Which exam should I take next to be more marketable? 1

[Newb2IT]

Hi guys it seems like all the IT Professionals on this site are willing to help so here I am asking asking fr your professional opinion

I have passed 4 Microsoft certifications:

284 Implementing and Managing Microsoft Exchange Server 2003
218 Managing a Windows 2000 Network Environment
215 Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Server.
210 Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Professional.

Those made me an MCSA, I also have the A+ certification from Comptia and the CNA certification from Novell.

I know its not may but I would like to be more marketable and I am not sure what exam(s) I should take next.

What exam would you recommend I take next? I have access the entire suite of TestOut's cerification prep courses (Cisco, Comptia, Microsoft, Novell, etc) so I can prepare for any exam I want. I have been in the IT field for 10 years so I do have experience and access to lab. Your help will be greatly appreciated

 

[kmcferrin]

What do you want to do? Being marketable is good, but being happy with your job is even better.

I tend to believe that work experience is what makes people marketable. Certs are nice for distinguishing yourself from the crowd of similar resumes.

If I had to just throw something out there, I'd say upgrade your Windows 2000 MCSA cert to Windows 2003. I'm pretty sure that you missed the window for taking an upgrade exam, so you'd be starting somewhat from scratch.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Hyper-V
MCTS:System Center Virtual Machine Manager
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator

 

[Newb2IT]

I will eventually upgrade to 2003 but for now I am able to take 1 Comptia exam for free...which looks better? security+ or network+?

 

[kmcferrin]

Security+ for sure.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Hyper-V
MCTS:System Center Virtual Machine Manager
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator

 

[Newb2IT]

Great! That's what I will go for...may I ask why you selected that one over Network+?

 

[kmcferrin]

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/10things/?p=464

And numerous other "top 10 lists".

Security is big, and it's only going to get bigger in the future. CompTIA's Security+ certification is actually one of the more highly respected CompTIA certs, and of the 4 that I have it's the only one that didn't feel like a waste of time when I was learning the material and preparing for the exam.

Let's face it, A+, Network+, and Server+ are all just fundamental skill sets that most everyone should have who is working in IT. They also tend to be outdated fairly quickly (i.e., there are questions on the exams about technology that hasn't been used in mainstream IT shops in 10-15 years). And while Security+ might also have that same potential, it does a good job of laying a foundational understanding for future changes to the market.

For example, in this day and age there's no need for 99.99% of IT professionals to understand how to deal with ISA slots, manage IRQ and DMA channels, or know how token ring networks function. But understanding how public key encryption and x.509 certificates work is important (or should be) in most positions. Even if encryption and hashing algorithms change every 6 months, the concepts that you learn with Security+ stay fundamentally relevant and sound for a long, long time.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Hyper-V
MCTS:System Center Virtual Machine Manager
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator

 

[Newb2IT]

Thanks so much, now I know exactly what do to, I will get my security+ and then upgrade my mcsa 2000 to 2003. Hopefully the security+ wont be too hard, I do have study material (TestOut)