MCSE certification advice

Hello, I have a question about the use for these certifications like
the MCSE. I graduated from a 4 year university with a BS in Computer
Science and want to know if it would be worth my time and money to
work towards the MCSE and possibly an A+ certification. I have
currently found myself out of a job and noticing the trouble I am
having now finding a job and remembering the trouble I had a couple of
years ago when I had graduated, I am looking for ways to make myself
more marketable. Thanks for any advice.

chuck@gruversolutions.com

<> wrote in message
news: ups.com...
> Hello, I have a question about the use for these certifications like
> the MCSE. I graduated from a 4 year university with a BS in Computer
> Science and want to know if it would be worth my time and money to
> work towards the MCSE and possibly an A+ certification. I have
> currently found myself out of a job and noticing the trouble I am
> having now finding a job and remembering the trouble I had a couple of
> years ago when I had graduated, I am looking for ways to make myself
> more marketable. Thanks for any advice.
>

In all honesty, save your money.

CBIC

<> wrote in message
news: ups.com...
> Hello, I have a question about the use for these certifications like
> the MCSE. I graduated from a 4 year university with a BS in Computer
> Science and want to know if it would be worth my time and money to
> work towards the MCSE and possibly an A+ certification. I have
> currently found myself out of a job and noticing the trouble I am
> having now finding a job and remembering the trouble I had a couple of
> years ago when I had graduated, I am looking for ways to make myself
> more marketable. Thanks for any advice.

I'm sorry but we're not discussing certifications or jobs today. Today is
dedictated to Stella Liebeck. Please feel free to join in and ask your
off-topic question some other time.

Seriously, if you have a BS degree in computer science, you don't need certs
to get your foot in the door. Get a job with your degree, get experience,
then worry about certs.

Frisbee®

On Jul 25, 3:37 pm, "Frisbee®" <billLASTN...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> <ch...@gruversolutions.com> wrote in message
>
> news: ups.com...
>
> > Hello, I have a question about the use for these certifications like
> > the MCSE. I graduated from a 4 year university with a BS in Computer
> > Science and want to know if it would be worth my time and money to
> > work towards the MCSE and possibly an A+ certification. I have
> > currently found myself out of a job and noticing the trouble I am
> > having now finding a job and remembering the trouble I had a couple of
> > years ago when I had graduated, I am looking for ways to make myself
> > more marketable. Thanks for any advice.
>
> I'm sorry but we're not discussing certifications or jobs today. Today is
> dedictated to Stella Liebeck. Please feel free to join in and ask your
> off-topic question some other time.
>
> Seriously, if you have a BS degree in computer science, you don't need certs
> to get your foot in the door. Get a job with your degree, get experience,
> then worry about certs.

I did try to get my foot in the door, it took me 2 years to get a job,
then when I switched jobs after being in the one for a year, thinking
I was more of a programmer than a network/troubleshooting type, I got
fired at the end of the one year probationary period so I have to do
the whole search over again only this time I have 2-3 years experience
instead of 0-1 years collective experience. My search is getting to
the point that I am considering trying for some certifications or
going back to school to do a career change. I mean I enjoy working
with computers in a networking / troubleshooting capacity as opposed
to programming which was the job I got fired from at the end of the
probationary period (long story), but if I can't get a job I may as
well try something else or find some way to make myself more
marketable.

chuck@gruversolutions.com

> Seriously, if you have a BS degree in computer science, you don't need
> certs to get your foot in the door. Get a job with your degree, get
> experience, then worry about certs.

It's not what you know, it's who you know.

Jtyc

prattled ceaselessly in
news: ups.com:

