IT Certifications and Careers (Official Discussion Thread)

[tofuspeedstar]

Finally movin' on up within my workplace. Promotion got signed off on..moving to Exchange Engineering. woo.

But recruiters keep calling offering roles that pay $20-25k more than I make now...makes me wonder if I should make a move.

 

[Splash]

Finally movin' on up within my workplace. Promotion got signed off on..moving to Exchange Engineering. woo.

But recruiters keep calling offering roles that pay $20-25k more than I make now...makes me wonder if I should make a move.

Depends, if the role will have you learning more in the direction you want to end up then fvck your current guys

Recruiters will come with alot of bs so they get that cheque tho

 

[↓R↑LYB]

Finally movin' on up within my workplace. Promotion got signed off on..moving to Exchange Engineering. woo.

But recruiters keep calling offering roles that pay $20-25k more than I make now...makes me wonder if I should make a move.

I've been doing contract work most my career so I say go for it. Contracting is how I hit 200k

 

[FastEddie215]

Breh, if you want to never have to worry about that, become the top in your field. I'm at a level in my career where the company is always afraid to lose me. Get your MCSE and learn everything you can about AD. AD DS, AD LDS, AD FS, AD CS. Throw some Exchange and SCCM knowledge in there and you'll have recruiters in your inbox on the regular offering 55-65/hr.

Plus that easily transitions into a Security Architect role.

I notice you say that you have your mcsa mcse as well as your ccna ccie cissp. Is there any reason why you decided to play both sides of the field? Im assuming that allows you to make more money as a consultant? Im only asking since i have my MCSA 2012 now and you are saying with an MCSE you can make 55-65/hr. I know im all over the place but I basically want to know would getting the cisco certs benefit me now or should i just wait until I complete the MCSE?

 

[Splash]

I've been doing contract work most my career so I say go for it. Contracting is how I hit 200k

How long you been in the field?

Contracting is like my end goal. Ive only got CCNA so not enough to get them bucks yet.

Im thinking MSCA but people always telling me if you aint working with servers at the moment its too hard. True of flase?

 

[↓R↑LYB]

I notice you say that you have your mcsa mcse as well as your ccna ccie cissp. Is there any reason why you decided to play both sides of the field?

I don't have my MCSA, I was planning to get it back during MCSE 2003 days but decided to focus on security instead. I do have a lot of experience on the Windows and networking side. Both interested me so I decided to learn both. I have my CCNP Security and CISSP.

Im assuming that allows you to make more money as a consultant? Im only asking since i have my MCSA 2012 now and you are saying with an MCSE you can make 55-65/hr.

Certs don't really make you more money. Your technical skills/experience does. Certs are just a validation that you know a certain skill set. If you want to make 55-65/hr, then you need to have a 55-65/hr skill set. Look up jobs that pay that much and see what skills they require. Here's some sample job descriptions I got contacted about recently.

Pay Rate: $100/hr on W2

Job Description:
Senior level consulting position responsible for Active Directory designing, implementing, operation and delivering of custom business solutions.

Technical Skills:
·Active Directory Administration
·Single sign on configuration
·ADFS
·SSL

Pay rate: $65/hr on w2
Project Description:
Microsoft Active Directory Administrator supporting Transition & Transformation organization including the architecture and build out of an enterprise Active Directory environment and ensuring its performance availability, problem management resolution of issues and security compliance of systems for production readiness. This will be a customer facing role and will require strong communication skills. Candidate should know how to use Quest tools for migration tasks.

Skills Required:
The IBM Active Directory team requires a strong Active Directory SME to provide subject matter expertise in the implementation, support, and maintenance of Active Directory and its associated support tools (Quest ARS, Quest GPMC, custom support tools) solutions for a commercial customer. The Groupware Active Directory SME provides the knowledge, experience, and tools necessary to assure that quality commercial solutions are delivered effectively from transition / transformation through the hand off phase of steady state support. Successful candidates will have a broad knowledge of Active Directory infrastructure support, as well as knowledge in Quest migration tools. This account may require up to 50% travel during the first two months. In this customer facing role, the ideal candidate will possess the skills to collaborate effectively with other steady state support towers in defining technical processes that can be extended, improved, and repeated for the customer.

