Passed the A+/A+OS; what next? MCP? CCNA?

[AnyMal]

Originally posted by: MichaelD

Originally posted by: AnyMal
Congrats Michael, I am glad that stress (refering to your post from few days ago) didn't kill you, LOL As someone pointed out already, choose the track you're willing to stick with. If you wish to stay with Microsoft but think MCSE takes too long, consider MCSA track. If you take a Net+ test (piece of cake) you'll be able to apply both A+ and Net+ towards one of your electives.

CCNA is nice too, but I would not bet all my money on it. Get as many certs as you can, that will give you an edge over other applicants out there, not to mention it will boost your worth.

A word of caution about TroyTech and other sites that sell "actual" test questions. Couple of years ago MS sued Troytech (citing DMCA) and won. The final judgement dictated TT turn the names of all the customers, all those people's certifications have been anulled and they were forbidden from taking MS tests for life.

Thanks, AndyMal; your words of encouragement the other night helped me out. Iv'e never even heard of Troy Tech, so I guess I'm OK. I don't do anything "under the table" especially when it comes to official documentation. I learn the old fashioned way; thru stress, tearing my hair out and complaining. :wine: Heheh.

I have no idea what track I'm going to follow...probably MS, only b/c they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. I have the luxury of taking these tests as I need or feel I need them...Tuition Assistance is a beautiful thing. I do it b/c I want to, not b/c I have to. I hate being forced to do anything...this is great for me.

I'll probably go for the W2K/W2KS tests next. I do Workgroup Management at my primary job, so I am pretty familiar with AD; MMC/snap-ins/group policies/folder permissions, etc. I'll buy the book, stress for a week and hopefully pass.

Glad I could be of service Now that the test is over and behind, have a :beer: on me. cheers!

 

[Marshallj]

I don't have the A+, but I have had MANY jobs that supposedly "required" it. I have about 7 years experience in the industry, and experience counts more than certs. I've even bumped MCSE's out of a job, which isn't really a big surprise.

I do have the Cisco CCNA, but it was as easy as cake and trust me, it's a worthless cert. I'm not going to even bother getting the A+ or MCSE, since I already have several years in the field that supposedly "require" those certs.

Experience is everything, and paper MCSE's are coming out of crash courses every day.


Oh, PS- if anything, my CCNA only hurt my employment status. I went for an interview for a job last year and they turned me down citing their fear of me quickly leaving the company for a better job...WTF?

 

[busmaster11]

Originally posted by: Marshallj
I don't have the A+, but I have had MANY jobs that supposedly "required" it. I have about 7 years experience in the industry, and experience counts more than certs. I've even bumped MCSE's out of a job, which isn't really a big surprise.

I do have the Cisco CCNA, but it was as easy as cake and trust me, it's a worthless cert. I'm not going to even bother getting the A+ or MCSE, since I already have several years in the field that supposedly "require" those certs.

Experience is everything, and paper MCSE's are coming out of crash courses every day.


Oh, PS- if anything, my CCNA only hurt my employment status. I went for an interview for a job last year and they turned me down citing their fear of me quickly leaving the company for a better job...WTF?

Your arrogance is well noted...

Let me ask you this. What would you suggest for a guy like MichaelD? If you start off at ground zero (who didn't?) and you don't have an inside track (which apparently you did to get the kind of jobs you claim to have gotten) just what kind of avenue would you suggest he take? Who should he expect to hire him and for what?

My whole point is... you gotta start somewhere, and an associate level cert is as good a place as any... That and going for helpdesk positions - which AREN'T very easy to get these days. I've applied for hundreds in the Chicago area and haven't been too successful with close to five years of experience including LAN management and an A+ and an MCP. I even know a lady with a CCNP doing helpdesk.

No one's saying certs are all that counts - I know experience counts more - I've known my share of NT4 MCSEs that couldn't do what I did as an undergrad. But experience can be hard to come by for some, and we don't all have an inside track. Had I stayed in Champaign IL I would have, but I opted to come to Chicago, and here people don't know you, and certs may mean the difference between having your resume looked at (one of thousands) or having it discarded.

