your IT career, and the knowledge that you get from those three certs will still be helpful whichever path you choose.

 

[CiscoGuy33]

kmcferrin,

You said - "I disagree with the CCNA option. In ten years I've never once seen a network engineer doing PC tech work I myself would not call a CCNA a network engineer - CCNP or CCIE YES but not a CCNA, we as CCNAs know more then the average guy about networking but network engineer ??

What do you think Burt ?

As I said this is what Cisco told many of us at the different Networkers conventions that I have attended.

Cisco is very good about getting with the IT world and finding out what they expect - that is why they have changed the CCNA several times in the past 4 years and they just changed the CCNP.

Cisco was discussing the MANY cutbacks in the IT world and was making the point that MOST companies can not afford to do like they did in the past - they need entry level people to do double duty - but if your experience is different - then that is GREAT maybe we are getting back to the days like it was in 96-99 when anyone who could spell computer was making 6 figures $$$$$

I have worked and taught at a community college for 11 years and all I can report is what the hundreds of tech students I come in contact with report to me as they try to find entry level jobs with A+, Net +, Security +, MCP, MCSA, MCSE and CCNA.

What I have found is the more education, certifications and experience that you have - the more likly that you will get the interview - then it all comes down to HOW GOOD YOU REALLY ARE !!!!

Just some thoughts!


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[porkchopexpress]

Having a partner that works in HR i can tell you that having the correct certifications for a job can unfortunately be a necessity, HR will want to use that as a filter especially if they receive allot of applications but of course this is usually only an issue for large co's.

However i would have to say that Cisco are always going to say things would be better for everyone if they had paid to go on their courses it depends on where you are based. There is still a skills shortage in certain areas of the U.K and you could get a basic support job with an MCP I’ve never seen a Cisco certification as a requirement for jobs in that area / salary bracket. I’d imaging the situation is very different in Calif.

 

[kmcferrin]

Oh, I'm not saying that a CCNA is a bad option, I'm just saying that I wouldn't go from A+ to CCNA unless I was pretty sure that I wanted to go the path of network engineering. Get the fundamentals down (A+, Net+, Server+) and then decide where it is that you want to go.

And no, I wouldn't necessarily call a CCNA a network engineer, but IT job titles vary so widely from company to company that it's hard to tell who should be called what. But what I can say is that in my experience 9 times out of 10 someone who is working the Cisco cert track ends up in the networking group rather than the server/desktop/application groups. Whether they call them Network Engineer, Network Technician, or Network Analyst doesn't matter.

Regarding the shrinking job market, I really haven't seen any of that in the Midwest. I've been in consulting for most of the last 10 years, though I did take a stint as an employee with a small hospital (approximately 400 staff). What I can say is that in most of the medium-sized and larger businesses those silos that I mentioned earlier exist, meaning that the support and server guys won't be doing network duties, and vice versa.

At much smaller companies it's common for there to be one or maybe two "jack of all trades" positions where they're responsible for all three areas, but in those positions they're usually looking for someone who is primarily a desktop/server administrator type who can support networking equipment as a secondary function. This is mainly because the network configurations at small companies are largely static, whereas the server and client devices are constantly being modified. In that case an A+ and a CCNA probably isn't likely to get you the job.

I do agree with porkchopexpress about the HR issue. The main reason that I'm pursuing certifications now is because I'm dealing with larger companies that have "vendor managers" who fill consulting positions, though the same thing happens with HR departments. The hiring manager doesn't have time to screen 1000 resumes, so the HR department says "this position is for a Windows Server Admin so they need an A+, Server+, and MCSA or else we won't even consider them." Then they throw out everyone who has an MCSE but doesn't list an MCSA separately on their resume.

On the one hand it makes sense they have to have some sort of criteria to filter candidates, but on the other hand the filter criteria is fairly arbitrary and is usually implemented by someone who knows nothing about what the certs mean. So the moral of the story is, even though it seems silly to list Server+ and MCSE on your resume, do it anyway.

And please disregard my previous comments about the CCNA INTRO and ICND tests. Apparently they've just changed the CCNA again.