·Active Directory 2008
·End to End migrations
·Use of Quest Migration tool suite

Pay Rate $70-80/hr on w2
Technical knowledge and experience

Demonstrated subject matter expertise in one or more areas:

•Active Directory, Enterprise directory, DNS, DHCP, AD LDS, FIM, OIM, Windows, Linux/UNIX, Virtual Directories, Federated systems, gateway technologies, and other security and access technologies.

•Knowledge of how to apply these technologies across security zones, domains and forests.

•Demonstrated knowledge and experience with identity and access management principles and systems on an enterprise scale.

•Demonstrated ability to conduct stakeholder engagements, gather requirements, and translate to functional and design specifications for solutions in this these areas.

•Experience in building standard operating procedures and processes

•BA/BS in Computer Science, MIS or Information Technology or equivalent experience.

•Minimum of 5 years of direct or equivalent relevant experience (projects, technologies)

•5+ years in a leadership capacity

Pay Rate: 60-70/hr on w2
Active Directory Engineer with focus on AD Security

• Expert Level understanding of Active Directory Groups
• Hands on knowledge of Microsoft Windows Server (including 2012 r2, 2008 r2, and 2003, including Active Directory, NAS Shares, and Linux/Unix permissioning
• Ability to ACL NAS and WFS shares as needed for Group Migration remediation
• Working knowledge of powershell(or similar) and ability to write simple queries and commands to create and delete groups and generate reports as needed.
• Effectively share technical knowledge through the delivery of technical operating documents that support the AD Group Migration process.
• Solid grasp of what SID History is/used for.
• Able to communicate at various levels of technicality and business
• Able to self-manage ticket queue
• Serve as escalation point for support and troubleshooting for AD Group Migration issues.
• Improve existing processes through solutions to recurring problems and enhancements to existing
• solutions or documentation.
• Provide operational management of the RBAC (Role Based Access Control) security model Allstate’s
• Information Security team has implemented within Active Directory.
• Develop and improve the RBAC model.
• Develop relationship with key stakeholders to implement additional granulation of role permissions e.g.
• Windows Storage Team
• Respond to any questions, queries or issues related to AD groups/premissions
• Perform AD group migration troubleshooting and remediation on a roll-forward model
• Work with all key stakeholders including AD Infrastructure, Access Entitlement Management & Security
• Governance.
• Manage and maintain privileged permissions across new Organizational Units structure AD.
• Manage and maintain associated Group Policy that support RBAC model
• Audit changes to accounts, group policy, and other changes to AD RBAC Model.
• Work with Security Governance to update and develop the existing Super User recertification process
• to include changes implemented as a result of AD RBAC work.
• Work with all key stakeholders including AD Infrastructure, Access Entitlement Management & Security Governance.
• Effectively sharing technical knowledge through the delivery of technical operating documents that
• support the AD RBAC process.
• Troubleshooting AD issues, especially
• Serves as escalation point for support and troubleshooting for AD group permission issues.
• Improve existing processes through solutions to recurring problems and enhancements to existing
• solutions or documentation.

As you can see they all ask for AD experience. Get a solid understanding of all the AD roles (AD CS, DNS, AD DS, AD FS, AD LDS) and you're 75% of the way there. If I were you, I'd invest in a computer with at least 16GB of ram and a quad core CPU (shouldn't cost more than $800) and I'd setup a lab. Learn how to install AD, manage objects, migrate domains, create trusts, master GPOs, deploy AD FS, AD FS, learn how AD and DNS works, etc. If you're focused in about 6-12 months you'll have your MCSE and enough hands on knowledge/experience to start getting jobs that pay $55-65/hr (assuming you have at least 5 years experience).

