Getting into college (backdoor)...

neXus9

Another nice thing to do is get the CCNA qualification from cisco. Thats what i'm gonna do in the summer, then move onto the other levels.

I don't have any routers to play around with, so doing that cert is gonna be a killer, but it's recognised above the MCSE, isn't it?

Gummy Panda

Well, if you buy the CCNA book, you get a online version of the book which has flash movies that simulate configuring the router in hyperterminal like you would in the lab.

So you could do all the labwork at home with a pc who has a browser and flash installed. Book is about €60-80.

CCNA is well recognised but you would wanna move onto the later levels of Cisco's trainning program.

Gaz

I wouldnt say CCNA is above MCSE , there both pretty worthless , i have both and yes it will help in getting you a interview but unless you have really studied and learned the stuff there not worth a toss.

Braindumps have ruined the crediblity of MCSE , too many mcse's out there that couldnt change a floppy drive.

But i would recommend CCNA as a starting point on getting into the router/switch side of things ... after CCNA is CCNP which is 4 exams then its the CCIE , CCIE is suppose to be the most difficult of ALL IT certifications , its made up of a written exam where you basically need to know everything about cisco and i mean everything then its of to Belgium (i think) for a 1 day lab exam.

Personally id recommend collage , while there you can do MCP , MCSA , MCSE , CCNA and maybe even CCNP in your own time at night.

Im travelling around the world backpacking at the moment but my plan when i return is collage and CCNP and maybe start on some CISSP (security). I have a place in Trinity doing IT & Business degree , deferred for a year. Oh and im nearly 25 so dont worry about age.

neXus9

Braindumps have ruined the crediblity of MCSE , too many mcse's out there that couldnt change a floppy drive

I know what you mean, but ms are starting to sue the living hell out of these companies. I'm doing my test on monday and the way I did it was to use the exam cram books (about 300 pages), which are terrific and get to the point, where the ms books tend to spend too much time with their ms talk and the pages are very sparse (although they do give more pictures, but the books are quite expensive).

leahcim

I think Johnny Versace is correct insaying that a degree doesen't really reflect on how talented you are as an IT worker or a software engineer.

The main problem arises due to the lack of quality IT jobs, when companies advertise a position they get hundreds of CVs they need some way to filter down the the applicant list for the interview stage unfortunately they use things like education and experience to do this. I know of situations where companies advertised a position and they had over 40 applicants who had more than 5 years experience, the company had no choice but reduce the list based on the candidates education.

If I were starting out as a software engineer again I would write a few demo apps and submit them with my CV, companies may like your initiave and give you a chance. Professional certification also helps, if your a java developer having the Sun Microsystems certification helps in a big way.

neXus9

Has anyone tried to get into the us? I guess it's just as tough, but hey, it's a bigger place, and therefore more opportunities. I heard though, that the hours are crazy, something like 12 hrs a day!!

Gummy Panda

Originally posted by leahcim
Professional certification also helps, if your a java developer having the Sun Microsystems certification helps in a big way.

Not true!!

Ask most programmers and they will tell you that your degree is the better then that. When you're good, you're good. its as simple as that. The submitting apps is a good idea. Maybe do some work for free for some small company so that you have something to demostrate.

leahcim

Clownboy I agree that certification is no replacement for a degree, not even near.

I was just making the point that if you dont have a degree it helps.

If somebody hasn't a degree or the time and energy to do one they must find another was of making themselves stand out from the crowd when applying for a job.

Saying "When you're good, you're good. its as simple as that. " is fine but how is an employer supposed to know that.

Gummy Panda

The demo's like you said. Which is a really good idea. It would show exactly how you code, structure it and comment it. Plus if you included the full documentation, they can see that you are knowledgable in design practices.

Johnny Versace

Check out my friends website - http://www.badpint.org

He wrote these to show off his IT skills. It got him an interview in http://www.<URL-EDITED-OUT>.com (good ****) amongst other places.

neXus9

AN OS for the gameboy advance?? That's one sure way to grab someone's attention.

What's flash development like? I always had an interest in making my own little games. Also want to try out programming to see what it's like (you hear of some people becoming 'obssessed' by the hobby). Can programming become addictive?

I was looking at the fetac website and they have a list of colleges that you can get into with their certs---click!

Wondering what the best college out of these is, (combining the social life and the quality of the courses)???

Gummy Panda

I'd recommend ITB, mate.

http://www.itb.ie/prospectivestudents/courses/bn002.html

neXus9

Thanks. Clownboy, do you know any good multimedia courses, so I could combine stuff like flash/web development with TV and video. Have an interest in stuff like cinematography, but also have an interest in IT. Doing a multimedia course would, in a way, hit two birds with one stone. Then one qualification would complement the other (I could do my mcse/rhce/ccna stuff during the summer/on my spare time).




I still don't know exxxactly what I want to do. Which is good, and bad. There is still other diverse stuff that I want to at least have a go at, like for instance; psychology, which interests me in the way as it might come as a great advantage in dealing with situations (Life), but having said that I can be quite neurotic at times, and I don't know if I could handle talking to rapists, peadophiles, fetish freaks etc., (also that the fact that you may have to become a surrogate nanny for some people).

Since I'm doing IT work I could always try going into other sides of things like IT managment, or IT marketing.


I did a fetac two month incompany training programme in DELL in Bray which was a great experience. I would like to be a system's admin, but I don't know about being in charge of routers (I'm way more of a software guy, than a hardware one).