Certification

[Greg-VT]

Hia.

I recently started a course this year (again - got cancilled half-way through last time :rolleyes:).

Anyway, I was wondering how much standing the following certifications have within the industry?

MCSE
CCNA and
Comptia A+

And also, are there any other qualifications/certifications that should be considered?


Thanks guys/gals.

[Ghost Frog]

They're all good quals to have, but it's equally important to get experience to go with them. If you're not alreay working within the industry then do some voluntary work or something to prove you can actually do the job.

A+ is a good solid foundation for pc support and is always fairly well respected. Also look at Network+ from CompTIA to move it into networking.

MCSEs have a variable reception. There was a glut of people doing them a few years ago, so everybody whinges now about 'paper MCSEs' who had just learnt things by rote to pass the exams. The Windows2000 path is harder, though, so this might disappear.

CCNA seems to attract the highest salaries, but it's fairly specialist stuff, so you might be cutting your options down somewhat.

If you're into Open Source stuff you might want to look at Linux certifications, as this is growing rapidly. Also, there are fewer networking jobs around than there used to be, so you might want to look at development qualifications instead, e.g. MCSD, etc.

[hongkongfuey]

I'd agree - MSCE's seem to be getting rarer these days, but I'd still rather have someone with experience than a 'paper qualification'. (My paper qualification is MCSE NT4 which I'm going to update to 2003 this year!)

Security qualifications can earn big bucks. Cisco's CCNA and SANS GIAC are both well respected.

[xplasma]

I'd agree - MSCE's seem to be getting rarer these days, but I'd still rather have someone with experience than a 'paper qualification'. (My paper qualification is MCSE NT4 which I'm going to update to 2003 this year!)

Security qualifications can earn big bucks. Cisco's CCNA and SANS GIAC are both well respected.
The last MSCE I meet was my ex-girlfriend's uncle. He spent over an hour trying to convince me that Windows is programmed COBOL, that COBOL is used for all major programs in industry. DOS is not an operating system but a programming language. He has never heard of this the language C. Unix's text interface is based on DOS. That UNIX is programmed in COBOL, no one used this new "Linux OS." Then he went on a rant becuase i said that no-one teaches COBOL anymore that the only COBOL code left was legacy code. He ended with with saying that I will never get a job because I don't know COBOL. I actaully told this story on the job interview of the job I hold.

What reminded me of this very funny encounter, what that his MSCE was in NT4. Now asking another MSCE NT4, HongKongfuy is that what you are taught, or is this guy a lone MSCE idiot?

[hongkongfuey]

Errr... I'd rather not say!

.................................................. ...OK then, he's an idiot!

[Greg-VT]

Sounds like your hiding somthing HKF :p.

Thanks guys.

[hongkongfuey]

Nah - just trying to be polite.