Add in some other skills to build on top of it like Exchange, SCCM, CISSP, etc; and you'll have recruiters blowing up your cell every 10 minutes.

I know im all over the place but I basically want to know would getting the cisco certs benefit me now or should i just wait until I complete the MCSE?

If you want to make the most money the quickest, focus on the Windows/AD side since you already got your MCSA. If you just want to learn then go for both. If it were me, I'd focus on the money

 

[↓R↑LYB]

How long you been in the field?

Contracting is like my end goal. Ive only got CCNA so not enough to get them bucks yet.

Im thinking MSCA but people always telling me if you aint working with servers at the moment its too hard. True of flase?

I got 10 years experience. Get the certs that will take you to where you want to go in your career. Whether you're on the server or network side is irrelevant. They both pay extremely well. You just gotta make sure you learn the right skills to get you to the higher pay rates.

If you're on the network side, get your ccie and master the ios front to back.
If you're on the windows side, get your mcse and learn AD front to back.

Either way you're

 

[FastEddie215]

As you can see they all ask for AD experience. Get a solid understanding of all the AD roles (AD CS, DNS, AD DS, AD FS, AD LDS) and you're 75% of the way there. If I were you, I'd invest in a computer with at least 16GB of ram and a quad core CPU (shouldn't cost more than $800) and I'd setup a lab. Learn how to install AD, manage objects, migrate domains, create trusts, master GPOs, deploy AD FS, AD FS, learn how AD and DNS works, etc. If you're focused in about 6-12 months you'll have your MCSE and enough hands on knowledge/experience to start getting jobs that pay $55-65/hr (assuming you have at least 5 years experience).

Add in some other skills to build on top of it like Exchange, SCCM, CISSP, etc; and you'll have recruiters blowing up your cell every 10 minutes.



If you want to make the most money the quickest, focus on the Windows/AD side since you already got your MCSA. If you just want to learn then go for both. If it were me, I'd focus on the money

when you say at least 5yrs experience do you mean 5 yrs in I.T as a whole? Or do you mean 5 yrs experience working with servers? Because as if right now all i have is 2 yrs experience at Helpdesk.

And yea since i already have my MCSA I'll just focus on the windows/AD side of things. I want that paper asap

 

[↓R↑LYB]

FINALLY after THREE YEARS. CCIE!! I did it brehs!!!!!!! Im ballin right now. don't stop the hustle brehs

Congrats breh, you're inbox about to blow up for real

 

[↓R↑LYB]

when you say at least 5yrs experience do you mean 5 yrs in I.T as a whole? Or do you mean 5 yrs experience working with servers? Because as if right now all i have is 2 yrs experience at Helpdesk.

And yea since i already have my MCSA I'll just focus on the windows/AD side of things. I want that paper asap

5 years total. Just have a plan and continue to grow. Setup a few VMs and start learning about AD and finish up your MCSE.

 

[FastEddie215]

5 years total. Just have a plan and continue to grow. Setup a few VMs and start learning about AD and finish up your MCSE.

Damn thats good to know.

 

[↓R↑LYB]

Damn thats good to know.

You got 3 years breh, get to work

 

[FastEddie215]

You got 3 years breh, get to work

 

[Apollo Creed]

Gonna re do my resume this weekend so I can easily add this stuff I`m learning in school to my technical skills. I already had a solid resume it's just formatted like a Non IT resume, which I assume makes it easy to toss out.

 

[tofuspeedstar]

Depends, if the role will have you learning more in the direction you want to end up then fvck your current guys

Recruiters will come with alot of bs so they get that cheque tho

They do from what's been described. It's just kinda tough to leave my current company just due to the sheer size and number of internal opportunities available here (Fortune 10)

I've been doing contract work most my career so I say go for it. Contracting is how I hit 200k

Damn, these are both full time gigs they offered too. Both on the west coast though. But I'd love to be at $120-150k before 30. That's my goal. I'm 26 now.