career path certification question?

S

Spike..

Gawd
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Feb 16, 2006
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My employer has offered to pay for me to get any of the following certifications. The only catch is I have to sign a 2 year non competion clause. I'm actually very happy where I work so the clause is a non issue to me, but if I'm going to go to the trouble of getting some extra certs which of these would you it experts be looking for if I change my career path to a more networking/it oriented route.

o Network+
o Security+
o MCTS/MCITP/MCM
o SQLServer Certification

I have to do the training on my own time but they will pay for the study materials +the testing and there's a nice raise in it for me. Any advice is much appreciated.
 
Depends on what area you are thinking of moving into. Most of those would just be your basic certs.

Network+ is just basic network stuff like IP/subnets, routing....

Security+ is your basic security stuff

MCTS/MCITP/MCM are Microsoft certs. MCTS is just a basic I know this product cert, MCITP is their tech support cert (below the MCSE/MCSA level), MCM would cover all areas of Microsoft server technology SQL, Lync, active directory, sharepoint, exchange

and of course a SQLserver certification would be over SQL


So which cert you get all depends on what you currently do now and would direction you would like to go. If you only do networking stuff and only want to go into networking then getting certified in SQL isn't going to help you just like how a network+ cert isn't going to be helpful for a DBA.
 
Spike, wow, you are approaching this all wrong.

Most of these certs are the lowest level there is. Your employer paying is actually only about $200. Is that worth a 2 year non compete?

Network+ is obviously about networking.
Security+ is obviously about security. Is this where you want to go?

The MCITP is not necessarily a "tech support" cert. It is the 2008 track equivalent of the MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) certification. Basically passing any 2008 track Microsoft test will get you MCITP certified. What really matters is what gets tagged on AFTER the MCITP. Such as Exchange Administrator, Virtualization Administrator, Enterprise Administrator, etc.

Is systems administration where you want to go? So far all 3 of these certs take you on 3 entirely different career paths.

And MCM? Really? You're getting ahead of yourself.

And again, SQL? Is that were you want to go? Do you like SQL? Do you like coding, scripting, programming, database admin?

If you really want to go the networking route skip the Network+ and have your employer buy you a couple of the $50 ICND1 and ICND2 CCNA books and give you about 1 hour per day at work to study/read the books. Then when you feel ready go and take the CCNA tests.
 
Any of the CompTIA tests can be passed with self-study as can most MS tests... don't see any point in signing a non-compete for cheap, entry level certs.
 
Obviously you need to decide what it is you like/want to do and focus on that. The signing the non compete thing is great for the employer because they've got you locked in now for two years, not so great for you if a nice offer comes along from another company, your stuck. If you want to go into security for example, the best cert to go for is the CISSP, that will open lots of doors for you and raise your salary, however you need to have several years experience in security or security related work, so its something to consider for the future. The MS exams are a good start for general networking, and as someone mentioned, its what you specialize in after the basic MS exams that counts, whether its Exchange, Virtualization or SQL. Virtualization is also something to consider, VMWare has their own certifications as does Microsoft. Lots to think about, but yeah, the non compete is not a good idea for you, so really think about that one, typically in a company where an employer wants that, they will offer to send their employee on training that costs thousands of dollars, all your employer is offering is to pay a few hundred for the exam fees, you study on your own time, are they even paying for the books/materials? Not such a great offer.
 
Right.
If the employer would be willing to pay to send you on a 1 or 2 week long CCNA bootcamp or something then requesting a 1 or 2 year retention period is not unreasonable.
However saying they will get you a $50 book, and pay for a $200 test but expecting you to be loyal for 2 years seems a bit odd.
 
If they make you sign a non-compete, I hope you're ready to bend over when it's time for a raise!
 
cyr0n_k0r said:
Spike, wow, you are approaching this all wrong.

Most of these certs are the lowest level there is. Your employer paying is actually only about $200. Is that worth a 2 year non compete?

Network+ is obviously about networking.
Security+ is obviously about security. Is this where you want to go?

The MCITP is not necessarily a "tech support" cert. It is the 2008 track equivalent of the MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) certification. Basically passing any 2008 track Microsoft test will get you MCITP certified. What really matters is what gets tagged on AFTER the MCITP. Such as Exchange Administrator, Virtualization Administrator, Enterprise Administrator, etc.

Is systems administration where you want to go? So far all 3 of these certs take you on 3 entirely different career paths.

And MCM? Really? You're getting ahead of yourself.

And again, SQL? Is that were you want to go? Do you like SQL? Do you like coding, scripting, programming, database admin?

If you really want to go the networking route skip the Network+ and have your employer buy you a couple of the $50 ICND1 and ICND2 CCNA books and give you about 1 hour per day at work to study/read the books. Then when you feel ready go and take the CCNA tests.
Click to expand...

MCITP is the 2008 equivalent of the MCSE. You're thinking about the MCTS. That is the new version of the MCP. One test = MCTS in a particular technology. MCITP is a series of tests.
 
It related news...going to complete my MCITP:SA in one hour! (edit: Hopefully!)

