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Headhunters and IT folks - Certifications?

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Subsonic Chronic

TRIBE Member
Well... I've been working here for a couple of years now, and still haven't taken advantage of the fact that the company will pay for just about any IT-related course that I would like to take.

It's time I get my ass in gear and start milking this opportunity for what it's worth. This is happening because I can't really find anything (still) that I would want to go back to University for, but I obviously don't want to be stuck where I am right now, 10 years down the line. IT work isn't too painful, and the pay is alright, but I can do a lot better than my current situation.

So I want to know what kinds of certifications or courses would most benefit me if I were to try and expand my horizons a little, which ones are more or less mandatory for a lot of the jobs out there... that kind of stuff. Anything from html to A+, to general networking... I'm trying to find out which ones are most worth taking.

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks!

Pete
 
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P

pr0nstar

TRIBE Member
A+ is always good to have I guess.
CNA if you want Novell
CCNA for Cisco Routers
MSCE if you wanna waste $$ ;)
RHCE if you like RedHat + Linux

pr0nstar
 
P

pr0nstar

TRIBE Member
As for courses, depends on what you want to follow.

I've taken a lot over the years... one I enjoyed the most was Introduction to Internetworking. Was about LAN/VLAN/WANs... TCP/IP the OSI, etc...

Others I've taken that were ok... but probably wont' apply to you unless you're Novell.

Z.E.N. Works
Z.E.N. for Servers
Windows Administration.

I've taken a bunch more, but they were stupid little Novell courses related to work, so you know...

Plus some of them were to touch on my CNA, I really should of went through and got my CNE, but too lazy.

pr0nstar :D
 
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P

pr0nstar

TRIBE Member
Say what you want about Novell, they still have the best File Servers on the Market IMO.

And "Active Directory" is just stolen from Novell's NDS ... and MS Still can't get it fucking right ;)

pr0nstar :p
 
S

SENSEi

TRIBE Promoter
Originally posted by pr0nstar
Say what you want about Novell, they still have the best File Servers on the Market IMO.

And "Active Directory" is just stolen from Novell's NDS ... and MS Still can't get it fucking right ;)

pr0nstar :p
Click to expand...

*cough* Market Share *cough*
*cough* Job Security *cough*
 
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P

pr0nstar

TRIBE Member
Well, I work for the Federal Gov't and all our file servers are Novell... so I'll stick with my CNA :p

But honestly I was going to get my MSCE one day ... and then they did the shit when all MSCE had to re-take their certs, like WTF?

How can you make people spend thousands on courses/tests and then say they're no longer valid!

As if MS doesn't already have enough money.

The only 2 Certs I'd ever go for these days is CCNA, RHCE...

pr0nstar
 
4

416

TRIBE Member
My opinion is that if you really want to stay in IT for a decent amount of time, you should start with programming. I don't know much about the various certification abrevs. that seem to change every 6 months, but I do know that you can always get work if you're a decent programmer.

edit: no offence to people with all sorts of those certification dealybobs... it's just my opinion.
 
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4

416

TRIBE Member
Oh, also.... mainframe action is worth considering. IBM mainframes run all sorts of java and unix based shit now and with babyboomers being the only people in the industry willing to even say the word mainframe leaving the industry in droves, it's a good place to be for the next 10 years.
 
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pr0nstar

TRIBE Member
Originally posted by 416
My opinion is that if you really want to stay in IT for a decent amount of time, you should start with programming. I don't know much about the various certification abrevs. that seem to change every 6 months, but I do know that you can always get work if you're a decent programmer.

edit: no offence to people with all sorts of those certification dealybobs... it's just my opinion.
Click to expand...

The only thing in IT that truly matters IMO.

Is experience, which really sucks for people coming out of courses/school/etc ...

I only think this, because I've been part of the hiring process, for Co-op, full-time employees, etc...

And I know my Manager throws out any application/resume with no experience... I've seen some resumes that would be impressive, but with no experience...

The problem with IT Certifications is any Bookworm can get them if they try hard enough and pay enough ;)

When I started my job I had absolutely no Novell experience, I was just an IT Geek with End User Support experience... within a year I was a CNA. Just because my boss said it would look better when I was applying for full time.

I'd like to eventually get my CCNA and CCNP even though we have no CISCO products ;) But more for my own personal experience.

pr0nstar
 
P

pr0nstar

TRIBE Member
Originally posted by Balzz
Lab-based exams = win. :cool:
Click to expand...

That's why I'm afraid of the RHCE.

I heard it's 2 days, 1st day you have to setup a Server, Workstation and Firewall...
2nd day you come in and they've broken it all.. and you have to trouble shoot all 3 machines... ouch!

pr0nstar :D
 
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B

Balzz

TRIBE Member
Originally posted by pr0nstar

I'd like to eventually get my CCNA and CCNP even though we have no CISCO products ;) But more for my own personal experience.
Click to expand...

Once you know Cisco inside and out, learning other manufacturer's products isn't difficult at all. Hell, a lot of companies license the IOS CLI. So far, I've been able to jump on to Extreme, Nortel, Avaya hardware effectively with no specific training.
 
B

Balzz

TRIBE Member
Originally posted by pr0nstar
That's why I'm afraid of the RHCE.

I heard it's 2 days, 1st day you have to setup a Server, Workstation and Firewall...
2nd day you come in and they've broken it all.. and you have to trouble shoot all 3 machines... ouch!

pr0nstar :D
Click to expand...

Modelled after the 2-day CCIE exam no doubt. I wonder how sneaky they get with the troubleshooting. Cisco's really strict on NDA now so I can't breathe a word of it...even though that section isn't in there any more.
 
H

Humanjava

TRIBE Member
Its all crap what everyone speaks. It really comes down to who you know. I have experience, Certs, etc, but all that matters is who you know. If you don't know anyone its hard to get to the next level and finish something like the CCIE with out getting hands on. So it really is kind of a catch 22. You need the Certifications to get the job even if you have the experience. If not you still have to know ppl.


Ask me why I have worked on networks for some of the largest companies, never having a problem, and today I don't get a call from anyone. Actually lets make that closer to three years. Meanwhile I hear young punks(not that I am old) getting jobs just because they knew someone, only to do a less than competent job.
 
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pr0nstar

TRIBE Member
I think Balzz did his hands out with his own Network setup ;)

Which I would love to do, but dont' have a grand or two laying around to purchase some Cisco Routers for home :p

pr0nstar :D
 
B

Balzz

TRIBE Member
Originally posted by pr0nstar
I think Balzz did his hands out with his own Network setup ;)

Which I would love to do, but dont' have a grand or two laying around to purchase some Cisco Routers for home :p

pr0nstar :D
Click to expand...

It's actually very difficult to gain the kind of hands-on knowledge you need to pass the CCIE lab with work experience. The problem is that the CCIE lab does NOT test best practice scenarios so unless you have a lab where you can really try some propellerhead stuff, and break things you never thought could be broken, you won't be able to prepare. What it does train you to do is to learn to look a few more steps upstream or downstream to identify problems in the real world and to understand how things work, or break when they come together. It was, and continues to be a very humbling experience; the more I learn, the more I realize I still don't know.
 
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