By this strange little bug. This is all metaphorical, mind you. A month and a half ago I got my MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer). I got a big bonus for that. As part of the offer letter I got for my current place of employment, I was promised another bonus for completing the CCNA (Cisco Certified Networking Associate). After a grueling month and a half of extremely hard study, I received that certification today. I got to work and told my boss that that was probably the last certification I would get this year, and that I planned to take a couple months off of study (10 straight months of heavy study outside of work takes a toll, after all).
Then I got home...I played games for a while and then suddenly found myself trying to figure out what my next certification was going to be and how I was going to go about getting it. I can't...stop...learning!!! Why couldn't I have been like this in college? (Okay, so I was an English major when any person who knew me at all could tell that my hot button topic is computers, but that's beside the point )
Posted by T:man (Member # 11614) on :
Oh I thought Z-day had started...
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
Not yet. That's a different bug.
Posted by airmanfour (Member # 6111) on :
How long did it take to find out your scores? I've been considering both of those certifications, and I'm curious.
Posted by Xann. (Member # 11482) on :
I was recently told by a colledge advisor that if i actually want a job after colledge i should go for Computer Science instead of English(I plan to minor in it).
Anyway on a more related note, I should be A+ certified by the end of high school(unless i screw up.. ALOT), Is the CCNA a networking degree for being able to set up servers at all levels? And what is the MSCE?
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
Airmanfour: You get your score immediately after you finish the test.
Xann: CCNA is a network device configuration certification that teaches you how to set up switches and routers as well as general networking knowledge. It's a second level certification provided by Cisco. Cisco's certifications are more or less a benchmark of a person's ability to understand networking requirements for small to medium sized networks (between 1 and 200 computers fits into this category). The focus is on configuring Cisco devices to operate properly in a myriad of configurations.
MCSE is general maintenance and operation of Windows Server 2003. At least, the one I got was
A+ is not a difficult test. It's one I always meant to take but could never afford while I was in college, but have no reason to take at this point. It's the rough equivalent of 6 months of work experience in desktop support. If you want to go on from there, I'd suggest moving on to MCDST (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician) and it's more recent version, the MCITP: Enterprise Support.
Posted by Xann. (Member # 11482) on :
Well i'm currently dual enrolled at my high school and a technical school, by the end of this year i should be able to pass the A+ exam without a problem (actually i took my midterm last week, so ill give it 3 months. Thats what the first year is essentially for. IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software Version 4.0 English. That is technically my textbook, although it is entirely based online.
Next year though i'm going into the basic of networking, I am not sure what this technically prepares me for, I just looked and i will probably take the A+ networking essentials test. After that i'm not sure if i will go for what you said, or for the MSCA that i see is linked to the networking. I guess i have a year and a half to see what i prefer though.
Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :
quote:Originally posted by Xann.: I was recently told by a colledge advisor that if i actually want a job after colledge i should go for Computer Science instead of English(I plan to minor in it).
Having a job in this economy is way over rated. I have an English major, and I may take up Yak farming or sword juggling - there are plenty of jobs available with an English degree.
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
If it helps, Xann, my husband was an English Lit & Religious Studies double major, and now works as a Product Manager at eTrade. You don't have to be a CS major to have a computer-related job in the future; skills and internships/jobs matter far more. Now, 2.5 years after he graduated, his major is a bonus, not a drawback - gives his resume interest, and lets him talk about versatility.
Posted by Xann. (Member # 11482) on :
Well I really don't know what i am going to end up going to school for at this point. I'm planning on planning to go for computer science and English, but i'm a junior now and have a couple years to decide so i figure i'm fine.
I'm actually starting to look for a place to intern at, for the last quarter of this year and for summer if it turns out that way.
Posted by Darth_Mauve (Member # 4709) on :
"If you really want a good job after you graduate, I suggest you get a degree in Computer Languages and forget this English degree."
My job counselor at the University I attended--1984. (That was when Computer Languages were taught in the Language department.)
Those three semesters of Binary, Basic and Intro to Fortran have done me a world of good. While the ability to write in clear understandable sentences, speak before a crowd, and make a firm argument have been useless.
Not.
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
Originally posted by MightCow
quote:Having a job in this economy is way over rated.
Having a stable, reliable job in this economy is underrated. Some jobs may be overrated, but I'm quite happy having a job to begin with. I'll take for granted that, barring extreme catastrophe, my job isn't going to be replaced or removed, and the business of providing an education isn't going to disappear.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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