I still think an MCSE is worth something - will show employers you're serious, especially at the "lower" end of the market, hell, even getting an MCP in Server/Workstation is a good start. Problem is its no longer a qualification you can rely on - I've seen some really bad MCSEs over the last few years and the qual has lost the high regard it was once held in about 7/8 years ago.
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MCSE + experience does help, getting MCSE to get you into the IT doesn't work. We employed an MCSE how couldn't manually map network drives.
The MCSE bootcamps dont help the situation, i've even heard of trainers sitting exams for students to get their guaranteed pass.
I personally think a few select MCPs go a lot further (e.g SQL, Active Directory, Exchange etc).Last edited by Ginger Tosser; 01-09-2004, 22:40.Comment
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I can't comment on whether you should get into I.T or not. I just like to say that some people here chat enough ****.
My brother set up his I.T Solutions Company a couple of years back with the backing of my old man after being in the industry for over 7 years. He was a trained Microsoft NT Engineer before the MCSE certification was introduced. He left a previous job to get MCSE certified because the NT cert became obsolete. My dad and my bro convinced me to get on it too and paid for my training. I got my Workstation, Server and Security certification and gave up there as I realised I.T wasn't for me (I realised this way before failing my tcp/ip exam which is proper difficult when you have no interest or motivation). I got MCP certified (by passing Server & workstation) easily enough by doing cram sessions on www.Brainbuzz.com. The other core exams required dedication which I didn't have, even though I knew how much the course was costing.
I was proper embarrased at my brothers behaviour on some the workshops, showing up tutors who couldn't even understand why he was on the Server and workstation the course. He basically sat thru these to make sure I passed my exams, but was really VERY little help because of his impatience.
Anyway... Between trying to set up business, and support himself, he didn't do all the exams and still isn't an MCSE. He does however, state he is an MCSE when doing contract work because that's what his client want to hear. The business is proper kicking off too.
"it ain't worth the paper it's written on" - wrong, its all about what you got on paper. It's a minimum requirement for loads of jobs. Sometime, having the title MCSE may not mean ****, especially when you've got very little to back it up with (other qualifications/experience) but in certain I.T fields it's an important qualification to have. Dismissing an application because you have the title MCSE is probably about the most pathetic thing I've ever heard.Last edited by Canton Province; 01-09-2004, 23:25.Comment
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The employers Ive spoke to dont really care about MCSEs at all but experience and attitude is all important, you can get an MCSE without touching a computer and in my last jobs there was people with MCSE qualifications who didnt even know how to map a network drive. Im not saying they are useless, far from it, but they are no substitute for proven experience. The other thing is that people with MCSEs are as common now as anything, Ive never thought they hold much weight to be honest which is why Ive never bothered with them to date.Comment
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Stu,
If you aren't willing to make sacrafices in life then you'll never get what you want.
Move for a year get the experience then move back...
Neil.Comment
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Working in IT, if it's not something even slightly creative, is soul destroying IMO.
In particular, support related jobs seem to have a lot of people who have all these qualifications who don't *get* why they can't connect to a private IP address or why an IP starting with 169 when DHCP is enabled is bad.
Marcus' claim about "qualified" people not being able to map network drives really isn't an exageration. I've seen network admins who don't know how to correctly migrate users to another Exchange server without b0rking EVERYONE's permissions.
I always found it funny when people say they learned more from CCNAs than they did in college only to ask me how to set up some piece of **** router, write a simple script or do some Unix admin
Before my current job I worked in an ISP making various things go and it depressed the hell out of me.Comment
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You should come to my work then...they did that for roughly 20,000 users >_<I've seen network admins who don't know how to correctly migrate users to another Exchange server without b0rking EVERYONE's permissions.Comment
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I deal with networks yet i dont know how to migrate to another exchange server(im sure its not hard what MS app is?)I've seen network admins who don't know how to correctly migrate users to another Exchange server without b0rking EVERYONE's permissions.
In my defence though i do only use Unix/Netware/Linux. And dont use windows for anything but the users pc's.
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Tom,
I'm not surprised by that... how some people fall into these jobs is beyond me. Thankfully only 600 users were hit in my case.
Ion,
That's understandable... I'm from a Unix/FreeBSD/Linux background with a primary interest in development and had to pick up Window server stuff as well as Active Directory and Exchange due to my job responsibilities...
It's pretty simple and better still, when you test everything out before making the switch, impossible to **** up.Comment
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Thats the one good thing with windows software its normally that damn easy to do anything you can pick it up easily.
Same goes for OSX, i had to go to a customers site recently to make a network between some Mac PC's and there windows network.
OSX use SMB and windows couldnt be easier, considering i dont work with either on a regular basis (never touched a mac before) it was all up and running in less than an hour, would have been quicker if i had realised they had nice interfaces for everything instead of going straight for the .conf file.
Imo in I.T it isnt what you know but the logic you apply to fix it, understand how something would do it and you have won half the battle.Last edited by Pij; 02-09-2004, 08:02.Comment
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I think its more the fact that he's up to the eyeballs in debt (which i would believe is more to bad luck, than mismanagement) To be able to move, requires cash. If you havent got any, then you're stuck in a rut.Originally posted by NeilMcRae
Otherwise dont you think about a million other people in the country would go out and "get what they want" instead of working mindless jobs for menial pay.Comment
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Wouldn't you commute anywhere in Wales? Why don't you revamp your CV if you're getting no jobs? Sure some of us wouldn't mind helping.
Try some of these:
http://www.jobsite.co.uk/cgi-bin/vac...80&vn=17&ord=D <-- you'll need to learn Unix. Why not have more of a play, consider getting seriously into it?
Consider some Helpdesk type roles - you can only move upwards from them and it's how many of my colleagues started.Comment
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OSX is great. If you've used FreeBSD and can set up xinetd stuff it's a piece of piss. But yeah, having a look through system preferences is always a good idea
I agree... doing well in IT required more than technical knowledge it requires a level of understanding that can't always be taught.Comment
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Arf.......It isnt using the ****ing force, mate. It's I.T.Originally posted by ValkenComment
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Actually I agree with Valken.
You can become good at anything with a little ability and a lot of effort. But to be truly outstanding at something you need lots of natural ability (i.e. what your doing happens to work well with your brain / body).
Its the reason I'm a coding god (modest huh!) but will never be anything more than average at football despite playing it week in week out for years.
In the same way I'll never excel at, say, weight lifting but am pretty good at endurance sports.Comment
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