please give me an insight

fisty

Which course would a professional choose?
I have been called for interview for the following two courses.

http://www.scs.dife.ie/scpages/scc_cmcp.htm

and
the Networks and Systems course.

http://www.scb.ie/compute/compute.html


Which one would some of you people already in the IT industy choose if you got the option of doing one?
Finding it very difficult to choose.
Any Input?
Cheers.

Quigs Snr

This is a tough call.

I did Computer Applications in DCU which was a good overall grounding in IT, leaning heavily on the programming side of things. However, I got involved in hardware also after college.


The MCSE in Windows 2000 is an internationaly recognised qualification. It is a very nice thing to have on your CV. A lot of people would do a college course, then do their MCP's.
eg: I got Visual Basic MCP's when I left college and am studying for the MS SQL Server MCP's also.

On it's own with no other qualification it does limit you to that area specifically. Going this route you are targeting a Network Admin role. If this is what you want go for it.

I would warn you that your MCSE qualification, will expire (or be retired as microsoft say) in a few years when windows 2000 is no longer supported, so you won't really have a qualification anymore. Hopefully what you will have at that stage is experience and you will have carved yourself a little niche somewhere. Experience eventually counts for more than qualifications.

If you just want to break into the IT industry, the other course is far more balanced, you won't be brilliant at anything in it when you finish, but you will have touched on a lot of areas within IT, hardware, programming, project planning, web etc... you may find that something you never thought you would like turns out to be the thing you want to make a career out of. If it were me, I would probably go for the long haul. Do the second course, the 2 year one. After which, pick the area I like the best and see what official qualifications I wanted to get then. You might want to get an MCSD (Development), you might still want an MCSE, you might want to become a JAVA/Web developer and get Sun qualifications, you might want to become qualified in Cisco etc....

If you know where you want to go now and you are sure, maybe the Windows 2000 MCSE is the route to go. If you just want to get a start in the industry, maybe go the other route, you can always do the MCSE (probably in windows 2003 at that stage) at a later date. If you were really dedicated, you could buy a few books, transcender sample exams, install the packages on your home PC and study for the MCSE yourself in the evenings whilst doing the other course. You only have to show up and pay about 80 quid per exam. You don't need to do a course to do the exam. I know I didn't. A dog from the street can walk into a Microsoft approved training centre, eg: QA Training in Dun Laoirghe and do the MCP exam.

fisty

hmmmm decisions decisions.
well I guess I will see how the interviews go - maybe i won't have to choose at all:)

Quigs Snr

Well let us know how you get on. Always remember that experience counts for more than qualifications in this industry. Once you get in somewhere you are on your way. The reason you need the qualification is to get the companies to talk to you in the first place. Both these courses should be enough to get you into interviews.

Just remember you will start at the bottom either way, and have to work up from there. The trick is just getting in there in the first place. You could always of course, get the MCSE, then do a course like the second one you mention as an evening course once you are working somewhere. A guy who works for me is doing that. We recruited him on the basis of some MCP's he did, he is now doing an evening IT course in the local college. Which by the way, the company are paying 75% of the fees for.

fisty

Great thanks.
You're paying 75% of his costs?
hehe, any jobs going in a year or so?

ZeFrog

Hello all,

I d like to try to pass some Microsoft Certifications exams in Dublin. I m not interested in the courses just the exams.

Sureskills only offer exams to its students. ($$$)

BCT.ie allows exams only but u have to register to www.vue.com , which I did.

Through the process I ve chosen Which MCP I wanted to pass (ex:072-176, in order to get MCSD later) , then it gives me a list of about 15 centres. But when I validate, it says :
"Horizon Technical Services - Dublin does not have some or any of the assets required to deliver exam 072-176."

Same for everyone of the centres.

I think the web site is not working very well (I don t think I made any mistakes in choosing the criterias ..)

So now I m looking for help here in boards

I d be very greatful if anyone can give me information about exam centres to pass MCPs.

Cheers