 

[Marshallj]

Originally posted by: busmaster11
Let me ask you this. What would you suggest for a guy like MichaelD? If you start off at ground zero (who didn't?) and you don't have an inside track (which apparently you did to get the kind of jobs you claim to have gotten) just what kind of avenue would you suggest he take? Who should he expect to hire him and for what?.

It's a catch-22, I know. You can't get a job without experience and you can't get experience without having a job.

It's difficult to break the ice. I would suggest that he focuses on finding someone who will hook him up with a job.

 

[geckojohn]

I'm a network administrator and telecom engineer for a san jose company. I am planning on getting my A+ in June, just to have it on my resume. But experience counts and what you do for the company is priceless. Letters of recommendation are really important also.

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: geckojohn
I'm a network administrator and telecom engineer for a san jose company. I am planning on getting my A+ in June, just to have it on my resume. But experience counts and what you do for the company is priceless. Letters of recommendation are really important also.

Thanks, geckojohn; your reply is intelligent and honest.

I just happened to have logged in a few moments ago and saw my thread...how convenient!

I'm in a similar, but odd situation.

1. I'm not looking for, nor need, a job. Thankfully! I've been unemployed; I've been there. This time, I'm OK.
2. I have a good bit of experience in a few areas; building and configuring systems, helpdesk (Active Directory/Hyena), troubleshooting, etc, but no official certs (until yesterday)

Like you, I said to myself:

Self, we need to start getting some "official stamps of approval" that show that we know WTH we're doing!!

So, I'm on that road now. [jeffersons]Movin' on up! To the top....[/jeffersons] LOL!

 

[biggiesmallz]

There are two kinds of people. Those who go after the "certification", and those who really don't care about the certifiation and are just after the knowledge.

I'm reading the A+ book and to be honest I'm learning a hell of a lot of thing I didn't know.

But like I said I'm actually reading it. There are some people who just want to get enough knowledge to just pass the test.

My opinion is you should do something to get the knowledge not just to get the "paper certification".

In my opinion if you didn't score 90%+ of the max score. You suck! And you crammed!

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: biggiesmallz
There are two kinds of people. Those who go after the "certification", and those who really don't care about the certifiation and are just after the knowledge.

I'm reading the A+ book and to be honest I'm learning a hell of a lot of thing I didn't know.

But like I said I'm actually reading it. There are some people who just want to get enough knowledge to just pass the test.

My opinion is you should do something to get the knowledge not just to get the "paper certification".

In my opinion if you didn't score 90%+ of the max score. You suck! And you crammed!

Opinions are like @ssholes, everybody has one. I learned a lot from reading the book too. The max score is 1300. I highly doubt you will score 1170 or better. Take the test, then shoot your mouth off.

 

[biggiesmallz]

Originally posted by: MichaelD

Originally posted by: biggiesmallz
There are two kinds of people. Those who go after the "certification", and those who really don't care about the certifiation and are just after the knowledge.

But like I said I'm actually reading it. There are some people who just want to get enough I'm reading the A+ book and to be honest I'm learning a hell of a lot of thing I didn't know.

knowledge to just pass the test.

My opinion is you should do something to get the knowledge not just to get the "paper certification".

In my opinion if you didn't score 90%+ of the max score. You suck! And you crammed!

Opinions are like @ssholes, everybody has one. I learned a lot from reading the book too. The max score is 1300. I highly doubt you will score 1170 or better. Take the test, then shoot your mouth off.

It's a deal!

edit: I wasn't talking about you when I wrote you suck and you crammed. I was just speaking in general due to the fact the material seems not very hard from what I read in my book thus far. I find myself reading the same stuff over and over until I finally 100% get it and I don't understand I ask someone to help me out. You yourself said half the test (hardware) was a joke.
The thing about the test is that I bet 99% ofthe answer on the test were in the material you used to study for the test.
But all in all I'm happy you passed the test though.

