IT Certifications and Careers (Official Discussion Thread)

[thaKEAF]

@patscorpio hey breh since I see you're online right now and off of IT got a quick question..

I'm getting my school registration stuff set up right now at a 2 year college..picked IT and they give me a few options for concentration

Which is the best to start off with?

 

[patscorpio]

@patscorpio hey breh since I see you're online right now and off of IT got a quick question..

I'm getting my school registration stuff set up right now at a 2 year college..picked IT and they give me a few options for concentration

Which is the best to start off with?

hmm to help you decide..which area interests you the most? that's how I based my decisions in the beginning of this IT stuff

 

[thaKEAF]

hmm to help you decide..which area interests you the most? that's how I based my decisions in the beginning of this IT stuff

To be honest, I just want to start with something that has the better upside as far as pay and job opportunities. I was looking at these two though they caught my eye from the descriptions:

http://catalog.southwest.tn.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=1&poid=56&returnto=47

http://catalog.southwest.tn.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=1&poid=54&returnto=47

 

[patscorpio]

To be honest, I just want to start with something that has the better upside as far as pay and job opportunities. I was looking at these two though they caught my eye from the descriptions:

http://catalog.southwest.tn.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=1&poid=56&returnto=47

http://catalog.southwest.tn.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=1&poid=54&returnto=47

in that case networking or application development programming would be for you...but damn near everyone starts off doing support first as you get your skills up..in terms of application development programing...but ive done a programming gig before..you have to love coding in order to really succeed in it

 

[thaKEAF]

Thanks alot breh I don't think built for that coding life at least not yet. I will try networking out.

in that case networking or application development programming would be for you...but damn near everyone starts off doing support first as you get your skills up..in terms of application development programing...but ive done a programming gig before..you have to love coding in order to really succeed in it

 

[Silky Johnson]

To be honest, I just want to start with something that has the better upside as far as pay and job opportunities. I was looking at these two though they caught my eye from the descriptions:

http://catalog.southwest.tn.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=1&poid=56&returnto=47

http://catalog.southwest.tn.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=1&poid=54&returnto=47

Go with the Networking joint because the other is basically A+, which is something that can be self taught with ease if you have the basic skills (troubleshooting process, knowledge of parts, etc). I would even get the basic core certs (A+, Net+, Sec+) while taking those classes while the information is fresh.

 

[thaKEAF]

Go with the Networking joint because the other is basically A+, which is something that can be self taught with ease if you have the basic skills (troubleshooting process, knowledge of parts, etc). I would even get the basic core certs (A+, Net+, Sec+) while taking those classes while the information is fresh.

Thanks. So how do you go about taking the tests to get your certs? That part I'm kinda cloudy on.

 

[Silky Johnson]

Thanks. So how do you go about taking the tests to get your certs? That part I'm kinda cloudy on.

First you gotta get nice on the practice exams. There are a lot of vendors out there but I personally had the most success with the MeasureUp joints:
http://www.measureup.com/All-CompTIA-Practice-Tests-C322.aspx
These are almost always as close to the real test as you can get so once you clocking a 90 or above consistently, you'll breeze through the real thing. You can either pay for them or find a torrent.

Once you finished studying, you can buy a voucher and schedule a test near you at a time that works best:

http://www.comptiastore.com/Articles.asp?ID=265&category=vouchers

 

[thaKEAF]

First you gotta get nice on the practice exams. There are a lot of vendors out there but I personally had the most success with the MeasureUp joints:
http://www.measureup.com/All-CompTIA-Practice-Tests-C322.aspx
These are almost always as close to the real test as you can get so once you clocking a 90 or above consistently, you'll breeze through the real thing. You can either pay for them or find a torrent.

Once you finished studying, you can buy a voucher and schedule a test near you at a time that works best:

http://www.comptiastore.com/Articles.asp?ID=265&category=vouchers

 

[RubioTheCruel]

To be honest, I just want to start with something that has the better upside as far as pay and job opportunities. I was looking at these two though they caught my eye from the descriptions:

It's a higher learning curve, but a good linux admin can make serious bank.

 

[Chris.B]

@patscorpio hey breh since I see you're online right now and off of IT got a quick question..

I'm getting my school registration stuff set up right now at a 2 year college..picked IT and they give me a few options for concentration

Which is the best to start off with?

Are you allowed to pick 2?

Take networking and Linux/UNIX.....you have opened yourself with 6 figures when you beast both...

Take it from a pro.

 

[thaKEAF]

Are you allowed to pick 2?

Take networking and Linux/UNIX.....you have opened yourself with 6 figures when you beast both...

Take it from a pro.

Not at the same time I don't believe. I could swing Linux at a technical school here afterwards though.

 

[ahomeplateslugger]

Never noticed this thread, and I haven't looked through it yet. Brief history on me, i've had alot bad recent history with universities. I basically should've received my bachelor's back in 2010, but was unable to finish my last year because of financial aid problems. Why am I in a IT Certs career thread, well basically i feel like i've wasted thousands of dollars and i'm unsure if a bachelor's in Criminal Justice is even worth it. Yesterday I checked out an IT school or whatever (PC Age) they offer a 9 month program and after that your certified with all the basic certs I guess. My question is should I just finish my Senior year at an university and get my B.A. in CJ or if I get all the certs (I think PC age offers like 7 or 8 of them) are there real opportunities out there? and is a B.A. in Computer Science necessary. I'm interested in being a network engineer.

you should research this more...what kind of certs and how much are they charging? don't you still have to take the certification test to get certified even if you complete a course at a trade school? i'm always fishy about these programs since this is stuff you can learn on your own. and forget about computer science since that deals more with programming.

as for your degree, it's not going to hurt you if you have it. I personally think you should finish the CJ degree since you're really close and you'll gain a sense of pride too. the network engineer at my job got his BA in music and the system engineer got his in nutrition so if you're looking to get a hands on job then a degree in something IT related isn't necessary, it's more about experience and certs to help you get that interview and then it's on you to show them that you're a good fit.

if i were you, i would knock that degree out and at the same time study for the A+ if you can and then look for a job to get your foot in the door.

 

[the bossman]

Never noticed this thread, and I haven't looked through it yet. Brief history on me, i've had alot bad recent history with universities. I basically should've received my bachelor's back in 2010, but was unable to finish my last year because of financial aid problems. Why am I in a IT Certs career thread, well basically i feel like i've wasted thousands of dollars and i'm unsure if a bachelor's in Criminal Justice is even worth it. Yesterday I checked out an IT school or whatever (PC Age) they offer a 9 month program and after that your certified with all the basic certs I guess. My question is should I just finish my Senior year at an university and get my B.A. in CJ or if I get all the certs (I think PC age offers like 7 or 8 of them) are there real opportunities out there? and is a B.A. in Computer Science necessary. I'm interested in being a network engineer.

if you're just 1 year away from getting a bachelors, then just finish it. you can easily do the other certs on the side on your own time.

 

[kevm3]

Something I'm finding important while doing this studying is to get out of the notion that you are 'studying for a test'. Focus on understanding what is happening on a fundamental level and try to get an idea in your head of what exactly is going on. If you focus on 'test taking', you start getting in 'memorization-mode', and there are so many facts in these books that you can get discouraged when you realize your brain isn't storing every single thing that you are reading.