IT Certifications and Careers (Official Discussion Thread)

Data-Hawk

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What did you use to study? Didnt realize it was 150 per test lol


When I was going for the MCSA( 1 exam short of the title ), I always used Microsoft books( Microsoft press training kits ), if I remember correctly, they have a ton of labs.






Also Pluralsight is probably the best training site out there.
 

krexzen

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I redid my resume and plan on sending it to all the places with the crazy qualifications like you guys said, just wanna know if there is anything else I can touch up on :lupe:.
P5lgAHr.png


Is this for an internship or full-time position? If full-time which role are you leaning towards (Systems, Network, or Security)? You might want to clear this up in your summary. IMO casting a wide net doesn't always net results. It usually adds confusion for the hiring manger.

I would remove RIP (I've only seen it used on very very rare occasions such as legacy circuits), and "router on a stick" ( cool for a novice home lab but not in a production environment). Also, any hiring manager is gonna pull a :skip: when reading "ability to build a basic network.... and building larger networks with more network devices". They are going to want clarity. Where or how did you gain this ability? At minimum, I would hope you at least have a home lab. I say all of this based on your graduation date and your omission of work experience. For networking you might also want to mention which vendor or product line you are familiar with. I'm assuming Cisco. It'll provide more validity towards your knowledge. Otherwise, I might assume you read an intro to networking book for class and embellished your "ability to build networks"

If you put it on your resume, make sure you can explain it during the interview. Most interviewers will go through each bullet of your resume (especially if you come across as inexperienced). For example, you may get asked to explain how a TCP connection is established and the process for obtaining a DHCP lease. That's why its best to choose the words on your resume carefully.

P.S. Remove the "studying" from your Summary section.
 

AyBrehHam Linkin

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Is this for an internship or full-time position? If full-time which role are you leaning towards (Systems, Network, or Security)? You might want to clear this up in your summary. IMO casting a wide net doesn't always net results. It usually adds confusion for the hiring manger.

I would remove RIP (I've only seen it used on very very rare occasions such as legacy circuits), and "router on a stick" ( cool for a novice home lab but not in a production environment). Also, any hiring manager is gonna pull a :skip: when reading "ability to build a basic network.... and building larger networks with more network devices". They are going to want clarity. Where or how did you gain this ability? At minimum, I would hope you at least have a home lab. I say all of this based on your graduation date and your omission of work experience. For networking you might also want to mention which vendor or product line you are familiar with. I'm assuming Cisco. It'll provide more validity towards your knowledge. Otherwise, I might assume you read an intro to networking book for class and embellished your "ability to build networks"

If you put it on your resume, make sure you can explain it during the interview. Most interviewers will go through each bullet of your resume (especially if you come across as inexperienced). For example, you may get asked to explain how a TCP connection is established and the process for obtaining a DHCP lease. That's why its best to choose the words on your resume carefully.

P.S. Remove the "studying" from your Summary section.




This is for a Help Desk, Desktop Support or other entry level position. I have work experience on the resume but forgot to add it on the snippet. i'm studying cisco completed too

thanks for the suggestions changes will be made:salute:
 
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JayStarwind

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Think I'm going to thug school out for a year; stopped giving a fxck last year and haven't been back since October. The local college is now offering an AS in Computer and Network Security. I've already completed 25%, pre-reqs, and it should take me a year to finish. Going to have to pay cash for the first semester-and-a-half though since I fxcked my grades up :francis:
 

kevthesureshot

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What are some things I can do to gain experience while I'm studying for A+? I've seen some things about taking apart and building a PC. That's possible for me to do on my own time at home. My main concern is trying to get some hands on experience while studying and working.
 

Prodyson

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Any suggestions on routes to take for someone who is less interested in hardcore tech and wants to head into Project Management.

I have a degree in Management Information Systems. Been in the workforce for about 6 years. I'm currently a systems analyst (for just over two years now) for a Benefits Outsourcing company. Trying to figure out my next steps. I don't know any hardcore coding languages and don't really care to learn any as I'm just not interested in that life. I'm proficient in SQL, but that's about it. And of course I don't have the project hours to sit for the PMP exam yet.

Any suggestions?
 

Apollo Creed

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Any suggestions on routes to take for someone who is less interested in hardcore tech and wants to head into Project Management.

I have a degree in Management Information Systems. Been in the workforce for about 6 years. I'm currently a systems analyst (for just over two years now) for a Benefits Outsourcing company. Trying to figure out my next steps. I don't know any hardcore coding languages and don't really care to learn any as I'm just not interested in that life. I'm proficient in SQL, but that's about it. And of course I don't have the project hours to sit for the PMP exam yet.

Any suggestions?

I`d assume you have been through an entire SDLC/ Project Implementation from state to finish right? Just word your resume about how you managed things and provided oversight and things like that. Most people in IT do a few PM task and just dont know it.
 

