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Computer Professionals...

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iambrutus

iambrutus

Screw Blue
Is anyone here microsoft certified, if so which ones? I've been in the field for nearly 7 years now, i have worked in support/helpdesk roles mainly. Lately i feel that my resume doesn't *pop* like it should i think a few letters after my name could help it stand out of a pile (or just make a 3 dimensional resume) and get me noticed a little more...any thoughts?
 
I've been working on my resume as well. I don't have any certifications, but the little MBA after my name didn't help as much as I would hope. I haven't looked for a job for the past couple years so it might be a little easier now that I have 3 years experience.
 
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exhawg said:
I've been working on my resume as well. I don't have any certifications, but the little MBA after my name didn't help as much as I would hope. I haven't looked for a job for the past couple years so it might be a little easier now that I have 3 years experience.
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hawg,

You're finding out what a lot of recent MBA grads are finding, an MBA isn't what is used to be. Unless you have one from Kellogg, Wharton, Vanderbilt, etc... it's not going to pay for itself for awhile.
 
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Thump said:
hawg,

You're finding out what a lot of recent MBA grads are finding, an MBA isn't what is used to be. Unless you have one from Kellogg, Wharton, Vanderbilt, etc... it's not going to pay for itself for awhile.
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Luckily I didn't pay for it. The school paid for my education so that I could get a 4.0 in drinking. Grad school was the most fun 2 years of my life.
 
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I have my MCSE in NT4 and have since 98, the fact that I haven't re-upped should tell you something. Personally I don't think certs short of ccnp or better really help much with finding a job. You may find it a little easier to get an interview but nothing beats experience.

On a side note I am getting more and more pressure from my employer to get my 2003 certs, and I suppose I will but right now I have a little too much going on so they will have to wait. :wink:
 
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If you want to stay doing helpdesk/support stuff I would suggest you get A+ Certified. It is not all that difficult, you can probably find all the classes you need online for about $100 or less. Then you just need to take the exam. If you want to do something different then there are a million to choose from.
 
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gregorylee said:
You may find it a little easier to get an interview but nothing beats experience.
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Agree 100%. Certifications don't go as far as they used to because they've been devalued by the fact that everyone has gotten them (and the fact that 'everyone' is a larger group of unemployed people than it was only five years ago doesn't help). The best thing to do with a technical resume is to expand on your hands-on skillset and hands-on experience.

Computer tech is unique from other fields because the knowledge base and what skills are marketable is a moving target. Certifications are merely pieces of paper that show you learned the features of a product that was probably moved to end-of-life before you answered the last question on the test, and they're available to everyone. Employers realize this now.

Become a sponge and learn every application and OS you possibly can, and don't be ashamed to start rattling them off on your resume. IMHO a high school diploma and a boat load of experience will get you most anywhere you want to go in the field.

Oh, and never underestimate the power of befriending an old, Unix greybeard for some mentoring. A 6-pack of Diet Coke and a pizza can buy your way into a lot of sweet tech positions.
 
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I also have my MCP, MCP+I, and MCSE certs in NT 4.0. It was a great starting point for me, because I had spent my professional career in the credit card banking industry, in non-IT positions. I have not pursued any MCSE upgrade courses since then because my position has changed, and I now work with SAP systems, which mostly run on Unix and Linux boxes. My employer is currently talking about putting me through a Linux course, since they would like us to use this with the new systems that we are planning on implementing.

Since you already have several years of experience in IT, I think that it could definitely help you. I would make sure that you focus on certifications that will help to mold your career path. For instance, if you want to work with corporate networks, then you should pursue Cisco certifications. If you want to work in System Administration, then pursue MS certs. Regardless of your area of interest, I would pursue the newest certifications available for those areas.

If you presently don't have any certs, then definitely go for an A+ cert. It's relatively easy to attain, and it will give you a good idea as to what the MS certification exams are like, since they use similar formats.
 
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Dryden said:
Oh, and never underestimate the power of befriending an old, Unix greybeard for some mentoring. A 6-pack of Diet Coke and a pizza can buy your way into a lot of sweet tech positions.
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thats what i did for the first 4 years of my career, i worked with a guy that i swear knew everything about every computer ever made, and every technology ever developed. i learned tons from him, still talk to him at least twice a month
 
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I just graduated with a Computer Information Systems degree, and I am finding it very hard to even get someone to interview me. They all want experience, but how do you get experience if no one will give you a shot? I would like to work as a technician, so I think I will try to do the A+ thing, if any one else has any suggestions I would appreciate it.
 
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sdgo- Try to get a job working on a helpdesk. That will get you into a company and then you can move up from there after 9-12 months. Learn about the other IT departments and how they interact with each other. Try to meet people in those other departments and establish a rapport.
 
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BrutuStrength said:
sdgo- Try to get a job working on a helpdesk. That will get you into a company and then you can move up from there after 9-12 months. Learn about the other IT departments and how they interact with each other. Try to meet people in those other departments and establish a rapport.
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I thought about doing this, but I didn't want to start in the helpdeck area because I was afraid thats all I would be qualified to do. However you are probably correct in that if I am already with the company I would probably be able to move around fairly easily. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
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Ditto what Brutus said. Getting your head in the door is all that matters. Once you're in, and you can establish the fact that you can work well with others, that you can pick up on new things quickly, and you can get your shit done on time, you'll have no problem moving up the ladder. Those are the types of things that no resume or cert can convey to an employer.

Personally I've yet to see the need for any certifications (I'm still young though), but neither do my boss or my coworkers. I've taken some employer-paid training classes in areas that directly relate to my job duties and have gained quite a bit of knowledge that would look good on a resume (not that I'm looking to switch jobs at all).
 
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