college or new windows server?

pcthuglife

Member
May 3, 2005
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Well I've been working full time in the tech field for almost 3 years. The company I work for uses Windows desktops and Linux servers and I've been responsible for supporting both. My job hasn't given me an opportunity to gain experience with Windows Servers and I think that's very important for someone who works in the tech field.

So my question is, should I start going back to school part time in the fall, or should I invest in a Windows 2003 small business server? Right now I can't afford to do both. I'd eventually like to get some kind of degree but I also think that working hands on with a Windows Server would teach me a lot more than anything I'd learn at a community college. With the server I'd like to work with Active Directory, ASP, MS SQL, and Exchange.

So what do you all think? Start working towards a degree, or get some hands on experience with a Windows Server?
 

giguana

Senior member
Apr 3, 2002
791
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Originally posted by: jumpr
degree

if you can afford to go to school...go...you will learn a lot more from your community college then you can from just playing around on the server...you should be able to take classes that will give you hands on experience with Windows Server 2003
 

pcthuglife

Member
May 3, 2005
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wow a 6 month trial? I 'll have to look into that.
Is this a serious question?
Yeah actually. One of the problems is colleges require you to take a lot of prerequisites before you can even take a useful course. Intro to Databases before a SQL course, Intro to Programming before C or C++, etc, etc.

If I wanted to apply for a job as a network administator there's a 99% chance they'll want someone Windows Server experience. There's a much lower chance they'll actually require an the applicant to have an Associates Degree.

When I was interviewing a new tech guy for the company I work for, I interviewed 3 people with BS degrees, and one person with a lot of hands on experience and no degree. We hired the person with the hands on experience because he had all the right answers and you could tell that he really knew what he was talking about.
 

EyeMWing

Banned
Jun 13, 2003
15,670
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Originally posted by: pcthuglife
wow a 6 month trial? I 'll have to look into that.
Is this a serious question?
Yeah actually. One of the problems is colleges require you to take a lot of prerequisites before you can even take a useful course. Intro to Databases before a SQL course, Intro to Programming before C or C++, etc, etc.

If I wanted to apply for a job as a network administator there's a 99% chance they'll want someone Windows Server experience. There's a much lower chance they'll actually require an the applicant to have an Associates Degree.

When I was interviewing a new tech guy for the company I work for, I interviewed 3 people with BS degrees, and one person with a lot of hands on experience and no degree. We hired the person with the hands on experience because he had all the right answers and you could tell that he really knew what he was talking about.

Actually, it appears that they cancelled the SBS free trial. I have a CD set I could send you if you pay postage, though. Unused, of course.
 

Atheus

Diamond Member
Jun 7, 2005
7,313
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Originally posted by: pcthuglife
working hands on with a Windows Server would teach me a lot more than anything I'd learn at a community college.

This is really not true... if you take a course in windows network admin you will work hands on with servers plus learn a bunch of other stuff plus have the advantage of lots of others around you also learning that same stuff.

Originally posted by: pcthuglife
When I was interviewing a new tech guy for the company I work for, I interviewed 3 people with BS degrees, and one person with a lot of hands on experience and no degree. We hired the person with the hands on experience because he had all the right answers and you could tell that he really knew what he was talking about.

The graduates may not have had experience in your specific environment, but someone with a comp-sci degree can pick up a new OS/programming language/whatever in a few hours or days and then apply his/her general skills to the problems at hand.
 

thomsbrain

Lifer
Dec 4, 2001
18,148
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I took a JC course that taught me to use Win 2K advanced server, and it was hands on. we all got our own hard drives, so it was like our own little machine. the computers were live on the internet (once we knew what we were doing, anyway) and we made websites, proxies, etc. of course i can't remember any of it now, but it was cool. we also got 6-month trial disks along with the texts, which were printed by microsoft and you were only allowed to buy if you could prove you were in the class.
 

helpme

Diamond Member
Feb 6, 2000
3,090
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I have a Windows 2003 Server Eval disk I can send you. 180 Days. My advice, go to school instead of paying.

Back in High school, I obtained win2k desktop and server betas in 1999. Of course this was illegal, but it managed to help me get a summer internship which lead into a regular summer activity for me.

I learned about AD and other server management by illegally obtaining the software. later I bought a 3 pack (server/desktop) NFR copy from microsoft, some kind of MS learning pack.
 

pcthuglife

Member
May 3, 2005
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I saw the 180 trial on microsoft.com so I think I'm just going to download that then register for some classes this Fall. 180 should be more than enough time for me to get comfortable with it. After all , it is windows.
 

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,917
2,157
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OK, ask yourself the question this way: Would I rather tell my boss I have a degree, or tell him that I used Windows Server software in my home for a few months.

Not so tough when you put it that way ;)
 

pcthuglife

Member
May 3, 2005
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OK, ask yourself the question this way: Would I rather tell my boss I have a degree, or tell him that I used Windows Server software in my home for a few months.
There's a flip side to that.
Boss - "So do you have Windows Server administration experience?"
1 - Well I took a class on it.
2- Yes I do.
Which sounds better?
In the work place you either know it or you don't. If I can configure AD, Exchange, DNS, write ASP code, and manage MS SQL databases, then that's what really matters.

I have decided to go back to school this fall but I'm still going to invest in a Windows 2003 server later on down the road to get more hands on experience than I'd get in the classroom.
 

tfinch2

Lifer
Feb 3, 2004
22,114
1
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Originally posted by: pcthuglife
OK, ask yourself the question this way: Would I rather tell my boss I have a degree, or tell him that I used Windows Server software in my home for a few months.
There's a flip side to that.
Boss - "So do you have Windows Server administration experience?"
1 - Well I took a class on it.
2- Yes I do.
Which sounds better?
In the work place you either know it or you don't. If I can configure AD, Exchange, DNS, write ASP code, and manage MS SQL databases, then that's what really matters.

I have decided to go back to school this fall but I'm still going to invest in a Windows 2003 server later on down the road to get more hands on experience than I'd get in the classroom.

Are you going to set up permissions in Active Directory for your cat?
 

tami

Lifer
Nov 14, 2004
11,588
3
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Originally posted by: tfinch2
Is this a serious question?

yeah, wow. i can't believe people are that dumb to think that software that is almost already out of date (read: win2k3 is out) is better than college.

to the OP: i got a job working in a windows server environment with NO EXPERIENCE. on-hands experience is helpful, but so is reading a $30 book. as long as you can win your future employer over through a job interview and are motivated to learn, it doesn't matter if you've taken a class or if you've used the OS.