Some advice!

unnameduser

Hoping for some advice on IT certification.

Anything i know about computers is pretty much self taught. I find the answers to any of my questions on the Internet on great sites such as boards.

Anyhu, I am currenty doing 271 & 272 for MCDST. I am finding it quite easy and very enjoyable. I have no interest in working as a DST but it was a good place to start. Anyway Im wondering what my next step will be.

First question I suppose is what do I want to achieve? I run a computer training centre and the courses we run and simple MS office based courses. I am looking for a challenge, i want to get certified and perhaps offer more high end courses in the future, On the otherhand I want to upskill, and keep my foot in the door with newer technologies. Whether I will go work in the industry, I don't know but I certainly have a very keen interest. I also fix PCs etc etc for people.

At the moment there are three courses on my mind

(1) A+
I have a book on A+ and I find that I have a good idea of a lot of the content but there is more I can learn from this course

(2) CCNA
I don't know much about networking but am very interested in this area.

(3) Microsoft Certified Systems administrator
I think that perhaps this course is a good step up and is broad enough to cover various aspects of computer technology


Given my situation can you offer advice on these courses and may be others that maybe suitable.

Cheers in advance

_CreeD_

I presume at the moment you don't actually teach. If you do go that route bear in mind you will need to be (afaik) an MCT to teach official Microsoft courseware, which requires you to be an MCSE as a pre-requisite so the MCSA->MCSE route is probably the most logical to start with.
The CCNA is a great course and for your own understanding and job prospects as a Network Engineer it's a no brainer. It's getting a lot more common these days so be prepared to just use it as a stepping stone to their higher level certifications.
The A+ is entry level. You can probably do it quite easily. If you are already established in the IT field, esp. if you intend to move towards Server/Network areas it's not essential. Still it's not bad to have.

Static M.e.

I am looking for a challenge, i want to get certified and perhaps offer more high end courses in the future

Go CCNA -> CCNP -> CCIE

Or as _CreeD_ mentioned go MCSA -> MCSE -> MCT

A+ should be easy enough to complete in a month, then go for the MCSA then CCNA.

Once you get both certs you should have a much better understanding of where you want to go to and what interests you most.

You will by no means be able to teach them but will the understanding you achieve will help you greatly.

unnameduser

Thanks for the advice folks.

There is a CCNA course coming up soon i might enroll in. As for A+ i think ill do it in my own time over a few weeks.