First off (and this depends greatly on your job and company) but I don't even think a non-compete clause is relevant in IT support - which these exams are suggesting. How would you ever compete with another company? Unless you worked for a service provider (SAAS or IT Support or something) and immediately spun off your own business I could see that but otherwise you are not going to be able to compete directly with any company. The contract seems frivolous to me and you can probably sign your 2 years away without an issue.

That said, like everyone else mentioned, the first two are pretty basic exams that are inexpensive.
If you were getting signed up for 5 day classes and taking MCITP path exams (2,3,4, even 5 tests to complete) then you are looking at some serious cost and time and that is where a company would not be happy when you turn around and quit after completing it. But that would be more of a burning bridges scenario.
 
shabazkilla said:
MCITP is the 2008 equivalent of the MCSE.
Click to expand...
Wrong.
The "MCITP" is not the MCSE.
The MCITP:Systems Administrator is the new MCSA
And the MCITP: Enterprise Administrator is the new MCSE

As I mentioned, it is what comes AFTER the MCITP that makes the difference. The MCITP is just a way to say you've passed 1 or more microsoft tests on your way to a full certification such as the SA or EA.
 
Wow [H] has some night owls I didn't expect to see so many results so fast. Thanks in advance for all the help/feedback.

shiznit said:
What is your current role and what would you like to do in the next couple of years?
Click to expand...

I'm a copier technician I typically deal with hardware. The extent of my network duties are setting up scanning via smb,FTP or scan to email. I also get to deal with our faxcore servers (servers that allow you to FAX directly to/from your PC) the company I work for is ramping up network services, so we will be managing anything from small networks to networks that cover a couple states. I will have a group of people I can call on if I need help. Eventually I want to shift over to a more software oriented job. Maybe something like I.T. support in a hospital/business. And to that end I'm curious as to what they would be looking for on a resume. I'm certified to work on several manufacturer lines of machines, and have taken college level computer classes back in high school. So I am very comfortable with the basic networking stuff and even some web design. I just look at this push toward network certifications as an oppertunity to get a raise and some free certifications.


Is systems administration where you want to go? So far all 3 of these certs take you on 3 entirely different career paths.

And MCM? Really? You're getting ahead of yourself.

And again, SQL? Is that were you want to go? Do you like SQL? Do you like coding, scripting, programming, database admin?

If you really want to go the networking route skip the Network+ and have your employer buy you a couple of the $50 ICND1 and ICND2 CCNA books and give you about 1 hour per day at work to study/read the books. Then when you feel ready go and take the CCNA tests.
Click to expand...

Those were just some certs they were looking for and since I'm pretty ignorant as to what an it pro would be looking for on a resume I figured I'd ask some. Basically I'm looking for a cert that has some substance to it that I can complete in a reasonable amount of time. What exactly does the CCNA tests cover?
 
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Spike.. said:
Eventually I want to shift over to a more software oriented job.
Click to expand...
Like what? Programming? Application support?

Spike.. said:
Maybe something like I.T. support in a hospital/business. And to that end I'm curious as to what they would be looking for on a resume.
Click to expand...
The same thing that any other business would be looking for from an IT support tech. Experience. Special applications can always be learned on the job.

Spike.. said:
and have taken college level computer classes back in high school.
Click to expand...
When?
Spike.. said:
Basically I'm looking for a cert that has some substance to it that I can complete in a reasonable amount of time. What exactly does the CCNA tests cover?
Click to expand...
The CCNA certainly has substance to it. However you don't sound like you really want to do networking. It sounds like you might enjoy more some Microsoft tests since it seems you want to do more systems admin stuff from the way you talk.

I suggest you really read up on the certs you want.
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-overview.aspx#tabcerttracks
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/le2/le0/le9/learning_certification_type_home.html
 
Lots of good thoughts here for the OP. My suggestion based on your current position would be to choose a couple certs that are of interest to you. Doing certs (the right way) takes a lot of time and effort and I think that you will find that if you do a cert because it will look good on a resume or because that's what all the job postings want right now, then people usually either just brain cram to get it done (and not really get much out of it) or lose interest part way through the prep and never finish it.

A few years ago when i entered the IT field I wasnt really sure what area of IT I wanted to pursue. So I did the A+ and Network+ Certs in my spare time just to expand my knowledge and gain some experience. I dont regret doing these at all even though most people might classify them as "basic certs". Best of luck.
 
metallicafan said:
Lots of good thoughts here for the OP. My suggestion based on your current position would be to choose a couple certs that are of interest to you. Doing certs (the right way) takes a lot of time and effort and I think that you will find that if you do a cert because it will look good on a resume or because that's what all the job postings want right now, then people usually either just brain cram to get it done (and not really get much out of it) or lose interest part way through the prep and never finish it.

A few years ago when i entered the IT field I wasnt really sure what area of IT I wanted to pursue. So I did the A+ and Network+ Certs in my spare time just to expand my knowledge and gain some experience. I dont regret doing these at all even though most people might classify them as "basic certs". Best of luck.
Click to expand...

There is nothing wrong with getting those certs. You need to start some where. Just don't think that getting A+ is going to make you know everything to start making $150,000+ a year as a senior level sys admin. Go into it knowing that you are taking an exam that is the stepping stone to a bunch of other exams if you really want to go down that path.
 
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