«

Hi,

I'm a Junior in High School and I have the opportunity to take an
independent study in a computer subject because my school does not offer any
computer classes that challenge me.

I have been helping out my school districts IT Department for 6 years now,
and I was just wondering if this would be a good place for me to start?
(With the MCDST Cert.)

Any feedback would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Ryan,
It depends on your interests. I do not want you to waste time and money
on A+, Network+, or MCDST if you are interested in programming or web
development. Information Technology is a broad field. Let us know what
interest you have.

Michael D. Alligood
MCSA, MCDST, MCP, A+,
Network+, i-Net+, CIW Assoc.,
CIW Certified Instructor

"Ryan" <> wrote in message
news:34B15B9B-4F57-4C27-8FA1-:

> Hi,
>
> I'm a Junior in High School and I have the opportunity to take an
> independent study in a computer subject because my school does not offer any
> computer classes that challenge me.
>
> I have been helping out my school districts IT Department for 6 years now,
> and I was just wondering if this would be a good place for me to start?
> (With the MCDST Cert.)
>
> Any feedback would be appreciated!
>
> Thanks!

Hi, Michael,

I really am not interested in programming or web development, considering I
like to work with people one on one.

The type of work I have been doing for the school district varies, but most
of it involves hands on involvement in showing the end user how to fix a
problem, and how to prevent it in the future.

I set up machines, do software installations / upgrades, troubleshooting, etc.

Hopefully this helps you in answering my question.

Thanks!

"Michael D. Alligood" wrote:

> Ryan,
> It depends on your interests. I do not want you to waste time and money
> on A+, Network+, or MCDST if you are interested in programming or web
> development. Information Technology is a broad field. Let us know what
> interest you have.
>
> Michael D. Alligood
> MCSA, MCDST, MCP, A+,
> Network+, i-Net+, CIW Assoc.,
> CIW Certified Instructor
>
> "Ryan" <> wrote in message
> news:34B15B9B-4F57-4C27-8FA1-:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm a Junior in High School and I have the opportunity to take an
> > independent study in a computer subject because my school does not offer any
> > computer classes that challenge me.
> >
> > I have been helping out my school districts IT Department for 6 years now,
> > and I was just wondering if this would be a good place for me to start?
> > (With the MCDST Cert.)
> >
> > Any feedback would be appreciated!
> >
> > Thanks!
>
>

"Ryan" <> wrote in message
news:A798EDA1-0681-429A-A756-...
> Hi, Michael,
>
> I really am not interested in programming or web development, considering
I
> like to work with people one on one.
>
> The type of work I have been doing for the school district varies, but
most
> of it involves hands on involvement in showing the end user how to fix a
> problem, and how to prevent it in the future.
>
> I set up machines, do software installations / upgrades, troubleshooting,
etc.
>
> Hopefully this helps you in answering my question.
>
> Thanks!

In th case, I think MCDST is a good start. Since you already have some
experience (perhaps a lot, I don't know), you should do fine with some
studying. After that certification, I would start going after MCSE.

Jonathan

If I were your mentor, I would start you with the A+ and Network+
certifications. This will give you the foundation you need to move
forward. Then move into MCP and MCDST. If you want to perform server
administration, then achieving your MCSA would be advisable as well. If
you are interested in designing, securing, and troubleshooting domain /
enterprises companies, then an MCSE would be advisable. However once you
enter this realm, unless you are the only guy in the I.T. department,
you will not be dealing with the end users too much (i.e. setting up
machines, upgrades, etc.) I know tons of MCSEs that do not know how to
change out a NIC; much less troubleshoot a desktop PC.

If you like the end users troubleshooting, desktop environment more than
the server side of things, that is cool. I enjoy this as well. What I am
trying to get at is this: Do not waste your time and money on
certifications if you do not plan on using the knowledge. Knowing about
Active Directory, Exchange, or SQL will not help you troubleshoot end
user computers. I want you to get the education you need without you
thinking you have to get all of these certification to be successful.

Michael D. Alligood

"Jonathan Roberts" <> wrote in message
news:empeGn6$:

> "Ryan" <> wrote in message
> news:A798EDA1-0681-429A-A756-...
> > Hi, Michael,
> >
> > I really am not interested in programming or web development, considering
> I
> > like to work with people one on one.
> >
> > The type of work I have been doing for the school district varies, but
> most
> > of it involves hands on involvement in showing the end user how to fix a
> > problem, and how to prevent it in the future.
> >
> > I set up machines, do software installations / upgrades, troubleshooting,
> etc.
> >
> > Hopefully this helps you in answering my question.
> >
> > Thanks!
>
> In th case, I think MCDST is a good start. Since you already have some
> experience (perhaps a lot, I don't know), you should do fine with some
> studying. After that certification, I would start going after MCSE.
>
> Jonathan

Hello again, Michael,

Thank you for your feedback. I am going to persue the MCDST first, and then
move to some other certs.

I already have the first book for 70-271 by Ms Press. I am going to follow
the book, etc, and review with the cd that came with the book. Will the
self-paced training book and the review cd help me pass the exam?

From what I've read so far in the book I knew already...

Any suggestions on how to accomplish the exam, studying tips, etc would be
appreciated.

Ryan

"Michael D. Alligood" wrote:

> If I were your mentor, I would start you with the A+ and Network+
> certifications. This will give you the foundation you need to move
> forward. Then move into MCP and MCDST. If you want to perform server
> administration, then achieving your MCSA would be advisable as well. If
> you are interested in designing, securing, and troubleshooting domain /
> enterprises companies, then an MCSE would be advisable. However once you
> enter this realm, unless you are the only guy in the I.T. department,
> you will not be dealing with the end users too much (i.e. setting up
> machines, upgrades, etc.) I know tons of MCSEs that do not know how to
> change out a NIC; much less troubleshoot a desktop PC.
>
> If you like the end users troubleshooting, desktop environment more than
> the server side of things, that is cool. I enjoy this as well. What I am
> trying to get at is this: Do not waste your time and money on
> certifications if you do not plan on using the knowledge. Knowing about
> Active Directory, Exchange, or SQL will not help you troubleshoot end
> user computers. I want you to get the education you need without you
> thinking you have to get all of these certification to be successful.
>
> Michael D. Alligood
>
> "Jonathan Roberts" <> wrote in message
> news:empeGn6$:
>
> > "Ryan" <> wrote in message
> > news:A798EDA1-0681-429A-A756-...
> > > Hi, Michael,
> > >
> > > I really am not interested in programming or web development, considering
> > I
> > > like to work with people one on one.
> > >
> > > The type of work I have been doing for the school district varies, but
> > most
> > > of it involves hands on involvement in showing the end user how to fix a
> > > problem, and how to prevent it in the future.
> > >
> > > I set up machines, do software installations / upgrades, troubleshooting,
> > etc.
> > >
> > > Hopefully this helps you in answering my question.
> > >
> > > Thanks!
> >
> > In th case, I think MCDST is a good start. Since you already have some
> > experience (perhaps a lot, I don't know), you should do fine with some
> > studying. After that certification, I would start going after MCSE.
> >
> > Jonathan
>
>