Unemployed and scheduled CCENT exam for July 9? What's next?

[Udgnim]

Unless I'm blind sided by material I haven't found online or read from book, I'm pretty confident I will pass the CCENT exam.

So what should be next for me in terms of becoming more attractive to a prospective employer?

Some background info on me: I have no prior IT work experience. I have a BA in Economics which I regret choosing. I have A+ & Network+ certifications and I expect to soon have a CCENT cert. I've been applying to Help Desk positions but I haven't had much luck probably due to lack of real world experience.

Should I aim lower? Apply to Geek Squad or find a Computer Technician (repair) job?

Should I find a non-IT related job and leave it when I manage to find an IT-related job? I'd hate leaving and abusing people's trust but at least I'd be bringing in some income. I'm not under any great financial distress yet though.

I'm planning on signing up with various temp agencies. Can they help find an IT related job for someone with no prior IT work experience? I'm looking for ways to increase my attractiveness/visibility so I'm hoping temp agencies are a viable source.

In terms of additional certifications, I'm thinking of acquiring the MCSA. Since it is based on Windows Server 2003, is it worth it? I see the MCSA occasionally being name dropped in various Help Desk listings, so my assumption is yes.

In my current position (no prior IT work experience), I don't see the point in immediately studying towards the CCNA. It's something I definitely would like to do since the CCENT base will be fresh in my mind, but whenever I do land an IT-related job, it's going to be low entry-level and I seriously doubt having CCNA knowledge will become valuable for that particular position. Acquiring the CCNA is something I'd like to do once I feel somewhat rooted within the IT industry though.

If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading. Hope the wall of text wasn't too bad and thank you for any input/help.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

The bottom line in IT is that you need experience. Without experience, certs will make you more attractive but experience will always trump them. Apply for every help desk/desktop support position you see and if necessary, even take a Geek Squad job to get some tech experience.

A temp agency isn't a bad idea either. You'll probably be put on short duration assignments, such as PC rollouts, but that helps build a solid portfolio of experience.

 

[Lash444]

Having done the CCNA exam myself, I can tell you that for any entry level IT job, the CCNA materials can be invaluable from numerous standpoints.

#1, the CCNA focuses mostly on practical real life networking knowledge. It touches on Cisco's proprietary technologies a tiny bit, but for the most part it is pretty broad ranging.

You will learn how, where, and why packets traverse the network. You will learn about Vlans, trunking, subnets, and etc. There are just a ton of things that the CCNA will cover that you WILL use frequently as you progress in IT.

#2, it is a buzz word that will at least mean your resume won't be immediately thrown into the waste bin. CCNA/CCNP are two heavily searched for words by a lot of headhunters/employers.

If you can get it done, I can't imagine why you shouldn't.

 

[Lash444]

That said, yes, you need to get experience. No reason you can't study while you are doing that though!

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Also, if you have the hardware at home, don't be afraid to load up VMWare and build a home lab to test and learn with. That will come in very handy.

 

[alkemyst]

I am a CCNA...I am studying for my CCNP and have passed SWITCH already. I get six months to do it in (two months for each test) and due to workload and travel may not get ROUTE done in time 🙁....I have until the 14th, but won't be home until the 3rd late. Then I have two long days already scheduled next week.

I don't think many are looking for CCENT. It's really not a standalone deal so much as making the CCNA cert more digestible. CCENT would be good for an admin of a small network though for best practices.

The main thing is knowing your stuff. I don't know how many interviews I have heard about know that a CCNA knew nothing about how Spanning Tree worked. This is a key element to eventually troubleshooting issues. In the end it's very easy to 'build' a network...the hard part is figuring it out when things don't work.

My brother is a dual CCIE, has all the EMC certs, most of VMware's lineup done. He is looking for talent in the Atlanta area, our company has grown from 300 million or so last year to almost 1.5 billion today.

Personally get your CCNA at least. It's two books now that really could be just one. Do 100 pages a day, everyday or at least come close. Check out Wendell Odom's blog and pass CCENT and CCNA in what should be 3 months to six months tops. Move on to CCNP and then get the lab manuals and start building things.

Dynamips is a great tool...as a partner I have access to other tools. With todays PC power you can build simulations easy.

Switching is the only thing that is lagging due to it being ASIC based. You can buy some cheaper switches though and then do the routers in software.

