MCSE vs CCNP

[jamster2004]

I have A+, Net+, and CCNA certs under my belt thus far.I also have a diploma in I.T. However i have no working experience in the I.T field. If i am looking to get a foot into the I.T field, which do you think would be more beneficial cert to obtain at this point CCNP or MCSE?

[crazeeplayer]

I have A+, Net+, and CCNA certs under my belt thus far.I also have a diploma in I.T. However i have no working experience in the I.T field. If i am looking to get a foot into the I.T field, which do you think would be more beneficial cert to obtain at this point CCNP or MCSE?

hard to say.... sad reality is none of them... what counts is who you kno...... u could have a million abbreviation behind your name it doesnt mean a thing unless you know persons who can hire you or put in a word for u.....

because for example you can know someone who has a lot of talk in company A. he might put in a word for u, get u in and then u do the certs..... when u have the certs and u dont know anyone sad fact is that you are going to be stuck....... as i am quickly finding out.

[don_corleone]

those certs mean nothing without real world experience..

if you have the means to get them then sure... but keep working on some job links

[jamster2004]

wow things sticky. look like me have to go try get one of the corrections officer work

[jamster2004]

but you know what let me start on here. anyone on here who is a network consultant i'l be happy to volunteer my services on weekends and maybe some evenings. just say when

[jamrock]

I have A+, Net+, and CCNA certs under my belt thus far.I also have a diploma in I.T. However i have no working experience in the I.T field. If i am looking to get a foot into the I.T field, which do you think would be more beneficial cert to obtain at this point CCNP or MCSE?

MCSE. Without the experience you will need to start at a lower salary in order to get the experience.

I am curious. Is there anyone on the forum who has a MCSE and can't get a job?

[khat17]

As has been said above - but with a little expansion - it depends on what you want. The MS certs are good to have and pay OK - the Cisco certs are good to have and pay very well. None of them pay well locally IMO. You should only do the Cisco certs if you plan to work on the Cisco equipment - makes no sense to have a certification that you have to keep up every 3 years and not be using it. Ensure the company either going pay you enough to renew or pay for you to renew it.

With those certs put out your resume and say that you have the papers but looking for experience so you will take entry level things until. Then once you're inside the company you can look for upward mobility.

[jamrock]

Megamart Wholesale Club has an ad for a system administrator in today's Gleaner. Qualifications include MCP and CCNA or equivalent.

Look at the list of job functions. Most of them have to do with the daily maintenance of a network. Heavy on the MCP and A+ skills and light on the CCNA skills. This is normal for the typical Jamaican company. Megamart has several locations and is bigger than many local companies.

This is the point I am trying to make.

[Darpacheif]

I have A+, Net+, and CCNA certs under my belt thus far.I also have a diploma in I.T. However i have no working experience in the I.T field. If i am looking to get a foot into the I.T field, which do you think would be more beneficial cert to obtain at this point CCNP or MCSE?

In my opinion you could employ one strategy - First you need to get a job, any job with a company that has uses computers. You should identify problems that can be resolved with the skill sets you have (A+, Net+ & CCNA). Get to know the IT staff & manager and try to get in, volunteer to assist with any project even if it's data entry: some experience is better than no experience. Cisco and Microsoft certs are great but you need to do your research to see what is in demand and what your interest is. I would go with the MS cert (MCITP).

Certs are important since they are internatonally accepted, they help and come in very handy what you are in a real world environment.

Keep applying for jobs even if they are asking for more than what you have, prepare for interviews, remember you have technical experience (your certs) which different from real world experience (some will disagree). Good luck.

[jamster2004]

Thanks for the info, i really appreciate it