Prodyson

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I`d assume you have been through an entire SDLC/ Project Implementation from state to finish right? Just word your resume about how you managed things and provided oversight and things like that. Most people in IT do a few PM task and just dont know it.
Yes... multiple. That's actually the majority of my job at this point. Implementing small to large project throughout the year. But the issue is my company is very compartmentalized. So I have no experience in the overall project planning or handling of budgets, which a lot of these PM jobs seem to be looking (the budget part). They just give you a project or a portion of the project with timeline... and you do it.
 

Apollo Creed

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Yes... multiple. That's actually the majority of my job at this point. Implementing small to large project throughout the year. But the issue is my company is very compartmentalized. So I have no experience in the overall project planning or handling of budgets, which a lot of these PM jobs seem to be looking (the budget part). They just give you a project or a portion of the project with timeline... and you do it.

gotcha, in my last role I did PM stuff since I was the lead on projects, even though there was a PM that handled the actual client billing. Being that I was the one who assigned hours to people on the projects, I had some sort of idea how the billing correlated to the hours, and of course in interviews they won't ask you to give company financials. So I would probably word your resume to include things about how projects were implemented on time and in budget since the two some what correlate.
 

lightskin jermaine

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any information systems/ cyber security business majors?

we're having a career fair next week and i'm looking for a internship, entry level position. i don't have much experience since i'm going into my junior year but was wondering if any of you have experience with the following employers: CGI, PricwaterhouseCoopers, Sirius Computer Solutions, Tesor, The Rand Group.

i'd like to go fedreal and find a pathway if possible. i don't think the local base recruiters will have a table this year.
 

Prodyson

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any information systems/ cyber security business majors?

we're having a career fair next week and i'm looking for a internship, entry level position. i don't have much experience since i'm going into my junior year but was wondering if any of you have experience with the following employers: CGI, PricwaterhouseCoopers, Sirius Computer Solutions, Tesor, The Rand Group.

i'd like to go fedreal and find a pathway if possible. i don't think the local base recruiters will have a table this year.

Two questions... are you black and what area are you from? When I was in school as an information systems major I got an interview at GE for a Leadership Development Program. Found out about it at a career fair for black tech professionals. The one I went to was in Raleigh.
 

Prodyson

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any information systems/ cyber security business majors?

we're having a career fair next week and i'm looking for a internship, entry level position. i don't have much experience since i'm going into my junior year but was wondering if any of you have experience with the following employers: CGI, PricwaterhouseCoopers, Sirius Computer Solutions, Tesor, The Rand Group.

i'd like to go fedreal and find a pathway if possible. i don't think the local base recruiters will have a table this year.

Tip: Find a program that you like and mention it in your resume. Like "looking for opportunity in Leadership Development Program" and have a separate resume for each program you're interested in.

I found it...it's Black Data Processing Associates. I ended up getting contacts with HP, Deloitte and GE. Got an interview with GE as I mentioned before. I really wish I would have gotten that job. Great pay, 6-month rotations and they teach you so much in your time there, you're set. But I wasnt prepared for it. They flew all of the candidates out to Wisconsin and had a two day thing. I was competing against other students from Marquette, Duke, UNC, NC State, Vandy.... and I went to little HBCU that most people haven't heard of. I was intimidated like hell. Even interviewed with the CIO. But it was a great experience and it made my other interviews much easier.

The next conference is in Atlanta in August. If you're close by I'd suggest you go. Also, I'm not sure if you're Computer Info Systems or Management Info Systems, but make sure you learn at least one hardcore programming language. It will go a long way for an Info Systems major, especially for those HR recruiter that dont really know anything that think you need knowledge that you don't to do the job.
 

lightskin jermaine

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Two questions... are you black and what area are you from? When I was in school as an information systems major I got an interview at GE for a Leadership Development Program. Found out about it at a career fair for black tech professionals. The one I went to was in Raleigh.
Yea I'm black and in Texas. Austin is the closest tech city that'll probably have a career fair similar to the one you went to. Hopefully we have one here at my school.

And I'm currently focusing on management IS. Appreciate the info fam.
 

GoGetMyDamnBelt_

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FYI for anyone who's just starting out in IT but don't know even the basics..

I purchased this book from amazon and it helped when I first started studying IT. It established a base for me before I started studying up on some certs.
 

TRFG

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Tip: Find a program that you like and mention it in your resume. Like "looking for opportunity in Leadership Development Program" and have a separate resume for each program you're interested in.

I found it...it's Black Data Processing Associates. I ended up getting contacts with HP, Deloitte and GE. Got an interview with GE as I mentioned before. I really wish I would have gotten that job. Great pay, 6-month rotations and they teach you so much in your time there, you're set. But I wasnt prepared for it. They flew all of the candidates out to Wisconsin and had a two day thing. I was competing against other students from Marquette, Duke, UNC, NC State, Vandy.... and I went to little HBCU that most people haven't heard of. I was intimidated like hell. Even interviewed with the CIO. But it was a great experience and it made my other interviews much easier.

The next conference is in Atlanta in August. If you're close by I'd suggest you go. Also, I'm not sure if you're Computer Info Systems or Management Info Systems, but make sure you learn at least one hardcore programming language. It will go a long way for an Info Systems major, especially for those HR recruiter that dont really know anything that think you need knowledge that you don't to do the job.

can international students studying in the US join?
 
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