Before anyone chimes in on Cisco's policy of using IOS on non-cisco devices, I will say this: I have worked very closely to Cisco for a while now. If you are a partner/student using it to better sell Cisco products you will have absolutely no problems. If you are some asshat buying a cheap PC and then throwing it up as a WAN router in a production environment then you are a problem.

I won't say I love to work ever, but I do love my job.

I just started with the company in March. I am currently enjoying 'lovely' Monroe Michigan doing a major refresh of a global company. I get to see some cool stuff. Like molten steel becoming all sorts of things. It's not really a lazy man's job if you want to grow. If you are happy with $50-60k...70k a year and nothing more then that's just low-hanging fruit.

Get your CCIE and six figures and zero unemployment is pretty much a guarantee.

PM me if you have any questions.

 

[wraith3k]

The MCSA is still worth it even if it's based on 2003. Once you do there is an upgrade test you can take to get certified with 2008.

 

[nublikescake]

The bottom line in IT is that you need experience. Without experience, certs will make you more attractive but experience will always trump them. Apply for every help desk/desktop support position you see and if necessary, even take a Geek Squad job to get some tech experience.

A temp agency isn't a bad idea either. You'll probably be put on short duration assignments, such as PC rollouts, but that helps build a solid portfolio of experience.

Second this. Experience over education is preferred n general. What's your location if you don't mind me asking?

The CCENT and CCNA are pretty short change when it comes to computer networking. I wouldn't "think" about it so much and get those in the bag as soon as possible. Shouldn't take you more than 5 months or so (part-time) to get the CCNA, even if you go into a lot of detail. Can be done sooner if you just stick with the basic material. PM me if you want to ask anything specific.

 

[Jimmah]

I am a CCNA...I am studying for my CCNP and have passed SWITCH already. I get six months to do it in (two months for each test) and due to workload and travel may not get ROUTE done in time 🙁....I have until the 14th, but won't be home until the 3rd late. Then I have two long days already scheduled next week.

I don't think many are looking for CCENT. It's really not a standalone deal so much as making the CCNA cert more digestible. CCENT would be good for an admin of a small network though for best practices.

The main thing is knowing your stuff. I don't know how many interviews I have heard about know that a CCNA knew nothing about how Spanning Tree worked. This is a key element to eventually troubleshooting issues. In the end it's very easy to 'build' a network...the hard part is figuring it out when things don't work.

My brother is a dual CCIE, has all the EMC certs, most of VMware's lineup done. He is looking for talent in the Atlanta area, our company has grown from 300 million or so last year to almost 1.5 billion today.

Personally get your CCNA at least. It's two books now that really could be just one. Do 100 pages a day, everyday or at least come close. Check out Wendell Odom's blog and pass CCENT and CCNA in what should be 3 months to six months tops. Move on to CCNP and then get the lab manuals and start building things.

Dynamips is a great tool...as a partner I have access to other tools. With todays PC power you can build simulations easy.

Switching is the only thing that is lagging due to it being ASIC based. You can buy some cheaper switches though and then do the routers in software.

Before anyone chimes in on Cisco's policy of using IOS on non-cisco devices, I will say this: I have worked very closely to Cisco for a while now. If you are a partner/student using it to better sell Cisco products you will have absolutely no problems. If you are some asshat buying a cheap PC and then throwing it up as a WAN router in a production environment then you are a problem.

I won't say I love to work ever, but I do love my job.

I just started with the company in March. I am currently enjoying 'lovely' Monroe Michigan doing a major refresh of a global company. I get to see some cool stuff. Like molten steel becoming all sorts of things. It's not really a lazy man's job if you want to grow. If you are happy with $50-60k...70k a year and nothing more then that's just low-hanging fruit.

Get your CCIE and six figures and zero unemployment is pretty much a guarantee.

PM me if you have any questions.

Pretty much the best advice one could recieve.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Unless I'm blind sided by material I haven't found online or read from book, I'm pretty confident I will pass the CCENT exam.

So what should be next for me in terms of becoming more attractive to a prospective employer?

Some background info on me: I have no prior IT work experience. I have a BA in Economics which I regret choosing. I have A+ & Network+ certifications and I expect to soon have a CCENT cert. I've been applying to Help Desk positions but I haven't had much luck probably due to lack of real world experience.

