comptia testing bs degee?

[osho741]

im not sure what forum to post this in, but ill just give it a shot here. i am currently a special education teacher but looking to move into the it field. i am reading up on the certs and it seems the certs alone dont mean as much as experiance and a degree. will having an college degree, the b.s that i hold, help me with finding good paying work once i get msca/msce certified or wont my degree count for much? also, since im currently working what is the best way to enter this field part time until i get my certs?

 

[CiscoGuy33]

osho741,

Since you already have a BS degree, your best bet would be to go to a community college and pick up some classes in the area of IT that you want to go into.

If you want to be a network admin or a system admin one day then Cisco or Microsoft classes would not hurt as would LINUX classes also.

To do well in IT - Cert Magazine had a good article several years ago about needing a good balance of education, experience and certification.......

You did not say much about yourself other than that you have a BS and are a special education teacher - what area is your BS in? How old are you? Are you working in the field of your BS? If not why not? What is your background in computers ?

Right now the econonmy is not the best place to be out looking for a new job, if you have one, go to school at night or "online" to build "IT" experience, education and certs!!! Once in class start networking with the instructor and fellow students as to what is out there as far as jobs in your area, community colleges can be great places to get a part-time job in IT!

I would highly suggest looking for a college that teaches the Cisco Network Academy program - lots of hands on training, can lead to several certs such as CCENT, CCNA and CompTIA Net + and college level courses in Cisco networking would not look bad on a resume for an entry level computer or networking job!

Hope this helps and good luck!!

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

 

[osho741]

Well yes I have a job as a teacher. My b.s is in vocational training and special education. I've given this a lot of thought. MSOE. Milwaukee school of engineering has a program of classes to help people get certified. MSOE is a very highly respected private university here in milwaukee. My thoughts were to study on my own for the a+ cert because it seems pretty basic and the classes at msoe are rather expensive. I figure I will offer help for free at a pc tech shop to get more hands on experiance to start and then go to msoe to help me get the certs that are more challangeing and do basic pc tech stuff on the weekends. From there who knows lol! I have only very limmited experiance with pcs that are largely a result of it being a hobby than anything else. Just installing cards, ram. Basic troubleshooting when my pc didn't work.

 

[CiscoGuy33]

osho741,

Being in a large city like Milwaukee, CHECK OUT YOUR OPTIONS, you already have your BS - no one will care where you get your certs!!!

Most community colleges hire experts from the different fields to teach the classes at night - in other words the instructors are doing what you want to do by day and teaching at night!!!! I am not taking anything away from the high priced school - just check your different options!!!

I have had many students come to the community college I work with $30,000 in bills from private schools and when they find out they could have earned the same certs for $3,000...... but it is YOUR money - just remember - no one will ask where you learned to pass your cert - they just want to see the certs you have and that you can do what the cert says you can do!!!

Good luck and have fun!!

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

 

[CiscoGuy33]

osho741,

And as far as doing A+ by yourself - that is fine, I like the Mike Myers book and the CBT Nuggets are great.

I had a friend who unplugged his TV, bought 5-6 older computers and setup a lab in his spare bedroom and spent the next 8 months getting his A+, Net +, Security +, CCNA and his MCSE. He did it by using several books for each, CBT Nuggets (video lectures) and lots of hands on labs. Not only did he pass the 10 different exams, but he knew the stuff like the back of his hand!!

So you can do either way!!!

Hope this helps!

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

 

[osho741]

Yeah I'm using the mike meyers book as I saw it as highly recomened here and other sites. Ill look at my other options for the certs. Haven't looked at university of milwaukee yet. Not sure how good the tech school programs are either. Yes you recomendations are helpful and ill look into things more. Thank you!

 

[DonMc67]

I second the Community College option, they can be really inexpensive when you think about the cost of lab equipment and the real world experience that gets tossed around by students and instructors is a great bonus

 

[CiscoGuy33]

osho741,

I am glad you are looking at your options - especially since you ALREADY have your BS ...... in 12+ years of doing this I have never seen an interview where they asked WHERE you took classes for your certs

Of course you don't want an idiot teaching the class, I have seen my share of idiots at all 3 levels, high paid private classes, community college and top level university classes...... so you can find both GOOD and bad at any level of education.

One of the WORST profs I had was at a 4 year college in a Networking for Technical Managers class - it was to teach "Business" people what they needed to know so they could understand the networking that would be needed in a business. He had us trying to figure how many bits were in a mile of cable !!!!

Good luck and do yourself a favor and check out your Jr College or Community College, you have the BS - now all you need is the education/knowledge to understand and pass the cert exam ........

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