> On Jul 25, 3:37 pm, "Frisbee®" <billLASTN...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> <ch...@gruversolutions.com> wrote in message
>>
>> news: ups.com...
>>
>> > Hello, I have a question about the use for these certifications
>> > like the MCSE. I graduated from a 4 year university with a BS in
>> > Computer Science and want to know if it would be worth my time and
>> > money to work towards the MCSE and possibly an A+ certification. I
>> > have currently found myself out of a job and noticing the trouble I
>> > am having now finding a job and remembering the trouble I had a
>> > couple of years ago when I had graduated, I am looking for ways to
>> > make myself more marketable. Thanks for any advice.
>>
>> I'm sorry but we're not discussing certifications or jobs today.
>> Today is dedictated to Stella Liebeck. Please feel free to join in
>> and ask your off-topic question some other time.
>>
>> Seriously, if you have a BS degree in computer science, you don't
>> need certs
>> to get your foot in the door. Get a job with your degree, get
>> experience, then worry about certs.
>
> I did try to get my foot in the door, it took me 2 years to get a job,
> then when I switched jobs after being in the one for a year, thinking
> I was more of a programmer than a network/troubleshooting type, I got
> fired at the end of the one year probationary period so I have to do
> the whole search over again only this time I have 2-3 years experience
> instead of 0-1 years collective experience. My search is getting to
> the point that I am considering trying for some certifications or
> going back to school to do a career change. I mean I enjoy working
> with computers in a networking / troubleshooting capacity as opposed
> to programming which was the job I got fired from at the end of the
> probationary period (long story), but if I can't get a job I may as
> well try something else or find some way to make myself more
> marketable.
>
>

You may need to start over at the bottom with a help desk or tech support
role. I don't know how difficult your long story will be to explain (I
have one myself <sigh>) or whether you can allow potential employers to
call your former employer (it looks really bad if you can't unless you are
actually still working for them).

--
Catwalker
MCNGP #43
www.mcngp.com
"Definitely not wearing any underwear."

catwalker63

[vecdid]

Whatever you do, stay away from Examsaver and interactive study solutions, these guys are a bunch of telemarketing scammers. They will take your money and send you a 60$ book and a bogus cd.

vecdid

[brownj00]

I think the answer is really "it depends". Anybody tells you different they are overlooking something or have a specific agenda or they just want to vent.

The best way to get a job really is networking your contacts. People skills being somewhat lower on average for the IT industry however, so that usually falls on deaf ears. How many good contacts did you acquire? That's part of managing your career. Good ref's too.

But... for certs. The real answer is it can't hurt. It's not so much that it impresses technical people- that's mixed at best. The important aspect is that it impresses the HR and Hiring People. Okay, doesn't impress them but lets them check the box and move your resume to the "next" pile rather than the trash can. It proves different things to different people. Same is true by the lack thereof. Same is true in general about degrees, veteran status, etc.

Now, as a veteran with a degree, several certs and 20 years in IT... it still depends. Some people will still pass me up because I don't have the "right certification".

Different kinds of positions have different weights for preference for degree vs. cert. There are more programming and DB certs than there used to be etc. A $100k DB Guru specs out differently than a $50k PC Support job.

For entry level support jobs I think certs weigh more than a degree. 1-3 yrs is entry level in my book. Both together make a strong case.

I think the jist of the question is "is it worth the investment". Time. Money. That depends on you. Why didn't you get the certs when you had income? I know, I know! I have all the same excuses. How much can you afford the books and the tests. Can YOU learn just from books and pass the tests (and hopefully retain it)? I can, many can't. Do you have lab gear? An extra PC and a switch is cheap these days. Can you afford something like cbtnuggets (positive plug) for online learning, or do you have gads of cash to waste on classroom training? Do you have or Can you swipe a copy of Exchange or whatever to run in a lab for testing? i.e. technet. How much would it cost YOU to do it, and can you afford it?

Be VERY careful about training materials, there are a lot of parasites out there that want your money an are not worth it.

I haven't changed jobs lately (6 yrs) but my last 2-3 changes were always a solid offer from just 1-2 interviews. I think many jobs are categorized as looking for 1. degree and/or 2. certs and/or 3. experience. MANY jobs consider one or more of those a MUST.

If you have 5-6 interviews and you haven't gotten any offers or real nibbles, you are less competitive than you want to be. Something is missing. Are you matching against the right positions? Don't troll for a programming job if you aren't a good programmer, etc. Do you interview poorly? Find out what's making you less competitive and fix that. If it is CERTS, that's relatively easy to fix!

In this kind of situation, my knee jerk reaction would be to say if you can put $1-2k on credit cards for training and certs DO IT. But that ignores all kind of variables with you, your area, etc.

You could actually call THREE headhunters in your area and ask their opinions. They know the market and area and the jobs you are looking for and can give you a much better steer than some forum. You know... the advice you got from your friends when you were a teenager was usually worth what you paid for it! But be careful, lots of parasites there too.

brownj00