Should I aim lower? Apply to Geek Squad or find a Computer Technician (repair) job?

Should I find a non-IT related job and leave it when I manage to find an IT-related job? I'd hate leaving and abusing people's trust but at least I'd be bringing in some income. I'm not under any great financial distress yet though.

I'm planning on signing up with various temp agencies. Can they help find an IT related job for someone with no prior IT work experience? I'm looking for ways to increase my attractiveness/visibility so I'm hoping temp agencies are a viable source.

In terms of additional certifications, I'm thinking of acquiring the MCSA. Since it is based on Windows Server 2003, is it worth it? I see the MCSA occasionally being name dropped in various Help Desk listings, so my assumption is yes.

In my current position (no prior IT work experience), I don't see the point in immediately studying towards the CCNA. It's something I definitely would like to do since the CCENT base will be fresh in my mind, but whenever I do land an IT-related job, it's going to be low entry-level and I seriously doubt having CCNA knowledge will become valuable for that particular position. Acquiring the CCNA is something I'd like to do once I feel somewhat rooted within the IT industry though.

If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading. Hope the wall of text wasn't too bad and thank you for any input/help.

Don't go chasing paper tigers. Anyone who might hire you based on a cert is at a loss on how to hire an effective networking candidate. I've done technical interviews on people smiling about their certs and some simple CLI questions so easily stumped them to make them worthless.

 

[nublikescake]

Don't go chasing paper tigers. Anyone who might hire you based on a cert is at a loss on how to hire an effective networking candidate. I've done technical interviews on people smiling about their certs and some simple CLI questions so easily stumped them to make them worthless.

True but you can't honestly expect people to memorize all kinds of CLI commands from the multitude of vendors out there. My question to you would be: were they able to answer the more complex questions?

 

[Udgnim]

Thanks for the advice and input.

I'll focus on completing the CCNA after passing the CCENT exam. In retrospect, it makes a lot of sense to get that completed after the CCENT.

I'll try some temp agencies although I'm not expecting much given my limited qualifications.

Also, I'm fairly certain that I want to attend my local community college and start working towards an AA degree in Networking along with some SQL courses. It's still not work experience, but an AA degree seems to have more relevance than something like A+/Network+ certifications.

I really wish I was more decisive about the career path I wanted to take when I was first let go from my prior occupation (could go as far back as my university days) but hindsight is 20 20. Anyways, I'm sure building up student loan debt is going to bring back some warm fuzzy nostalgic feelings.

Thanks again.

 

[Wordplay]

Look for Cisco Partners near your area and go from there once your get your CCENT.

 

[alkemyst]

Don't go chasing paper tigers. Anyone who might hire you based on a cert is at a loss on how to hire an effective networking candidate. I've done technical interviews on people smiling about their certs and some simple CLI questions so easily stumped them to make them worthless.

wow...that's a really lame angle to pull since even CCIEs use tab completion.

I am sure you'd be at a lost though on something like "How does Spanning Tree work?", "What exactly happens when you power on a switch connected to a network and a PC connected to it?", "[pull out a network diagram]...How would you ensure maximum uptime with this diagram?"

Weren't you under another username before?

 

[xSauronx]

Thanks for the advice and input.

I'll focus on completing the CCNA after passing the CCENT exam. In retrospect, it makes a lot of sense to get that completed after the CCENT.

I'll try some temp agencies although I'm not expecting much given my limited qualifications.

Also, I'm fairly certain that I want to attend my local community college and start working towards an AA degree in Networking along with some SQL courses. It's still not work experience, but an AA degree seems to have more relevance than something like A+/Network+ certifications.

I really wish I was more decisive about the career path I wanted to take when I was first let go from my prior occupation (could go as far back as my university days) but hindsight is 20 20. Anyways, I'm sure building up student loan debt is going to bring back some warm fuzzy nostalgic feelings.

Thanks again.

if yure going to do it, you should really go for a BS. start gen ed at a CC and transfer to uni, or see if your uni has a tech transfer course for a technical degree. i did an AAS in networking at a local CC, and the uni in the next town took that and transferred me into the BS program

there are some places that will take an associates and experience, but more and more are getting away from that.

if you go to school, talk to instructors and tech department guys about getting some experience on campus, or find out about internships so you can start getting some experience.