IT Certifications and Careers (Official Discussion Thread)

[acri1]

Passed the 802 today and now I finally got the A+

But what should be my next move? I have no experience and the A+ is my only cert. How should I go about getting that first IT job? And what cert should I go for next? Was thinking about Network+ but I see a lot of people in here saying it's useless.

I'd say go for the Net+, it's not useless at all. And the stuff you'll learn would be useful in a job anyway.

But the main thing is to start applying for jobs so you can get some experience. Start looking for helpdesk/desktop support/pc tech/etc jobs in your area and start applying. If you know anybody who works in IT, ask if they know anybody hiring. If you're in college, see if anybody in the IT dept knows about any jobs. Your at a point right now where your main concern should be getting some experience.

 

[Double J]

I'd say go for the Net+, it's not useless at all. And the stuff you'll learn would be useful in a job anyway.

But the main thing is to start applying for jobs so you can get some experience. Start looking for helpdesk/desktop support/pc tech/etc jobs in your area and start applying. If you know anybody who works in IT, ask if they know anybody hiring. If you're in college, see if anybody in the IT dept knows about any jobs. Your at a point right now where your main concern should be getting some experience.

Yeah I guess getting some experience should be my primary concern. I'll start applying but would some place like Geek Squad be suitable for gaining experience? cuz their always hiring in my area.

And I was thinking about skipping Network+ and going straight for the CCNA but you think getting the Net+ first would be the better move?

 

[Ice_MF_Mike]

Passed the 802 today and now I finally got the A+

But what should be my next move? I have no experience and the A+ is my only cert. How should I go about getting that first IT job? And what cert should I go for next? Was thinking about Network+ but I see a lot of people in here saying it's useless.

Education, certs, experience. rinse repeat. find a job. and start studying for the next cert. and while your at it, setup a home lab and get some experience with some of this stuff. Thats your next step.

 

[Scott Larock]

Thinking about taking the ccna at my local community college, as opposed to self study with no routers or switches.

What do you think? The college will give me a certificate and at least the equipment and labs are there or go the self study route.

 

[Ice_MF_Mike]

Thinking about taking the ccna at my local community college, as opposed to self study with no routers or switches.

What do you think? The college will give me a certificate and at least the equipment and labs are there or go the self study route.

if you got the loot do it. or if you know you cant focus on your own. otherwise, cop the sims and do it yourself.

 

[Scott Larock]

You wouldn't advise taking it at your local CC? What about the job assistance?

 

[Luken]

you learn something everday....

http://www.pcworld.com/article/210197/how_to_print_securely.html

 

[kevm3]

I have a question for the programmers in here. I know a lot of yall say programming is pretty much an entirely different field than IT. so I were interested to get into programming, what route should I take?.....I know for IT guys it's all about certing up. but what about programmers?.....seems like all these jobs look for computer science majors. they wanna know you've been taught by experienced people. is it all about just creating a portfolio of your work and shopping it around?.....I just wanna know what's the best way to get your foot in the door on a programming career, as opposed to regular IT.



also, could anybody recommend the best programming book(s) for a complete beginner who just wants get started on the basics

If you go for programming, find out if you like it first because it's nothing you can fake. Start at codecademy.com and play with some of the different languages by going through the various courses and see which one sticks. The language you choose depends on what you're trying to do. Java and C# are great for general applications, especially desktop. If you're doing 'front-end' web development, html/css/javascript is necessary... server-side web development can be ruby, javascript, php, java, C#, etc.

 

[((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL]

If you go for programming, find out if you like it first because it's nothing you can fake. Start at codecademy.com and play with some of the different languages by going through the various courses and see which one sticks. The language you choose depends on what you're trying to do. Java and C# are great for general applications, especially desktop. If you're doing 'front-end' web development, html/css/javascript is necessary... server-side web development can be ruby, javascript, php, java, C#, etc.

Aight cool. I was leaning towards Networking just cause I heard its not as challenging as programming. For me it ain't just about money. As long as I'm making 50k Ima be happy. So I always shied away from programming. But now I'm at the point where I'm like nah....stop trying to take the easy route every time. Challenge yourself and maybe you'll end up loving it.

But just wondering, what's your current job title?.....have you been able to land a programming job yet?

 

[NeverBePeace]

Anybody work with interfaces?

 

[semtex]

Anybody work with interfaces?

be more specific, that could mean a lot of things

 

[kevm3]

Aight cool. I was leaning towards Networking just cause I heard its not as challenging as programming. For me it ain't just about money. As long as I'm making 50k Ima be happy. So I always shied away from programming. But now I'm at the point where I'm like nah....stop trying to take the easy route every time. Challenge yourself and maybe you'll end up loving it.

But just wondering, what's your current job title?.....have you been able to land a programming job yet?

I don't have a programming job yet, but I'm giving myself a few more months to hone my skills before I start pursuing employment in that field heavily. I don't want to enter into the field and start fumbling around. I've been focusing on web development with Javascript, HTML, and CSS. It's all about love. I tried the IT thing, but I just find that I don't care about computer repair, and I doubt I would really get into networking. I've always wanted to learn to program, so I stuck it out this time. Test it out, and the key I can tell you is that if you like it, stick it out. There will be a lot of times you have no idea what is going on and it seems confusing, but if you stick it out, it will eventually make sense.

 

[NeverBePeace]

be more specific, that could mean a lot of things

Well I work at a hospital and they synchronize messages between different systems with their interface engine. Wondering if this kind of interface work exists outside of the hospital environment or if it's hospital specific experience?

 

[The Tanzanian Prince]

@kevm3 props for the link to codecademy.com. this thread has been very eye opening. this programming thing looks like something i could do for fun

 

[kevm3]

@kevm3 props for the link to codecademy.com. this thread has been very eye opening. this programming thing looks like something i could do for fun

No problem. Go through the different tracks and find which language sticks to you. Javascript was the one that worked for me. The key with programming is to stick with it and realize that you'll pick up knowledge gradually that will make confusing subjects clearer down the line.