zophar
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I know some of you are in the IT field. And I was wondering if any of you could offer advice as to what kind of training should be pursued, and if there is a specific are anybody likes over another. Also what kind of certifications should be focused on, and where should you go to get them. I know that the last question there is somewhat location dependant. Thanks in advance for your input.
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Viper97
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 2:53 PM
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Where best lies your interest? All areas? Routers and switches? Telephony (IP Based)? Servers? Desktop support?
Where do you want to go? What type of job are your dreaming of?
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zophar
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:06 PM
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Viper97
Where best lies your interest? All areas? Routers and switches? Telephony (IP Based)? Servers? Desktop support?
Where do you want to go? What type of job are your dreaming of?
Not really 100% sure on which way to head exactly. Not really interested in phone based areas. Maybe more towards server, or all areas. And yes I know that all areas covers phone also. Really undecided on job specifics right now. Just kind of brain storming, and checking out the options.
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Viper97
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:21 PM
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☄ Helpful
Best way then to get a feel for what is available is to grab some desktop certs. Maybe A+ as a general knowledge thing followed up by a cert in say, Windows 7.
This should at least get you into a tech support position where you can fine tune your education and certifications as you discover the path you want to take.
(Like my advice to folks going to college, get the basics out of the way and watch for what catches your interest. If it holds your interest long enough it's time to take a class.)
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zophar
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:25 PM
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Thanks for the input Viper I really appreciate it. I'll look into getting those certs and also check out what is offered and where around me. If anybody else has anything to add please feel free to do so. Thanks again.
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Porpoise Hork
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:30 PM
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☄ Helpful
Some certifications you should get to start you on your way. CompTia A+, Net Plus and Security Plus and the Following Microsoft MTA certifications: Win7, Networking, Security, Server. Don't worry the MTA's are all fairly easy have about 35 questions and can be passed with minimal study time. After that get some experience and start studying for the following certs. They are much harder and you really need 4-5 years experience to ensure you will pass them. Microsoft MCP: 70-680, the MCTS for Infrastructure and Active Directory, and the MCTIP for Server Administrator. These 4 will bring you up to a MCSA level certification and then you would only need one or two more to get MCSE now that M$ is bringing it back but you would be labeled expert instead of engineer. As soon as M$ releases the W8 client and server tests take them. cause they will be uber easy to pass. IT usually takes them a few months to really get the tests beefed up once they make them available. So taking them as soon as they are released its a cake walk. Also get some experience with Linux servers and would be best to learn a couple basic scripting languages to really pad up the skill set and resume.
post edited by Porpoise Hork - Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:48 PM
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Viper97
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:33 PM
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Actually the MSCA is now considered an 'older' cert and Microsoft prefers you use MCTIP (Microsoft Certified Technical Information Professional)
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Porpoise Hork
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:35 PM
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Viper97
Actually the MSCA is now considered an 'older' cert and Microsoft prefers you use MCTIP (Microsoft Certified Technical Information Professional)
True but M$ is bringing both it and the MCSE back. Same tests to earn it just a new name.
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Viper97
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:36 PM
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z3r0t0l0rence
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:42 PM
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☄ Helpful
Once you get those basic certs done. Move toward CCNA/CCNP. The CCNA will boost you that much more in landing a pretty good job. Just know that most of the industry is flooded and you might want to take a look at call centers for tech support first for the job experience.
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Porpoise Hork
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:43 PM
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Tweaked
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:47 PM
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☄ Helpful
Another aspect of IT that you can look into is Audio/Video if that interests you. You can look into getting your Extron A/V Associate certification. It only costs $99. You can also look into AMX programming certification.
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zophar
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 8:58 PM
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Thanks again everybody for the input. I've got a lot of reading to do in the near future.
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voodoo do-er 
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 9:22 PM
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A+ and net+ will help out a lot, A+ is more then simple, most of us here could pass it with little work. Net+ is abit harder and takes some work to pass.
ms stuff is not that helpful unless if its sever, A+ covers a good bit of that stuff
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northernbeserker
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 9:35 PM
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I'm in class right now taking Active Directory. A+ and Net + will give a good basis. I have my Linux+ and half done my MCITP:server administrator. Definitely work towards your CCNA/CCNP. Learn how to sub-net super fast, it will help. I'll be all done by the end of the year. With those you could start at Tier 2 service desk.
