IT Certifications and Careers (Official Discussion Thread)

Scott Larock

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Learn everything you can at your current gig doing helpdesk...go above and beyond the helpdesk stuff...ask the admins there some stuff...see if you can get some hands on work to do at work...

Hit the torrents...get VMware workstation, load up some OS's and test some shyt out. I see you have a Windows 7 cert, so you will need to get at least 1 or 2 certs in whatever discipline you are trying to get into.

And prepare to probably have to find another job. It is very hard to go from helpdesk to admin at your current job. Unfortunately most companies hire you to do the job they hire you for, and they want you to do that job forever. I've worked at half a dozen places and the place I work at now is the first place that actually wanted to promote people, and even that is sort of dying off now, cause everyone is working in a position for 6 months to a year and is like "i want a promotion".


As far as pay, that depends on what you get into. The smaller the field the larger the pay, since their is less competition for the jobs. Going to be hard to make good money as a Windows Admin, since it is pretty easy to acquire the skills needed to be a windows admin.

Yeah helpdesk is hell, but that should motivate you to get on your grind and get out of it. I here Comcast is a very shytty place to work in general so it is probably doubly bad for you.

Get vmworkstation, get that bootleg copy of W2k8 and W2k12, and grind. You should come out alright.

After I get the CCENT with the A+ what can I expect to make a hour and what title?
 

duckbutta

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After I get the CCENT with the A+ what can I expect to make a hour and what title?

What you make an hour is dependent on your title, not your certs. A+ and CCENT are help desk / desktop level certs, so you will probably make whatever the helpdeks / desktop rate is where you live.

Focus more on the experience and learning than the certs. The only certs I studied for was my VCP and VCAP. Everything else, I just had so much day to day hands on experience that I was just able to go and take the test.

Good luck.
 

Scott Larock

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What you make an hour is dependent on your title, not your certs. A+ and CCENT are help desk / desktop level certs, so you will probably make whatever the helpdeks / desktop rate is where you live.

Focus more on the experience and learning than the certs. The only certs I studied for was my VCP and VCAP. Everything else, I just had so much day to day hands on experience that I was just able to go and take the test.

Good luck.

Where you stay at in Dallas? I was thinking of moving out there for more opportunity. Little Elm, Forth Worth area
 

duckbutta

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Where you stay at in Dallas? I was thinking of moving out there for more opportunity. Little Elm, Forth Worth area

Yeah Dallas has a really strong IT job market. If you get into Unix, Virtuliazation, and Storage you can eat very well out here. Dallas as a city is also pretty cheap so that six figure salary can go a LONG way out here.

It starts to thin out a bit the closer you get to Forth Worth. Fort Worth is littered with a bunch of local and community colleges that need admins though, so it is a good place to cut your teeth. I know some guys who are working as some admins for some Everest Campus and they pretty much have free range to do whatever.

Our around Dallas Tollway, Las Calinas, you start getting into lots of Cisco and Microsoft campuses.

It's also VERY contract driven though. You won't have a hard time finding work, but it might take awhile to get a permanent full time gig. IT is like that everywhere though.
 

Scott Larock

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Yeah Dallas has a really strong IT job market. If you get into Unix, Virtuliazation, and Storage you can eat very well out here. Dallas as a city is also pretty cheap so that six figure salary can go a LONG way out here.

It starts to thin out a bit the closer you get to Forth Worth. Fort Worth is littered with a bunch of local and community colleges that need admins though, so it is a good place to cut your teeth. I know some guys who are working as some admins for some Everest Campus and they pretty much have free range to do whatever.

Our around Dallas Tollway, Las Calinas, you start getting into lots of Cisco and Microsoft campuses.

It's also VERY contract driven though. You won't have a hard time finding work, but it might take awhile to get a permanent full time gig. IT is like that everywhere though.

:upsetfavre:I'm in Miami now

and this place ain't the best :mjlol:

and these dudes mimic rap videos:takedat:

so I'm trying to do something new but I'm not a young dude, mid 30's... I spent 10 years in logistics so I'm naturally a blue collar guy and I'm switching over to IT or at least hoping.
 

Scott Larock

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:upsetfavre:I'm in Miami now

and this place ain't the best :mjlol:

and these dudes mimic rap videos:takedat:

so I'm trying to do something new but I'm not a young dude, mid 30's... I spent 10 years in logistics so I'm naturally a blue collar guy and I'm switching over to IT or at least hoping.
'
these Florida American black men might just be the slowest nikkas on the planet.
 

se1f_made

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I love when this thread jumps a couple pages :blessed:
Yea I havent really been reading up on this thread but I see the usuals @bdizzle @Chris.B @duckbutta etc. still dropping science :obama:. Just got done with learning Exchange 2010 and now its on to the next one (Exchange 2013). After that its VMware. @FreshFromATL planning on moving to the A in August. Need some connects breh:smugbiden:
 

el_oh_el

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Yea I havent really been reading up on this thread but I see the usuals @bdizzle @Chris.B @duckbutta etc. still dropping science :obama:. Just got done with learning Exchange 2010 and now its on to the next one (Exchange 2013). After that its VMware. @FreshFromATL planning on moving to the A in August. Need some connects breh:smugbiden:
Damn 2013 :ohhh:
Here at my job we use and manage a BUNCH of 2010 servers with some 07 sprinkled in..but we use outlook 2013. Are there any significant differences?
 

se1f_made

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Damn 2013 :ohhh:
Here at my job we use and manage a BUNCH of 2010 servers with some 07 sprinkled in..but we use outlook 2013. Are there any significant differences?
Huge difference. First its based on the Server 2012 architecture so the interface is totally different. Second, this shyt is 80% command line so if youre not familiar with Powershell:ufdup:... u better start getting familiar
 

el_oh_el

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Huge difference. First its based on the Server 2012 architecture so the interface is totally different. Second, this shyt is 80% command line so if youre not familiar with Powershell:ufdup:... u better start getting familiar
fukk..I know some commands but I do most of my work in the console
 
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