I'm guessing a lot of you guys are in the tech industry and can give a youngster like me a little insight.

I'm about 1 year away from getting my BS in computer science and I was wondering if I should attempt to get a CCNA or MCSE or some other type of training before I graduate. I wouldn't be able to get my current workplace to pay for it, so I'd need to fund it myself.

I found a place that offers the CCNA training for $1500 and the MCSE for like $4500, but I could be wrong since I only skimmed the website and there was lots of certificate stuff so I was a little confused. What should I expect in terms of time commitment do these programs consume? Are there any other certificates that might be more useful?

I live in the silicon valley so I'm just trying to get a jump on the competition, namely my peers...heh.

Thanks,
Chris Maxwell
01 Yellow S2000 #3646

 

If you can get your current workplace to pay for your training, I would definitely do so. You will be more marketable after graduation. Make sure not to be just a bookworm but get as much hands-on experience.

 

You can probably pass the CCNA without taking a class. You need a bit of experience with cisco products, but most of the exam is ISO model and IP. I would spend $50 on a book and try it that way. You can also purchase programs like routersim, that simulate the routers and switches. I don't know what they cost, but I'm sure it's less than a couple of routers.

MCSE is a little more in depth. The cert was fairly easy for NT 4.0, but M$ has made it a bit harder with 2000. As far as time commitment, plan to spend 1 month on CCNA and 6 months on MCSE. These numbers assume you have some computer knowledge, which you must if you're finishing your BS.

I didn't finish my BS, but I did get a few certifications. I got the certifications to get my foot in the door. I haven't had any problems finding work. After you have a few years of experience certifications aren't as important, but they can help to justify raises. If you have the time, do it. More knowledge isn't going to hurt you. Email me if you have any questions. Good luck!

-boka

 

also, for the CCNA you can 'telnet r1r2.com' for practice routers. They are public and free.

Jarett

 

If you think they can help you get that first job then it's worth it.
Otherwise, they don't serve any purpose.

 

jdchaiken - very cool, did not know that!

Dum Dum Head - if you know the stuff, then learn on your own the best you can. I did my tests on my own for the M$ stuff a few years ago. Haven't touched the Win2k certs at all, and don't think I will. The main reason I have problems with accellerated boot camps are the tech's they produce.

While working as an L2 tech at Dell, I talked with a customer who was an MCSE. He was shipped a Win98 box with one big FAT32 partition and couldn't figure out why it would not let him install NT4. After telling him that NT4 would not install on FAT32 and to dual boot he'd have to repartition out everything he stated this to me, which I will never forget, "But they didn't teach me that in the class!"

A friend of mine doesn't have any Cisco, Novell or M$ certs at all, but in a job interview, he will ask the interviewer if there are any questions that any networking personel can ask him so he can validate his knowledge. This is definately a preferred method rather than just taking it for granted that a cert is valid on a resume.

Personally, I come up with absurd situations. Its just my nature after hearing customers do certain things to their systems at home. For others that know me, they don't really know when to take me seriously or not. Of course, this can be a problem in a work environment, but for the most part it helps me. When I interview someone that is coming in to develop on a project to see if they are fit, I want to make sure they know what they are talking about. So, after asking a few initial questions (not core-competency stuff, *real* questions), I go along with what they are saying, say some twisted stuff, and see if they "get it" or not. If they give me a puzzled look with a little chuckle, then I know they get it. BUT, if they just sit there with the "headlights shining into the deer eyes" look, then I know they do not know what they are talking about. And they are probably just another person - like one individual, who stated MCSE on his resume which only turned about to be 'I have plans for taking some MCSE courses in the next year so I can take an exam.'

Keep in mind, what I told you certainly does not apply to all MCSE's or cert'ed people at all, but the point is - being certified doesn't necessarily mean you know the answers. It means you know two things: 1) you have an understanding of how things work/function and 2) you know how to find the answer with the clues presented before you.

 

Wow, you guys are great. I'm a very fast learner and actually learn a lot more from reading a tech book than from listening to instructors. I obtain these certificates from taking a test somewhere right? Like, if I get a few books, study them hard, and then pass a test, I get the certificates? I'm assuming that would be okay for the CCNA but is the MSCE more involved than just reading some books?

Anyways, I put my resume on monster.com last year and got a whopping 12 hits and 0 replies and I thought I was being pretty good about the key words I used. Hopefully a couple certificates will make my resume more attractive to get my foot in the door and also help prove that I know stuff because I'm not very good in interviews yet, as I've only had a few (mostly with Cisco, and I didn't get the jobs.)

Schatten - I hear what you're saying about how some people with certificates don't always know stuff they should as that can be applied to many people (car mechanics.) I'm not that type of person...I think. Anyways, I have some time on my hands (obviously by amount of time I spend reading msg boards like this one, hehe) so I might as well make the best of that spare time.

Again, thanks for your responses. It's nice to get some honest information about stuff related to my future.

Chris Maxwell
01 Yellow S2000 #3646

 

A lot of the Community Colleges are offering the MCSE classes and CCNA for $15 bucks a class, as their regular schedule. Do that instead of those tech schools who charge your a couple of grand.

I think City College has it in SJ, and also Mission.

 

with the M$ courses, also keep in mind, a lot of it is mind games they play with phrasing questions particular ways. A good way to decipher through some of these mind games are to:

1) search for 'brain dump' on the net - brain dump sites are "illegal" - they are individuals like you and me who take the tests, and immediately afterwards, go and write down all the questions and answers that we can remember. Things is, with these particular questions, don't pay attention to their questions nor answers for authenticity, but rather what you need to study and look over.

2) transcender exams. now I'm not saying go out for pirated software at all, *ahem* but if you look around alt.binaries.certs in the NG's then you can find those certain things, which usually run 100 bucks a pop. They help on the verbiage more than the information. Do this AFTER you read up on the books. The books, accellerated 'Exam Prep' and 'Exam Cram' books are what I'd recommend, they give you the jist of things. I also dig the blue newspaper-ish ones - can't remember which ones they are, but anyways - read up! Then take a few of the transcenders (even if you pay for them) and then wait a few days, take a different one, score yourself, track your progress, the more you do the practice tests, the better you will get at them. The reason I say this is because I hate taking tests and I always do bad on them, but these helped mucho.

 

Check out brainbuzz.com. They're a certification portal. They have study guides for the different tests. Their CCNA study guide will give you an example of what's to be expected.

Goto TechSkills and download their free demo exams. You can download one full exam for free. You get the remaining three exams when you buy the software. I think their product is as good as transcender and it's 1/4 the price. Of course, I'm biased because I helped to write the software, but... check it out.

-boka