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candle_86
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 4:07 AM
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Well where im going right now mycomputercareer.com But I will graduate with A+, Network+, MTA Windows XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003 and Server 2008, MCTIP, and my CCNA. Total cost is 25,000 dollars and 1 year of school, but i feel it will be very well worth it. but be aware the field is filling very fast, and if you don't have any experince first expect an entry level job @ 35-40k a year
post edited by candle_86 - Wednesday, July 18, 2012 4:08 AM
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farthestkris
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 4:10 AM
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here is what i would do.
A+
MCSE
VCPv5
edit: forgot to add CCNA/CCNP
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zophar
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 3:14 PM
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Ok, so this is what I have found. And the campus is only about 10 minutes from where I work now. http://mcckc.edu/progs/ccna/degreeinfo/certs.asp Would anybody that feels so inclined check it out and let me know what you think. Does it look like a good program? The only concern I have right now is weather or not they do evening classes. Which I would think that they do, but I haven't asked them yet.
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Viper97
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 3:19 PM
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Can't speak directly to the college it self. However, you might want to pop over and ask if you could sit in a class for an hour or so to see if it fits with your vision.
Just a thought. Meanwhile the courses seem to be about right in their approach (not knowing how indepth the material is) but the titles look about right.
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ARMYguy
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 3:19 PM
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Also keep in mind experience trumps anything else. I blow past people with tons of certs in interviews, and i dont even have a single cert to my name. What i do have is my own computer repair business and a bucket load of contacts and 8 + years of experience in the field. Dont waste all your cash with certs that many employers could care less about in today's economy. They want people that ALREADY work, not people with shiny papers. EDIT: to add more, i got most of my experience just pounding out lame jobs in call centers doing tier 1 and just moved up to other things once in the firm. You might be able to find different ways in. Bottom line, there are many ways to go about finding jobs but dont rely on college or certs, you might be in for some trouble...
post edited by ARMYguy - Wednesday, July 18, 2012 3:22 PM
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zophar
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 3:27 PM
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ARMYguy
Also keep in mind experience trumps anything else. I blow past people with tons of certs in interviews, and i dont even have a single cert to my name. What i do have is my own computer repair business and a bucket load of contacts and 8 + years of experience in the field. Dont waste all your cash with certs that many employers could care less about in today's economy. They want people that ALREADY work, not people with shiny papers.
EDIT: to add more, i got most of my experience just pounding out lame jobs in call centers doing tier 1 and just moved up to other things once in the firm. You might be able to find different ways in. Bottom line, there are many ways to go about finding jobs but dont rely on college or certs, you might be in for some trouble...
I understand what you mean. The down side for me is that besides building my own computers and helping my friends and family out I don't have any real practical experience. I love computers and all the stuff that goes with them, just don't have as much hands on experience as I'd like. Also hands on will be tough for me to get right now. I have a full time job and a wife and three kids. I think the easiest route for me will be getting my schooling done and either find a company willing to take a chance on me or start at a local shop and get some time in before stepping up. IDK, still alot of details to think about and work out.
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ARMYguy
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 3:52 PM
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School is a good tool but i feel kind of rotten toward it lately having a lot of friends back home with degrees still without a job, and we all graduated in 2007. At any rate, i wish you luck, remember that getting your feet wet in a bad job is not always a bad idea, if its a large company you can then, once in the company, find it much easier to find greener pastures later.
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candle_86
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 8:07 PM
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a collage degree today isn't worth the paper its printed on, but a technical school that gives honest to god hands on training and a good reputable career department is worth 10x it. Where I'm attending they are part of the Microsoft IT Academy program also so there are some perks there.
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zophar
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 8:45 PM
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Well I had emailed a company about A+ certification and then told them I was looking at a local college with ties to the Cisco Academy. This was there response:
Hi Jon, I do appreciate your email. Do a lot of research, personally, you are better off taking the certification route as you finish faster and most importantly, CERTIFIED. Cost-wise it is also less to take the IT training rather than the degree. We have encountered a lot of individuals that spend $30k and above and not getting certified, they have to retrain because the instructors they have in college are not even certified themselves.
On the other hand, I encourage to look for Cisco Learning Partners or Cisco Learning Associates rather than the Cisco Academy. As there is a difference in the way the curriculum is taught as well as the credentials of the trainer.
Keep me in mind if in case you want to revisit our offer.
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candle_86
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Re:Questions about the IT field and training
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 8:49 PM
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hes dead on, an IT degree is nothing but theroy a certification says yea i can do this with my eyes closed and I know how to use google when i get confused.
Just remember this one simple rule, if you don't know the anwser google always does :D
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