Certifications in Demand

[MrTBC]

Hi All,
I've passed my A+ and Network+ certifications and I'm studying for my MCSA at the moment, which I intend to pass by the end of the year.
Can anyone give me some advice of what I should look at taking after that please? My main aim is to make money (not too worried about what I have to do to achieve that!) by trying to look at taking certifications that are particularly 'on the up' and in demand.
BTW I'm based in England.
I get the impression that project management and security certifications could be a good route along with some specialist hardware. That said, SQL Server also seems quite in demand right now. I'm also trying to steer away from an MCSE if possible as it's intensive to maintain.
I'm currently considering:
Security+, Server+, and Project+, which I could bash out in about six months max.

Any ideas/input gratefully received...

Thanks guys.

 

[Wishdiak]

MrTBC,

I'm sure that the job market in England is different from the US, but in either case you need to choose how to market your skills.

Do you want to be a PC tech? A server admin? A project manager? Having multiple certifications is not a bad idea, especially if they relate to your career path, but how you market your skills is key.

Decide what you would enjoy doing and then try to get some experience in the field along with those certifications.

To my way of thinking, certifications are like a written driver's license exam. Just because you know the rules of driving in a classroom doesn't necessarily make you a good driver. Experience on the road without any accidents makes you a good driver.

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

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[SimonDavies]

I am a brit so I think I can offer some advice.

First of all stop taking exams, seriously, as Slawdogg said you now need to get some relevent experience to back up your certifications.

The way the market in the UK is this, people want both experience and certifications, unfortunately the agencies are pushing more on the certification front than the experience front and will simply put you forward for positions, when you come to the interview stage and can only give text book answers is when you will fall over.

Go into something like 1st line telephone support, get some experience dealing with users and their problems, learn how to deal both with them and with their pc's.

One thing you should be aware of now, no company in their right mind will give you full access to their server and network infrastructure as you are, you need to have a good couple of years experience dealing with users and problems and network trouble shooting before anyone will give you that kind of job and role.

Another thing to think about is this, what kind of work do you want to do?? it's no good saying you just want to earn money because quite simply if you wanted to earn money you would be better off as a male escort (again I am serious, you can earn £60-90ph from doing that). You have to do a job and trade that you are interested in, that you find challenging and that you can be good at, not one that you are doing just to make money, because sooner rather than later you will be banging your head against the wall because it's that bad.

I can tell you that based on what I see from the certifications you are doing that you would be lucky to get a position paying much more than 22k and that's pushing it.

One thing you haven't mentioned is your age, the reason I ask is that whilst people shouldn't judge a person on their age it can go against you if you are too young with all the certs or too old with no real world experience. You will have to start off low because if you aim high you won't get any success.. take small steps and that's the way to move upwards.

I have been in IT now for 8 years, I came into it after having been in the armed forces for 10 years. I am at the point where I am earning good money but it was a long hard slog and certainly the certs I hold have helped me, but what's helped me more is the experience. I only recently updated my MCSE to 2003 from NT4, within 2 weeks I was back in work but my employer didn't bother looking at my cv and took me based on previous dealings with me (I had worked for them for 18 months, 13 months previously).

If you're after any more advice then please just ask but please understand that you are going into a market that is full of both IT Certified people and IT Certified people with experience, 9/10 the experienced people will win the job, the other 1 time the job interview will be carried out by HR who won't have a bloody clue.

 

[Skittle]

I think these days its a mix of experience and certifications that is needed in the UK.

I've worked in IT (UK ) for 20 years and only for a couple of companies. I'm now building up certifications because for one reason or another I expect to be on the job market within a year. Certifications were not an issue in the 1980's when I started out so it's only been since 2004 I've been trying to fit them in.

I have lots of experience but most of it is in old technology ( green screen ). I'm hoping that experience plus modern certifications and a little experience in the new stuff over the last couple of years will get me somewhere. If not ( shrugs shoulders ), I'll know I've tried. I don't mind starting low on the pay scale again.
Quite frankly, I could do without the higher end project responsibilities for a bit anyway.

Ermm....male escort work. Suppose I'd need a bit of plastic surgery first. Do you have to do more than hold hands for that kind of pay???!

Dazed and confused
(N+, MCAD)