Venist

This site is extremely useful for gathering information on certs/education. But if you feel uncomfortable around a pirate environment (not saying the whole site is pirated stuff) then I suggest you don't go there.

Other then that the community is very nice and helpful.

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After a bad day at work this made me laugh

Venist

True it does help at starting out. At the same time if you don't like labor I suggest this lol. Last year I was doing steel fabrication and I was the "step and fetch" as they put it or the mule. The funny part about this is, I BUILT the Best Buy down the street from here before I left that job. Even funnier then that is the fact that I have been in there twice and I've NEVER in my life had such great customer service =p. I guess thats a drop in a big bucket though.

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After a bad day at work this made me laugh

RoddimusPrime

I have a degree and I can vouch for and say certs are still nice to have, but experience is king. So if it takes a cert to get low to medium end job, in which it does in many cases in the economy and world we live in today, then do it.

I still plan on getting my CompTIA+ this year though I feel the test is largely bogus and not relative to most of the actual work and knowledge used. It is somewhere to start though.

On a side note with Tech. jobs... most places I know want Temp. or Contract jobs in their area unless it is a large corp. and they need an internal IT staff. More and more work is also outsourced. But, there will always be IT tech. jobs because people are needed on hand for an assortment of things. Just be willing to go through some hoops or pick a good area for employment.

DarkNite

Ok so to rap things up for my particular case:

I'm almost 15 and am really really into computers. For sure ill end up working in the computer industry. If I want to have an A+ cert, I just need to buy the books, study and take the exam (150$) and pass? That's it? Then I can work at BestBuy?

Thanks

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steamID:giga_ubuntu ajoutez-moi

GodofGrunts

No, there are two exams you need to take. To work at Best Buy you would need 220-601 (the "essentials") and the 220-602 IT (there is like 5 different kinds of 220-602 you want the IT one)

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Looking for a Folding at Home GUI installer? Look no further.

keith27

The A+ CompTIA book I have is fairly up to date. It touches on, HDMI, DVI, SATA, PCIe...loads more. Quite modern actually.

The tests were revised in 2006 with this new type where you have to take 2 different ones. Much better IMO.

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Electircal Engineering Student

losttsol

I'm still going to start out getting A+ Certified, then go from there. I have a geology degree and work in the environmental field, but computers are more interesting to me. A friend of mine went to ITT Tech and works for Infineon making chips. I always thought he had a cool job, but he said working in a clean room can be a pain. I used to ask him for RAM, but they don't make the good stuff apparently. Anyways, I would rather get a job with hardware somehow eventually. Luckily, I make decent money now (although not as much as I should), so I can study in my spare time and not be in a hurry. What other certs would be good for working on PC's, Servers, etc...? I should probably go towards networking type stuff.

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Death of my Mobo

keith27

There is A+ Server that's decent for server work. Few more that are a bit more targetted.

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Electircal Engineering Student

HatesFury

Normally you'll see IT broken down into 5 different disciplines.

Technician - not as low level as it sounds. My company has 4 levels of technician, and level 4 tech's make more than admins because they're hands on with $200,000.00 servers. Base level tech tech jobs generally require A+ or 2+ years of experience in IT. The higher levels want you to be a "IT Jack" and have experience with servers, networks, etc etc.

Sys Admin - You run the servers, handle access to system resource, etc. COMPTia Server+ might land you an entry level job here, but most companies will be looking for MCSA (M$ Certified System Associate) or MCSE (M$ Certified Systems Expert). Also getting experience or certifictions in Novell and\or Sun will look great on your resume as most companies have blended servers (Nix + M$).

Network Admin - Just like it sounds, you administer the network. You configure all routers, switches, vlan, etc for the network, and if you work for a big company you're often involved in building out new centers, upgrading old one. Lots of fun. CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) CCNP (" " " Professional) CCIE (" " Internetwork Expert), Network+, and Security+ are the types of education expected for this job. CCNP and CCIE are several years of study to get, CCNA Net+ and Sec+ are good starting points.

Architect\Management - A growing field with most modern companies needing to move to virtuilization to save space, power, and heating\cooling. You plan how the network will grow (or shrink) what equipment to use, how to intergrate the equipment etc. Cisco offers a Network Architect certifiction (HARD) which will help you land this job. IT Management is just like management in any other field, and requires the same type education\experience, as well as good working IT Knowledge.

Developer\TQA - This is pretty much self explainatory. You either write software, of you break what others have written (Technical Quality Assurance) and help them fix the code before it's rolled out to the end user. Here you'd just pick the language you'd like to be working with, and get certified in it.


Hope that helps anyone who's interested.

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The harshest insult ever given on the OCN forum:

losttsol

Yes, thanks for your input HatesFury. I know the developer stuff doesn't interest me because my two semesters of C++ just about sent me to the insane asylum. I think becoming fluent in Ancient Greek would be easier. Technician would be fun. I like hands on work, building and fixing systems. Funny how in my mid-thirties I want to learn a new trade, but that's life I guess.

My job is kind of cool, I mean all these people who think "going green" is the wave of the future. I've been doing stuff to help the environment at work since I got out of college. While someone is buying their Prius (that still uses gasoline, duh), I'm overseeing diesel fuel being pumped off the water table beneath the defunct gas station next to their house. Then I'll be back at the office thinking of ways to upgrade and overclock my crappy Dell that they gave me. I'm in the wrong business I tell ya.

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Death of my Mobo