About to Embark on the MCSE 2003

cheerspal

Hi Everyone,

Well I have been fobbing this one off for far too long now and considering the current state of affairs in the world, I think now is a good time to start studying (and get fit). I have no money at the moment and not going to be moving jobs, as there are none, so now is a good time to knuckle down and start studying

I am finished work early three times a week and have Saturdays free most of the time. I am just wondering has anyone used some sort of timetable to keep track of themselves and to keep on track when studying?!?

The first step is pretty daunting, looking at all the books in a pile makes me feel a bit sick :eek:

Any help or tips appreciated!

Thanks,

Brian

NullZer0

cheerspal wrote: »

Hi Everyone,

Well I have been fobbing this one off for far too long now and considering the current state of affairs in the world, I think now is a good time to start studying (and get fit). I have no money at the moment and not going to be moving jobs, as there are none, so now is a good time to knuckle down and start studying

I am finished work early three times a week and have Saturdays free most of the time. I am just wondering has anyone used some sort of timetable to keep track of themselves and to keep on track when studying?!?

The first step is pretty daunting, looking at all the books in a pile make me feel a bit sick :eek:

Any help or tips appreciated!

Thanks,

Brian

Hey,

Its seems pretty daunting at first but the MCSE isn't as bad as you think.
I started out and completed study for the MCSA and MCSE.

ntlbell

book a date and knuckle down you can come up with all the time tables in the world but that's just another thing to do before ye get down to it.

book the exam this starts the little bit of pressure you need straight away.

then just get on with it.

Ginger

Start easy

The easy way to get the MCSA is the following

70-620 Vista Client - Elective
70-270 XP Client - Client required
70-290 Server 2003 - Server required
70-291 AD 2003 - Server Required

So starting with the easiest exam 620, you can get yourself up and running and used to studying and the exam format

Then do the XP exam again not too difficult, follow it up with 290 the server, and you are left with the AD exam

After that you can look at upping yourself to MCSE or going to the 2008 variants..

ntlbell

Ginger wrote: »

Start easy

The easy way to get the MCSA is the following

70-620 Vista Client - Elective
70-270 XP Client - Client required
70-290 Server 2003 - Server required
70-291 AD 2003 - Server Required

So starting with the easiest exam 620, you can get yourself up and running and used to studying and the exam format

Then do the XP exam again not too difficult, follow it up with 290 the server, and you are left with the AD exam

After that you can look at upping yourself to MCSE or going to the 2008 variants..

do you need to do vista if you have XP?

i thought win2k/xp/vista were all ok as a client?

Ginger

If you do XP, you can use Vista as the elective exam.. easiest elective out there

cheerspal

Thanks Folks.

I have been working in a few different 2nd level support roles for the past 8 years. Its high time I moved onto a more senior position somewhere, for both career advancement and of course financial reasons. I have been static too long and approaching 30 has really given me a kick up the arse.

Did you find these Exams added anything to your CV when approaching new positions\jobs?

Recruitment guys have said to me they are not worth the paper they are written on. I found both funny and ridiculous. How can a certification from the biggest software company in the world not help your career?

Contracting the past few years I have come to loath these people and would never use them in the future if possible.

Thanks for the info everyone and thanks Ginger. Getting the MCSA by just doing

70-620 Vista Client - Elective
70-270 XP Client - Client required
70-290 Server 2003 - Server required
70-291 AD 2003 - Server Required

seems alot more Feasible.

Anymore advice please let me know. I will keep you posted how I am getting along.

Brian

ntlbell

cheerspal wrote: »

Thanks Folks.

I have been working in a few different 2nd level support roles for the past 8 years. Its high time I moved onto a more senior position somewhere, for both career advancement and of course financial reasons. I have been static too long and approaching 30 has really given me a kick up the arse.

Did you find these Exams added anything to your CV when approaching new positions\jobs?

Recruitment guys have said to me they are not worth the paper they are written on. I found both funny and ridiculous. How can a certification from the biggest software company in the world not help your career?

Contracting the past few years I have come to loath these people and would never use them in the future if possible.

Thanks for the info everyone and thanks Ginger. Getting the MCSA by just doing

70-620 Vista Client - Elective
70-270 XP Client - Client required
70-290 Server 2003 - Server required
70-291 AD 2003 - Server Required

seems alot more Feasible.

Anymore advice please let me know. I will keep you posted how I am getting along.

Brian

it will certainly give your CV a bit more weight and more chance of being called for an interview.

They're by no means a guarantee to getting employed tho.

