Been trying to find the time to get A and N+ certified and knowing some of you have a pretty strong background in this field I was wondering if I could get a little advice. I've looked around local stores for a good book or guide that I could pick up to start reading up on it, they range from anywhere from $20 - $120 USD. Some have cd's others have condoms etc...They all have this number of what version and what not they are and I'm a tad in the dark on what I should get.
I'm not sure if any sites offer a free guide or instructions on this, but any help would be appreciated.
A+ & N+ Certification
PhoeniX wrote:I have no idea in these things but wouldn't you be better getting Cisco certified? Or, even the MS ones as they seem the most popular.
I'll be Cisco certified in about 2 years, currently going to college for that.
But I just want to get my hands any and everything I can do...and from what I understand the a+ and n+ aren't that hard to get.
A+ and Net+ are pointless.
the only cert that means a shit is the Cisco ones. (and thats only because cisco does an ok job of rigidly controling the program)
I'm wondering how long until the IT industry gets a licensure body, much like the Law Board, AMA, ADA etc...
would make alot of sense; then Certs would be controlled by a governing comitee rather than individual companies.
then and only then, will certs mean anything more than you spent money on a test.
just goto college and get a real degree, it doesn't matter how much alphabet soup you have on your resume if you're competing for a job with someone who has B.S., M.S., or PhD on theirs.
the only cert that means a shit is the Cisco ones. (and thats only because cisco does an ok job of rigidly controling the program)
I'm wondering how long until the IT industry gets a licensure body, much like the Law Board, AMA, ADA etc...
would make alot of sense; then Certs would be controlled by a governing comitee rather than individual companies.
then and only then, will certs mean anything more than you spent money on a test.
just goto college and get a real degree, it doesn't matter how much alphabet soup you have on your resume if you're competing for a job with someone who has B.S., M.S., or PhD on theirs.
Dr_Watson wrote: it doesn't matter how much alphabet soup you have on your resume if you're competing for a job with someone who has B.S., M.S., or PhD on theirs.
:icon19: !!
I'm not considering getting the two said certificates b/c I want something to put on a resume, I just feel like I lack some knowledge that I could really use. If I fork out $200 for the two certificates and only learn a few things, that will save me the embarrassment I would get later on down the road when a very simple problem comes up that wouldn't be able to figure out otherwise...that would make it worth it IMO.
Also, I highly doubt they are pointless…like I’ve said, I don’t know a great deal about the two but if they where worthless it would have died off years ago.
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Tormentius
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I have to disagree with a few points you made. To start, unless you're an network guru whose primary job capacity is programming Cisco equipment Cisco's certs are completely useless. I'll admit their CCIE is an excellent program but their other certs are really no more task oriented than CompTIA's, Microsoft's, etc. Their certs also have far less to do with common day to day administration or project management duties than their competitions do.Dr_Watson wrote:A+ and Net+ are pointless.
the only cert that means a shit is the Cisco ones. (and thats only because cisco does an ok job of rigidly controling the program)
I'm wondering how long until the IT industry gets a licensure body, much like the Law Board, AMA, ADA etc...
would make alot of sense; then Certs would be controlled by a governing comitee rather than individual companies.
then and only then, will certs mean anything more than you spent money on a test.
just goto college and get a real degree, it doesn't matter how much alphabet soup you have on your resume if you're competing for a job with someone who has B.S., M.S., or PhD on theirs.
IT won't see a licensing body ever IMO since there are so many different facets and the field doesn't require 10 years of education to get into like law or the medical field does. I don't think the field really needs a licensing body either since thats one step closer to an IT union (which would suck for all involved given the nature of this field).
Getting a degree (for IT) is a great idea if you're 20 and don't have any responsibilities. If that isn't the case though taking 4 years off and wracking up a ton of debt isn't an option for most. The best most of us (myself included) can do is work on a degree part time
Certs do many things to assist in employment. For one, when properly combined with experience, it shows a grasp of both technical theory and hands-on ability. For two, many subjects taught in university are dated. Certs are a way of either showing or augmenting your existing education/experience with up to date product knowledge.
In reference to your alphabet soup comment unless you're speaking of development a degree doesn't mean much when up against competition who have experience along with either a degree or cert. Experience trumps all in the IT field. Nobody is going to hire a consultant with a shiny degree and a year's experience over a consultant with 10 years in the field, a proven track record, and no degree (or certs for that matter).