 

[Transition]

Congrats MichaelD,

I'm studying for the Network+ test right now.

 

[rh71]

I passed my A+ in '99. I thought they had already revised the test in 2000? They still have questions on 486's ?!

BTW, CONGRATS MichaelD. Like you said, it's just a start. I found that it was a cert to get you up on your feet (if you didn't have a job yet) but it is also a cert that will keep you there (if a company requires it). I also acquired the I-net+ and CIW associate certs because I'm a web guy but they're pretty worthless. What it all boils down to is where you are in the field currently. If you already have a job, you're good to go as long as you keep your skills fresh. If you are looking, then these certs certainly won't hurt. Another guy with similar experience could look inferior to you ON PAPER simply because you have gone through the motions with these exams. You'd get the interview before him/her.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Hi guys,

I just got back from the testing center. I was the only one testing today, so they let me take the two tests back to back. Took all of 30 minutes for both.

I'm happy for the people that are taking the test after June 2003; supposedly they are revising the test to modernize it. That's a damn good thing. The Hardware part of the test is a damn joke. Serial modems? Give me a break. 486DX? Please.

Anyway, I passed both..


What cert should I take next? Is MCP basically Microsoft's version of A+ or something? What about CCNA? Eventually, I'm going for MCSE, but that takes a long time and a lot of $$$.

What to take next that:

1. Won't take long
2. Won't cost an arm and a leg


I have tuition assistance that I'll be using if that matters.

Thanks for the words of encouragement over the past few days; greatly appreciated.

Congrats

I used to teach the A+ class. I had people in my class that never saw the inside of a Computer before and by the end of the class they were able to go and pass the test. I miss those days but they are gone forever.

 

[busmaster11]

Originally posted by: biggiesmallz

In my opinion if you didn't score 90%+ of the max score. You suck! And you crammed!

I scored like a 75... But then I was a sophomore in college and didn't so much as study a lick and just took it on a whim...

guess I was lucky, but hey, I'll take it again a whim, and do much better.

 

[MichaelD]

Hi guys,

We're rockin' and rollin' thru our happy Friday! Woo-hoo...finally got some coffee in me. :Q<---buzzin' much better now.

Net+ is next for me..I figure I might as well stay on the MS track, since A+ and Net+ count as electives towards MCSE. Right now, I'm taking the tests for ME. Keeps my mind off other things and broadens my knowledge and makes me more valuable at the same time. A win-win situation.

 

[Skyclad1uhm1]

Consider getting a RedHat certificate too, or Solaris or something, so you can show you are a versatile person instead of a 17yr old pimpleboy who just took the courses to get a job without actually ever seeing a PC. (Or in your case a 40yr old one? )

 

[busmaster11]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Hi guys,

We're rockin' and rollin' thru our happy Friday! Woo-hoo...finally got some coffee in me. :Q<---buzzin' much better now.

Net+ is next for me..I figure I might as well stay on the MS track, since A+ and Net+ count as electives towards MCSE. Right now, I'm taking the tests for ME. Keeps my mind off other things and broadens my knowledge and makes me more valuable at the same time. A win-win situation.

They count as ONE elective toward an MCS_A_... I don't know about an MCSE though...

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: busmaster11

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Hi guys,

We're rockin' and rollin' thru our happy Friday! Woo-hoo...finally got some coffee in me. :Q<---buzzin' much better now.

Net+ is next for me..I figure I might as well stay on the MS track, since A+ and Net+ count as electives towards MCSE. Right now, I'm taking the tests for ME. Keeps my mind off other things and broadens my knowledge and makes me more valuable at the same time. A win-win situation.

They count as ONE elective toward an MCS_A_... I don't know about an MCSE though...

Just one? Rats! *shrug* Better than not counting at all, I guess. I just got back from lunch; went to Border's and picked up the Exam Cram2 book for Network+. Now to begin studying....next week.