Ok tech heads.. need your advice.

[Hawkes]

Alright guys.  After being a slacker for the past couple years (actually busting my ass taking care of 4 kids) we've decided it's time for me to get my sanity back and go back to work.  I'm planning on getting back into the IT field and am looking for advice on certs.  What path do you guys think I should take to get started?  I know I'll be making pennies to start out and will stuck with the shit jobs, but I gotta start somewhere.  So... who loves their job and would do it all over again and who hates their job and thinks they should have taken a different path?

[Kith]

What kind of IT work would you like to do?

[thrun]

My only advice is practice smiling and shaking hands with recruiters from consulting firms with out vomitting.   You'll want to, but you can't.

[Reddawn]

Don't go into IT it sucks....go back to school and get an associates in something in the medical field....job security at its finest.

Radiology, nursing, respiratory Therapy...whateva

[Hawkes]

Don't go into IT it sucks....go back to school and get an associates in something in the medical field....job security at its finest.

Radiology, nursing, respiratory Therapy...whateva

Are you nuts Red?  My wife is the director of HR at a hospital and I can tell you that most people she works with are about as nuts as that video you posted where the guy is recycling his own spunk.  About the only sane medical professionals I know are the people on here and that's even a stretch.

[Hawkes]

What kind of IT work would you like to do?

That's what I need to figure out Kith.  Not sure which way I want to go this time.  Back in 98 I had started my path down the MCSE track when Win2K was being transitioned in and that totally fucked my path up.  Anyway, getting married, having kids and other shit put that all on hold.  So, I think the easy picking is the simple MCDST since I could probably fly through that, but I also think the Cisco might be a better route since some of the stuff I did at my last job was dealing with some basic VOIP and wireless integration.

[Reddawn]

Do you have a 4 year degree?

[Hawkes]

Do you have a 4 year degree?

If I did, I probably wouldn't be reinventing myself.

[Varg]

From what i have seen, networking is the fastest path with the most money. I am working on my Net+ cert (and when i say working i mean saving up 250 to take it, looks like cake), and then my CCNA.

We have a pretty diverse IT crowd here and I am sure someone can give you advice on being a DBA or a programmer or whatever, but if you are into networking at all, I would look into getthing those certs. I know that a CCNA cert can land you at LEAST 50k/year (georgia money-dont know about up north, should be higher). That is with some experince of course.

That being said, a CCNA is not a easy cert to get (in my opinion). You will have devote a bit of time studying and probably need to get a lab (router, switch, firewall etc) to practice with.

[Reddawn]

I have a 4 year and I might go into a different career field....don't be a hater. A lot of places require it now to ge tin the door....so go back to school like Rodney Dangerfield!

DBA work would indeed be the most money....there are a billion MCSE's and CCNA's now....and both certs without practical experience lead to cheap ass companies hiring you at shitty salaries.

[Hawkes]

I don't have that kind of time.  I need to get back to work by the end of the summer.  I've toyed around with the DBA cert as well.  I've done some basic database stuff in the past creating DB's for our wireless devices back at the bank I worked at.  I have a call in to a friend of mine over there who has the DB certs.

[Kith]

Yeah, I would agree with Varg - networking might be a good way to go.  I've also heard that the CCNA exam is tough, but it's a well recognized and respected cert, provided that you like networking.  Gr0n can speak more to the networking/CCNA side of things than I can.

I know some DBAs who seem to like what they do - I'll ask what certs the would recommend.

[Varg]

there are a billion MCSE's and CCNA's now....and both certs without practical experience lead to cheap ass companies hiring you at shitty salaries.

Thats true, but working at a cheep ass company for a year gives you a year xp for a real deal company.
I dont really agree there there is a overage of CCNA certified people either though.

[gr0n]

Certs are good, but experience is what counts.  I'd go with whatever you could explain best in an interview, and hopefully that is something that you would enjoy as a career.  The easiest job to land would probably be a help desk gig.  Get your foot in the door, slum it for a couple of years while getting the company to pay for training and certs.  Help out the desktop support guys, try to get in there.  Maybe eventually if you have the desire and aptitude you move on to the server or network team.

A+, Net+, Security+ are all quick and easy certs to grab if you don't have them already.  A Microsoft exam or two wouldn't hurt either (XP Pro, Server 2003, whatever).  CCNA is difficult but almost a requirement if you really want to land a serious networking gig (unless you find a place that doesn't use Cisco gear).

That's my $0.02.

[Reddawn]

I dont really agree there there is a overage of CCNA certified people either though.

QUESTION ME NOT MALACHAI FOR I AM THE GIVER OF HIS WORD