Certification Q's for new career path

botlfed1

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Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and wanted to introduce myself first of all. My name is John and I'm in NC. I currently work in office administration for a small company that works within the Department of Defense. I have basic PC skills but nothing too fancy, and no certs.

I am trying to move into the IT field and my job has a few openings to send some guys overseas to setup networks with Optima servers, and the perform maintainence and troubleshooting on the servers and laptops for the military. I have about 6 months before the next group ships out. My question for you guys who do this sort of thing everyday is, what is the minimum amount of training I can get so that I can go over there and not embarrass myself, and also, what is the optimal path i should take training-wise, to learn everything I need to about this area of expertise?

I need to at least be able to learn what I need to know in the next 6 months to be able to do the job without having any issues, and then when I get back continue on the education path.

Thanks for the help guys!
 
Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum and wanted to introduce myself first of all.

welcomematforweb.jpg


botlfed said:
I am trying to move into the IT field

Good luck. Just keep your 'tude in check. :D

botlfed said:
My question for you guys who do this sort of thing everyday is, what is the minimum amount of training I can get so that I can go over there and not embarrass myself, and also, what is the optimal path i should take training-wise, to learn everything I need to about this area of expertise?

No idea.
 
As a minimum certification, you should aim for the A+ exams. It gives a good base on almost everything, and while you are studying for it, you will learn a lot. I would also recommend some other form of certification in networking if you are going to be working on servers. Just be sure to study a lot, take a lot of notes and such, and get some hands on experience. I myself have a certification from my local vocational school. Will that get me a job at a really good place? It might, if there is an opening and people who apply don't have a better certification (but probably not). Could it get me a job at a local computer repair shop? Yes, it would probably because there are very few people in my area who even have that certification. 40 miles down the road, it seems like everyone has the A+ though.

But good luck in the field, it will bring a lot of enjoyment to you. Of course there will be stressful times, but that comes with any profession, but stick with it. If you get the right certs and a good job somewhere, also expect a big fat paycheck.

Also, welcome to the forums! Hope you stick around :)
 
As a minimum certification, you should aim for the A+ exams. It gives a good base on almost everything, and while you are studying for it, you will learn a lot.


Yeah, from what I have been hearing from IT friends, A+ seems to be a good starting point. I have had people recommending MCSE and MCSA, which are definately not a bad thing to have, but I am left wondering if thats something that I would HAVE to have, or if I can get by on less for now? From what I have heard, those are 2 big deal certifications to have, and might not be something I can tackle in a short period of time, especially without a good background in IT. I mean, I could possibly study to pass the exams, but I want to make sure I really learn it, not just what I need to pass.
 
Generally people go for A+ before MCSE and MCSA as A+ is the easier thing to get, and a good stepping stone on the path two the other two. Some places will hire you without any certification. I got my job with out it, but got I eventually took the test.
 
Generally people go for A+ before MCSE and MCSA as A+ is the easier thing to get, and a good stepping stone on the path two the other two. Some places will hire you without any certification. I got my job with out it, but got I eventually took the test.

I would be really happy if the A+ turned out to be enough learning for me. I am going up to DC tomorrow for a few days to supposedly learn more about the servers that will be used, so hopefully I will have a better idea of what I will be doing by this Friday.
 
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