Microsoft cert to compliment the CCNA?

Mance Rayder

Hi folks, I wonder if anyone here can advice me on the following:

Can anyone possible recommend a Microsoft cert that would compliment the CCNA on a CV with regards to getting into an entry level position in networking/admin (If these positions even exist anymore) for someone who doesn't have a degree?

Is there any Microsoft cert that may be easier to study towards having already studied all of the CCNA material (ie covering an overlapping area of IT)?

Finally, am I a hopeless case having a CCNA and no degree in my late 20's? I am willing to start at the bottom and work up but as far as I can tell every company wants 3+ years of experience.


Thanks in advance.

Rossin

you could do an internship?

Mance Rayder

Rossin wrote: »

you could do an internship?

That's true, but they seem to be looking for graduates, which I am not. If I see a networking/admin internship available and they are not expressly looking for a graduate, I will apply to it. I know the WPP2 is graduate only (Which is counter productive and leaves no room for non traditional students). I know there is jobsbridge as well, but most of those jobs are boning fish or stacking shelves in Tesco's. At the moment money isn't an issue, I want experience and will work for buttons to get on the ladder.

Cuddlesworth

CiscoStudent wrote: »

That's true, but they seem to be looking for graduates, which I am not. If I see a networking/admin internship available and they are not expressly looking for a graduate, I will apply to it. I know the WPP2 is graduate only (Which is counter productive and leaves no room for non traditional students). I know there is jobsbridge as well, but most of those jobs are boning fish or stacking shelves in Tesco's. At the moment money isn't an issue, I want experience and will work for buttons to get on the ladder.

Your aiming too high too fast. Get a helpdesk job and work your way up quickly, should only take a year or two. Most of them are not really looking for 100% experience in the job role you are applying for but rather proven experience of the usual things like personal drive, problem solving, project management, incident control and customer interaction all within a similar career path.

Cuddlesworth

Might as well add, get the Microsoft Office Certs or start to get them. They will generate some serious interest from Helpdesk managers and help get that job quicker then the CCNA could. They love that **** since it makes you better at 40% of the calls then most of the current employed people. Excel and Word being the main two to get.

Mance Rayder

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Might as well add, get the Microsoft Office Certs or start to get them. They will generate some serious interest from Helpdesk managers and help get that job quicker then the CCNA could. They love that **** since it makes you better at 40% of the calls then most of the current employed people. Excel and Word being the main two to get.

Thanks for that, I will look into doing a test. I already have fetac level 5 component awards in Word and Excel but the Microsoft cert cant hurt.

UDP

OP, have you any experience in IT at all?

If you are doing MS certs then do one in Windows 7 followed by some in Windows 2008.

For Windows 7 do the 70-680 "Windows 7, Configuring" exam then pick some exams from this page. If you want to get more qualifications to start in a lower position (if you have no experience with servers etc) then maybe do the 70-685 "Windows 7, Enterprise Desktop Support Technician" exam that then gives you the certificate of "MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Support Technician on Windows 7" which would be perfect for helpdesk etc.

Good luck. I have no degree and only got a proper IT job as a junior sys admin in my mid-late 20's. Now I am the network administrator of a large enterprise a few years later. Once you can get experience and certs then having a degree becomes less and less important as the years roll on. Certs are more valuable in IT. Of course how quickly you move up depends how good you are technically and your people skills.

Cuddlesworth

Ahh, the good old days. They were a great old time. Unfortunately they are gone, there is no walking into a junior sys admin job when there are a good few experienced sys admin's out of work. There is no walking into a deskside role when there are quite a few of them out of work. And even getting on the starting rung now is hard because all recruitment and HR care about is if you have a degree.

Helpdesk roles will use sweet f all of the CCNA, any of the MCITPs(even the one you listed, which is well geared towards deployment of Clients in a Operations role) and by having those Certs any manager would and should be wary of taking you on since your overqualified for the role.

FAS have been churning out CCNA's and MCITPS as well, quite a few managers have been stung with them fresh out of the course and I've heard of a pretty bad ratio not managing six months. That's a huge waste of training time and resources. They are at the point where interviewees are being asked where they got their certs if its not listed in the CV.

UDP

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Ahh, the good old days. They were a great old time. Unfortunately they are gone, there is no walking into a junior sys admin job when there are a good few experienced sys admin's out of work.

That was 3 years ago. Was hiring for my replacement and a lot of the sys admins were looking for way too much money and seemed like they wouldn't stay so it was given to someone with less experience but who showed very good technical ability.

Cuddlesworth

UDP wrote: »

That was 3 years ago. Was hiring for my replacement and a lot of the sys admins were looking for way too much money and seemed like they wouldn't stay so it was given to someone with less experience but who showed very good technical ability.

There are always exceptions to every rule, but its not a good idea to aim for the exception rather then try for the rule.

Cuddlesworth

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056663012

You could try for that