IT Course advice please

Ari Gold

Hi all,

if someone could put me in the right direction id really appreciate it.
Basically i have a diploma in an IT/Network related course and i plan to get some work soon. id be happy enough getting a helpdesk role to start off with as i have worked on one during the summer. however i have a strong interest in networks etc and would like to get into that side of things. i dont think i would have enough qualifications to get a good job in this area straight away, but id be willing to do a part-time/night course to build up my knowledge. i searched around boards for advice but there are so many acronyms for courses that i have no idea which one i should go for!
if someone could suggest which course(s) would be beneficial, it would be a great help.

thanks in advance!

Webmonkey

If you into networks you might like to go the Cisco route - Starting with CCNA - it is quite hard to get and goes into detail - I've yet to attempt it - some day now.

Cisco is big in CIT where I'm studying: http://cisco.cit.ie/

It is expensive to study and hard to pass (~70-80% or over to pass). Depends how much work you willing to put into it.

Ari Gold

was thinking of going down the cisco route alright but it sounds quite intense and not sure i'd be able for it at the moment but maybe im wrong!

anyone know much about a MCSE qualification or would it be much use?

jokkon

i would think a MCSE is even more difficult to get than CCNA. In order to get a MCSE you will need to take and pass 7 exams with varying difficulty. As for CCNA you have the option to take one exam or two exam. If you take the 2 exam route you get a CCENT cert as well as a CCNA cert

Col_Loki

Your only starting out, it wil most lightly take a couple of years before you get your hands on servers etc so an MCSE would be very tough.

What you could do is get a few MCP's/Comp TIA certs to help you along. The one on Windows XP/Vista would be a good one to give you a taste.
Possibly try the CCENT exam to give you an idea of whats involved in the Cisco route.

If you get an MCP/MCTS in Vista/XP it is a start for an MCSA (4 Exams) , the CCENT is a start for the CCNA. Jumping into MCSE study without any actual experience will most lightly just scare you off study, there is alot involved.

cance

i feel both a CCNA and MCSE (if both are achieved legitimately) are a little beyond your scope at present.

I feel a network + would be a good stepping stone onto greater things, it will give you a good broad overview of the cylibus and you can take what you find interesting from it to you next level of study.

I know if i had attempted to go straight for my CCNA I'd have found it faaaaar more difficult.

Ari Gold

thanks everyone, im starting to shed a little light on all of this!! looks like id be better of getting the MCP/MCTS in Vista/XP or the CCENT to start off with. how easy are these courses to enroll for or are they expensive?