In closing you may be interested to look into the changes effective March 30th in Microsoft's certification tracks. They are moving their tests more and more towards labs which require actual troubleshooting rather than multiple choice questions. I'm willing to bet in under 5 years their certs will be every bit as lab based as the CCIE is (even if not near as complex).
point taken...
yes, i was a bit harsh... but i'm speaking from the bitter taste of experience.
i've been in interview rooms and had managers tell me straight up, that even though i had 5 years of work experience and 2 certs, and they were convinced I knew my shit... they couldn't hire me for anything but an entry-level grunt because they required a B.S. for everything else.
++ any degree program worth its salt in the IT/CS field requires internships/co-ops.
For my IT program @ RIT I have to do 3 co-ops; the CS and Engineering programs requires 4.
so those degree's come with ~2 years of work experience included.
the curriculum is also updated just as frequently if not more frequently than certification programs.
basically it comes down to what school you goto...
yes, i was a bit harsh... but i'm speaking from the bitter taste of experience.
i've been in interview rooms and had managers tell me straight up, that even though i had 5 years of work experience and 2 certs, and they were convinced I knew my shit... they couldn't hire me for anything but an entry-level grunt because they required a B.S. for everything else.
++ any degree program worth its salt in the IT/CS field requires internships/co-ops.
For my IT program @ RIT I have to do 3 co-ops; the CS and Engineering programs requires 4.
so those degree's come with ~2 years of work experience included.
the curriculum is also updated just as frequently if not more frequently than certification programs.
basically it comes down to what school you goto...
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Tormentius
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Some companies just have fucked hiring practices, especially considering your obvious technical knowledge. Their loss man.
As for co-op programs I completely agree. Where I'm located unfortunately those are those are the exception rather than the norm which is why I made the comment on formal education and experience.
As for co-op programs I completely agree. Where I'm located unfortunately those are those are the exception rather than the norm which is why I made the comment on formal education and experience.
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Tormentius
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I think it will always depend on the position. You're definitely in a tougher spot down there though so it could quite possibly become a trend for a few years in some of the US.Dr_Watson wrote:yeah, i think its just going to get more tilted toward college = required.
seeing as how many unemployed college graduates are in the job market now that bush is in office.
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stocktroll
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Tormentius
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I can't comment on the value of a degree in the IT industry, but I certainly agree with the Doc. on the value of a degree.
Where I work, there are people that have been there for at least 15 who have applied time after time for promotions. Recently, multiple people have been hired for those positions the others would be promoted to. These people have zero experience, yet are the ones getting the jobs. And it is a job which really has nothing to do with any degree you could have.
In this situation, the degree is all that matters. Experience is nothing, as wrong as that is.
And not to mention, if you do have a degree, it would make it much easier to get jobs in other fields, which happens all the time...
Where I work, there are people that have been there for at least 15 who have applied time after time for promotions. Recently, multiple people have been hired for those positions the others would be promoted to. These people have zero experience, yet are the ones getting the jobs. And it is a job which really has nothing to do with any degree you could have.
In this situation, the degree is all that matters. Experience is nothing, as wrong as that is.
And not to mention, if you do have a degree, it would make it much easier to get jobs in other fields, which happens all the time...
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Tormentius
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Good advise from Tormentius.
A+ is a good place to start as it will teach you quite alot about computers and OSs, if you don't already know alot.
Net+ is much harder than A+, but quite easy compared to Microsoft certs.
Microsoft certs are the hardest exams on the planet. No exaggeration.........or not much of one.
A+ is a good place to start as it will teach you quite alot about computers and OSs, if you don't already know alot.
Net+ is much harder than A+, but quite easy compared to Microsoft certs.
Microsoft certs are the hardest exams on the planet. No exaggeration.........or not much of one.
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stocktroll
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nah cisco is the hardest....or atleast has the hardest single exam in the ccie. You basically have to know EVERYTHING there is about networks. And to give you a clue to how much there is, several CRAM books are like 1000 page monsters. The exam itself consists of a written(on computer) test and then a lab where making your own cisco network is the easy part as they then "break" something and have you fix it in limited time....MUCH more difficult than what it sounds.
