Career + Cert Advice

[packetcreeper]

i've been reading the tek-tip forums for a while, and if there's one thing i've learned, it's that there are a lot of intelligent and experienced it people here.

so, i'd like your advice.

here's my situation:

i'm 38 years old and my it career only got started a few years ago at a dot com startup.

i've since moved from that job (mainly data entry), into tech support, where i've been working for the last year and 8 months.

I have the comptia network+ cert and i'm taking the comptia security+ cert in 2 weeks.

i'd like to get another cert (i'm thinking about the comptia linux+) before i start looking for an entry level networking position. networking is where i'd like to end up.

does this sound like a good idea? should i dump the linux+ idea and go for something like the ccna?

any and all advice would be highly appreciated, especially from current it professionals that hire/interview people.

thanks.

 

[tfg13]

I already know what most of the answers are going to be that will fly your way, so I thought I would beat glister and schase to those answers.

You have to know which direction YOU want to go. I see you are looking for an entry level networking position, and you are already net + certified. Are networks what you want to work on, or, do you want to work on systems/OS? That is something that YOU have to answer.....

As far as employers, I can't answer that, as I am not an employer, and really don't have interaction with interviewees....

 

[Wishdiak]

packetcreeper,

It sounds like you have a passion for networking, which is a good start.

A few things you might want to think about:

Does your company employ any network staff? What certs would it take for you to move into that position?

What are the ads in your local paper like? If there aren't any networking jobs in the local paper, you could try Monster or CareerBuilder.

See what certs are in demand in your local market, and evaluate the cost vs. benefit of obtaining them.

CCNA and MCSE are both expensive to obtain, and if they're not certs that will open doors in your area, you may be better off with other certs.

Wishdiak
A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA: Security 2003

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[packetcreeper]

i do want to go into networking, and i'm leaning towards security/penetration testing as a possiblity, but i know i need networking experience first and foremost.

if i ended up in networking permanently, that wouldn't be a bad thing at all - i enjoy working with hardware vs. software.

thanks for the advice so far - keep it coming.

 

[schase]

tfg13 beat me too it - and he's right.

Wishdiak has some great ideas to probe areas to get into.

I can really only offer the choice I made and why.

Did the Net+ first mostly because I had obtained a resemblance of training in it and I knew the test would be changed at some point sooner than the A+ - not wanting to loose my study guides I went for that first.

A+ was next, followed by Security+.

With that foundation set I could either go MS or Cisco route. I too enjoy networking and really was leaning towards CCNA. Except at this point I really do not know where I will end up when I move out of this area, be it East Coast or in the Midwest.

Did some research somewhat, and knowing I would have more peers with MCSE's than I would CCNA's - I still chose the MCSE route rather than CCNA due to the better chances for employment with MCSE (wider base) than CCNA. (and a decreased chance for networking to some degree).

If I were to analyze my situation, while Linux+ could not hurt to have. I cannot see a benefit for me at this moment in time. But like Wish indicated - if your in a good area for networking, then research and perhaps the CCNA would be the better route for you. Likewise if your area may indicate an increased employment opportunity with Linux+ - then it would be worthwhile.


"Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?"

Stuart
A+, Net+, Security+

 

[directlyconnected]

Here's a hint---I seem to notice that some manufacturers are trying to emulate Cisco, and Cisco has employed open source protocols in their training (802.1q vlan tagging, ospf, rip, ppp, igrp), but that's not without introducing their own proprietary stuff (rip v2, eigrp, isl vlan tagging, vtp, hdlc encapsulation). What am I saying? Cisco equipment is more expensive, but getting more popular, because it is clearly superior---many companies starting out these days find that anyone using Limewire or Kazaa, or shop on Ebay will not be able to hack into modern Cisco routers, PIX firewalls or switches. Try reading some of the DoS attacks people try on Cisco equipment---IT WON'T WORK! GO FOR THE CCNA!!!

 

[Wishdiak]

directlyconnected makes an excellent point. Most of the casual hackers out there aren't able to penentrate properly configured Cisco firewalls and gateways.

Cisco IOS is all command line. As is Linux (most production servers wouldn't devote resources to running X).

I'd think that for a company looking to protect its network from both internal and external threats, anything that is CLI based would look greek to them. Thus, CCNA and Linux+ give the admin an advantage that no pointy-haired boss would have.

Wishdiak
A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA: Security 2003

http://www.wishdiak.com