IT professionals - opinion needed?

Stinicker

Hi Guys,

I have a bit of an unorthodox question for the board. I was thinking of doing an IT course in the autumn to try and put all my self learned knowledge and 15 years of messing with computers and networks into something useful.

I would get this qualification at the end of the course.

Course Certification

CompTIA A+ CompTIA Network+ Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration or Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment


Is this something credible to have after my name? Ideally I'd love to get a job in Ireland but would be open to going to Australia, New Zealand or South East Asia for work also. Sorry for going off topic but I just want IT people to see the thread and give me their opinions, good or bad.


Thanks

Monotype

That sounds like several certifications. Is a course consisting of multiple parts?

Ash.J.Williams

Stinicker wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I have a bit of an unorthodox question for the board. I was thinking of doing an IT course in the autumn to try and put all my self learned knowledge and 15 years of messing with computers and networks into something useful.

I would get this qualification at the end of the course.

Course Certification

CompTIA A+ CompTIA Network+ Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration or Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment


Is this something credible to have after my name? Ideally I'd love to get a job in Ireland but would be open to going to Australia, New Zealand or South East Asia for work also. Sorry for going off topic but I just want IT people to see the thread and give me their opinions, good or bad.


Thanks

those qualifications along with experience will get you plenty of work.. the more "industry" experience the better the cash.

just something i noticed...server 2003 is almost finished if it's not dead already. (exam wise) Although it's widely used in the field.

kippy

Stinicker wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I have a bit of an unorthodox question for the board. I was thinking of doing an IT course in the autumn to try and put all my self learned knowledge and 15 years of messing with computers and networks into something useful.

I would get this qualification at the end of the course.

Course Certification

CompTIA A+ CompTIA Network+ Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration or Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment


Is this something credible to have after my name? Ideally I'd love to get a job in Ireland but would be open to going to Australia, New Zealand or South East Asia for work also. Sorry for going off topic but I just want IT people to see the thread and give me their opinions, good or bad.


Thanks

That does look to be a number of certificates. All would be worth having, there's a fair bit of work in it and outside of the A+/Network+ a lot of it would be brand new material to you (based on what you have said you have done in the past) there'll be lots of new stuff in A+ and Network + as well.

Getting a job depends a lot on the requirements of a the job, a lot of jobs look for a base diploma/degree but being honest if you came into me with those certs and 10 years break/fix experience, you'd have a strong chance of getting a support job of some description.

Stinicker

Thanks for the info guys, this is the course I was looking at and it is a one year course with Fas. I have got good enough experience but have never worked in the field, fixing the odd PC on the side once or twice a month is pretty small fry compared to some of the bigger stuff I'd be getting into here.

This is the course I was looking at. The link dosen't seem to stay live for long so I have uploaded it in .pdf format below also.

harney

It is probably worth looking around the IT Certification Board here

Monotype

It doesn't look too bad. It would be interesting to see the time breakup of it.

If you were dedicated enough and willing to learn it by yourself, you could probably get the individual certificates done faster. That would be through the online courses.
Good if you want to get them fast, but not so good if you need help and would prefer a more practical approach.

Headshot

Stinicker wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I have a bit of an unorthodox question for the board. I was thinking of doing an IT course in the autumn to try and put all my self learned knowledge and 15 years of messing with computers and networks into something useful.

I would get this qualification at the end of the course.

Course Certification

CompTIA A+ CompTIA Network+ Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration or Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment


Is this something credible to have after my name? Ideally I'd love to get a job in Ireland but would be open to going to Australia, New Zealand or South East Asia for work also. Sorry for going off topic but I just want IT people to see the thread and give me their opinions, good or bad.


Thanks

Thanks OP for bring the course to my attention. It really interests me. Pity its in Tralee, a tad far off for me, somthing to think about thou

@ Monotype. How does the online version work?

kippy

Headshot wrote: »

Thanks OP for bring the course to my attention. It really interests me. Pity its in Tralee, a tad far off for me, somthing to think about thou

@ Monotype. How does the online version work?

These courses are run elsewhere I think.

Headshot

kippy wrote: »

These courses are run elsewhere I think.

Your right I looked it up just there. Seems to closes to me is in Shannon not bad as Tralee but still a bit of a distance from Tipperary

The joys of Tipperary :rolleyes:

kippy

Headshot wrote: »

Your right I looked it up just there. Seems to closes to me is in Shannon not bad as Tralee but still a bit of a distance from Tipperary

The joys of Tipperary :rolleyes:

As mentioned above, you could get the training materials (there are official books), use Youtube (there are also lots and lots of resources elsewhere) and sit the exams yourself.
There are two exams in the A+ (roughly 170 each) 1 in Network + (Around 200) and, depending on how many and what level of Microsoft certification you want, lots in the Microsoft range (about 160 each)
You can book exams through vue or prometric (I think most stuff is prometric).

I am looking to upgrade my 2003 certs in the next while and have just purchased the materials to do the upgrade exams.
I am lucky, in that I am working in the field and have been for some time, but it's still gonna be tough getting into the microsoft style of study again.

Monotype

Headshot wrote: »

Thanks OP for bring the course to my attention. It really interests me. Pity its in Tralee, a tad far off for me, somthing to think about thou

@ Monotype. How does the online version work?

You're given access to an online moodle with links to online course material - mostly run skillsoft. This is basically a book which is read by a narrator which some interactive content and tests at the end. It's not bad but not fantastic either. Sometimes the accents can grate and you just turn off the sound and flick through the pages. You really need a book to back it up and get a rounder view. You would learn some stuff from them alright.
Time pressure isn't very high. The modules can take about 3 hours and there can be about 15 of them. Of course, if you half know the stuff, you'll get there quicker. But they assign a week on them, assuming that you'll be going over them twice or even more.