What are you Recommendations for Certs to get? I know most folx start with A+ Is Network + worth it? What other ones Stand out? Rocket River
Honestly, I don't think either of those mean crap anymore. They are a dime a dozen. Same thing with an MCSE. Paper techs suck. What do you do in IT or what are you wanting to do in IT?
To me, A+ or Network+ means that you are inexperienced or a more junior candidate. Most experienced people I know never bothered with either of those. They went straight for a CCNA and/or MCSE.
Actually it is not for me Just trying to Advise a friend He wants to know where to start and then where to go. He is the WHERE THE MONEY is type [Which I have told him training for where them money is now . . . equals being a dime a dozen by time you finish . .. cause others doing the same thing] Me personally - I am updating my networking skills Network Administration etc. Rocket River
I honestly wouldn't know how to tell people to get into IT now. I kind of fell into it and through determination and a lot of bull****ting, I worked my way up. Right now the major money ($100+/hr) is in project management and infrastructure. Both of which you need serious experience.
I agree with Master Baiter, you need certs AND experience. Certs alone won't cut it. Only way to really get into the industry is to maybe get certs and then accept a lower paying help desk position and move up over time. Another option would be to accept a position as the internal "computer expert" of a smaller company that doesn't want to pay a lot for an experienced person. Then once you get your experience, you move on.
Agree with the above, the only break i got was getting exp on the job. Intern and learning from the people around him will get him in the door. He's gonna have to suffer through low pay for a year or so, then he'll be valuable asset instead of a cost. As for certs, I think CCNA would help his resume get a second look through. Dont bother with A+ or Network+. If he wants, Security+ and on is where i see things headed. More and more are needing security advisors, specialists so might be something to look into. All in all, suck up, kiss ass, BS, and get in that door.
The only ones that matter now are the product specific ones pertaining to the field you want to be in. Oracle CCIE/CCNP RHCE DB2 EMC
Those certs are a dime a dozen now days, they help tho, but not like a degree. I have a CS degree and it helps, but nothing helps like good experience.
Not much. I can't think of a single co-worker that had an MIS or even Comp Sci degree. Obviously they are out there ...I just can't think of anybody that has one. That said, I can think of several co-workers that don't have a college degree AT ALL and are gainfully employeed. Experience, experience experiencE. Degree's and certifications get you past headhunters. Experience gets you jobs. Just like any industry, the best way to get a job is through contacts.
I totally disagree. I do not think anyone is migrating towards open source. Linux and Unix has its place in certain instances on the back end but it's a niche market. It will never (mainstream) be on a client.
I have to disagree. NASA/JSC is in the process of replacing over eight hundred MCC dec alphas with Red Hat Enterprise Linux boxes. And these are not servers, these are end user workstations. Several alternatives were considered and Linux was chosen for price, stability, and configurability.
It's that old wicked cycle: I can't get a job because I don't have any experience and I can't get any experience because I can't get a job. I guess that's where the contacts come in.
CIS will open up more doors on the technical front where MIS will open up doors to management. MIS isn't going to mean that much if you are green out of college, but with some experience, it could be leveraged into a good IT Director or CIO spot.
Actually, the higher up jobs require a degree, CIS for technical work or MIS for management. I have 15 years of experience in IT and am now finishing my MIS degree specifically to open up doors that are now closed due to my lack of that piece of paper. Once I have the degree, my experience is what will get me the job, in that you are correct.
In the high end workstation market, you are correct. Linux can replace those Alphas because their users are already familiar with some flavor of UNIX in most cases. They do work that requires the horsepower. Your average user will not have Linux on their desktop until the UI is as friendly as Windows or OSX.
