Certifications Recommended

[LLUDA]

Hey one an all i am new to the site just seeking some advice, thing is want advance in the tech field however college is out at least for now, i know of A+ and other comptia courses, also MSCE etc. Can i get some advice as to the path i can take to get to a great level of competence where i can make a decent living. I feel comfortable sitting these short courses and my current can only support that type of study (if mi scrimage) i love the field but money short. I did a one year PC technician course at Vector Technology back in 1999 an i havent been in the field since i just do freelance, build a few pcs here an there an run some repairs but i really want to go forward any Good advice is truly appreciated

[rodalembs]

Well....the aim must be to get the most rounded skills as possibe. The question has been asked and anwsered in diffrent ways. However be aware of at least this:

1) Get to understnad the nature of the local technolgoy market and what are the skills that employeers are looking for.

2) Follow trends and read read read... (Security is on everyones lips these days)

I encourage persons to get a degree because for me a university education opens up you ability to think logically and have a apptitude for research (this will help definitely on the job)

But certfications.

A+,Network+,Server+ - Good Basic Core
MCSE/CCNA - The Must Haves. (or atleast the MCSA)
LPI - to round out your basic certification skiill set.

The decision to go further is yours. With the MCSE you can go on to specialize in Security or Messaging. With CISCO there are a host of other certifications with the "holy grail" being the CCIE. Nevertheless being a CCNP is not such a bad thing :-). Staying vendor neutral is also good and with the securtiy push many persons are focusing on the SCNP and the CISSP. Truth be told let certification be an ends to a means.

[death_knight]

in spite of recent news i may be following this path

[BlackCryptoKnight]

Hey one an all i am new to the site just seeking some advice, thing is want advance in the tech field however college is out at least for now, i know of A+ and other comptia courses, also MSCE etc. Can i get some advice as to the path i can take to get to a great level of competence where i can make a decent living. I feel comfortable sitting these short courses and my current can only support that type of study (if mi scrimage) i love the field but money short. I did a one year PC technician course at Vector Technology back in 1999 an i havent been in the field since i just do freelance, build a few pcs here an there an run some repairs but i really want to go forward any Good advice is truly appreciated

Seriously start planning go to Univesity and do a first degree. It may not be in the immediate future, but don't make it wait too long. Your chance of getting a good job increases when you have a degree. So does your earning potential. So my advice is:

1. Start saving your money. Look at investment options like govt. paper, tax
free investments, Credit Union, the stock market etc. Talk to a good
financial advisor who can guide you as to how best to save toward your
goal of going to going to University. Also remember that student loans are
available. Your education is the best investment you can make.

2. For the short term, do the certifications that you can get most easily.
Since you already did a PC technicians course, with a little self study, you
can take the A+ certification. Get some good books and practice. Do
certifications in areas that are marketable. Do a mix of vendor neutral and
vendor specific certifications. Most places use Microsoft products, so it's
in your best interest to be familiar with them as well as alternative
products.

3. As rodalembs said, look at the trends. Look in the job section in the papers
and see what employers are looking for. Call some companies and find out
what vacancies they have and what skills they are looking for. Then see
how you can develop those skills. Right now, PC repair, networking, system
administration (Windows and UNIX/Linux), Database administration,
programming (web, database, Access, C etc.) are the areas that are most
marketable in Jamaica right now. Security is starting to pick up. Use
the information to make good strategic choices in your skill development.

4. Join professional organizations such as IEEE Computer Society (http://http://www.ieee.org/organizations/society/comp.html) or the Jamaica Computer Society (http://www.jamaicacomputersociety.org). Joining TechJamaica.com was a good move too :eusa_clap

5. Try to learn something about business. Read the business articles in the
papers. Talk to business people. Try and understand how different
businesess work, and how IT fits into the picture. Understand how
customers think. Understand what it is that companies want. This will
help you whether you work for someone or do things on your own.

[BlackCryptoKnight]

As for specific certs:

1. A+ is a basic. Go get it.
2. Network+ or CCNA. CCNA needs renewal after 3 years while Network+ is valid for life. CCNA is vendor specific (Cisco) while Network+ is vendor neutral. If you will be working with Cisco equipment, then CCNA may give you an advantage.
3. Do some operating system certifications - WinXp, Win2K3, Linux+ or LPI
4. Do a security cert - Security+ or SCNP (http://www.securitycertified.net/)
5. Learn to write some programming code or scripting. It can come in very handy. Checkout C/C++, Perl, Java, PHP, VBScript.

[bluwulf]

Hey one an all i am new to the site just seeking some advice, thing is want advance in the tech field however college is out at least for now, i know of A+ and other comptia courses, also MSCE etc. Can i get some advice as to the path i can take to get to a great level of competence where i can make a decent living. I feel comfortable sitting these short courses and my current can only support that type of study (if mi scrimage) i love the field but money short. I did a one year PC technician course at Vector Technology back in 1999 an i havent been in the field since i just do freelance, build a few pcs here an there an run some repairs but i really want to go forward any Good advice is truly appreciated



U can also check out theze links for more info.



2004 Salary Survey
Job Market (http://tcpmag.com/salarysurveys/article.asp?EditorialsID=262)

CCNA Numbers (http://tcpmag.com/salarysurveys/article.asp?EditorialsID=253)

Security Certification Resource Guide (http://certcities.com/resources/security/download.asp?id=1027)




To certify or not to certify??? (http://security-forums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6963)


Certification: Exploring RHCT Certification (http://www.unixreview.com/documents/s=8472/ur0309a/)


Certitification: An Updated Look at Certifications (http://www.unixreview.com/documents/s=8472/ur0308a/)


Novell Linux Training (http://www.novell.com/linux/linux_cert.html)