What is tho.

cheerspal

Ah I know it is no guarantee to get a job, I'm sure it helps though.

Ginger

Are you aware of the Second Shot program from MS and also the Career Assist program.

Also I have some posts on doing exams and preparing for them.

FruitLover

cheerspal wrote: »

How can a certification from the biggest software company in the world not help your career?

They're too easy and mean very little. Every muppet out there has an MCSE. Plus they're Microsoft-centric - an MCSE is going to get you nowhere in a networking or security job application.

However, the fact that MS certs are so widespread is all the more reason to make sure you get one too - consider it a baseline for any AD-related job.

Barrypr

Every muppet out there has an MCSE. Plus they're Microsoft-centric - an MCSE is going to get you nowhere in a networking or security job application.

:eek: You being serious...that statment is just crazy!

NullZer0

FruitLover wrote: »

Every muppet out there has an MCSE. Plus they're Microsoft-centric - an MCSE is going to get you nowhere in a networking or security job application.

Depends on what kind of person has the MCSE.
Braindumpers will be proven wrong in an interview/within the first week or two

REAL MCSE's have expert Windows Server / Infrastructure skills and can demonstrate ALL topics/technologies on the exams so it can't hurt.

Ger the man

FruitLover wrote: »

They're too easy and mean very little. Every muppet out there has an MCSE. Plus they're Microsoft-centric - an MCSE is going to get you nowhere in a networking or security job application.

QUOTE]

Same goes for every other vendor cert, if they are too easy the market would be flooded with MCSE qualified people

FruitLover

Barrypr wrote: »

:eek: You being serious...that statment is just crazy!

There's only very basic coverage of the ins and outs of switching & routing, firewalling, IDS/IDP, VPNs in the common MCSE tracks.

If I were hiring for a general networking/security position, I'd be looking for Cisco and Juniper certs, not Microsoft ones. Any MCSEs I've known with notable networking/security skills have also got the relevant certs aside from their MS quals.

Ginger

If you are looking at pure infrastructure (OS agnostic) etc then definately Cisco etc..

But its rare that you would have someone not knowing a significant amount about the layer above the infrastructure.

For me one of the best combos is an OS based certification mixed with a networking cert such as MCSA(E) + CCNA for example.

Barrypr

There's only very basic coverage of the ins and outs of switching & routing, firewalling, IDS/IDP, VPNs in the common MCSE tracks.

If I were hiring for a general networking/security position, I'd be looking for Cisco and Juniper certs, not Microsoft ones. Any MCSEs I've known with notable networking/security skills have also got the relevant certs aside from their MS quals.

Im going down the cisco path myself(and love it), had always planned to over microsoft, but to say MCSE will get you nowhere I find hard to believe.

Isnt the idea of doing MCSE to study the microsoft family products, not deal with routing and switching, routing and switch is cisco.

But like I said I have not done any ms stuff, but I did'nt think r&s would be a big part anyway.

NullZer0

+1

cheerspal

Thanks for all the advice folks.

Going to book the 70-270 one for 6 weeks time!

Hopefully thats enough time to get through the book, do some CBT's and exam questions.

FruitLover

cheerspal wrote: »

Going to book the 70-270 one for 6 weeks time!

This is one of the easiest exams in the track, you shouldn't need 6 weeks. I'd recommend being optimistic rather than conservative with regard to booking exams, particularly as there's a lot of overlap in the server exams.

cheerspal

Ok thanks Fruit.

I start work early three days a week and get home at about 4:30pm. Do you think studying a few hours, 3 days a week and a full day on Saturday would get the course material covered and revised in 4 weeks?

accensi0n

cheerspal wrote: »

Ok thanks Fruit.

I start work early three days a week and get home at about 4:30pm. Do you think studying a few hours, 3 days a week and a full day on Saturday would get the course material covered and revised in 4 weeks?

I think that should be enough.

Make sure you actually do some hands on though. Don't just read the material, practice it.
There are a load of free practice exams online for the 70-270 so use them, but AFTER you have gone through the material.

Also, you have the second chance offer!

NullZer0

Good luck with your exam! I'm sure you'll fly through the MCSE no problem once you read and practice.

Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

FruitLover

cheerspal wrote: »

Do you think studying a few hours, 3 days a week and a full day on Saturday would get the course material covered and revised in 4 weeks?

One week of this would probably be enough for the XP exam, assuming you already understand Windows basics (i.e. desktop user-level).

The server exams are going to need more study, but even then, I would consider 4 weeks per exam excessive.