General Discussion - Is MCSE worth doing?

Author

Is MCSE worth doing?

mcp_mcse

2001-12-13, 1:36 pm

I'm a MCSE on Win NT & 2k. But is it any good?? I think going for Cisco is a good path. Atleast you are certified for 3 years. MS comesup with new software every year and companies just can't go on shifting gears and changing environments. The big B seems to be a bit hasty on releasing new OS all the time and look at the previous one. It still has bugs.

Hey B, did u try repairing Win 95 that u are now coming up with WinXP. N whats next ?? YQ or ZZ?

I think i've started hating MS.

Whdtya guys say bout this men?

Luv n Luck
Jack

sibley

2001-12-13, 1:46 pm

My company uses Linux and UNIX for most of our needs now so we don't have to worry about the constant upgrade headaches. We just upgrade when (and if) we feel it necessary.

mcp_mcse

2001-12-13, 1:57 pm

hey sibley

did u notice we got almot the same number of posts.

jack

sibley

2001-12-13, 2:07 pm

Not any more.

huntert

2001-12-13, 2:52 pm

Cisco is a good choice to go for, and you can just go for higher level exams and career certs. ccna,ccda,ccnp,ccdp,ccie.

Those are awsome exams to go for and you will not have a new exam poping up like ms does every 6 months or so.
cisco is like the gate that holds all the (children)
from running accross the playground.

children = MS,Novell,Linux,UNIX,Apple

Employers love cisco people, dunno why, but they do.

Cisco is like a taboo for many people, in a server room you will see the server and then next to it is a rackmount with a switch,routers and lots of wires and cables.

Most have no idea about the routers or the wire, Telecommunication side.

GoodLuck!

ccieToBe

2001-12-13, 3:43 pm

I consolidated all my employer's Windows servers into one FreeBSD server and it works great. FreeBSD's a lot more versatile/fast/secure/stable then NT/2000.

When it's time to update, I can upgrade the OS and all the installed apps to the latest stable versions with a few commands.

If you're interested in working with Windows servers then the MCSE cert is worth having IMO. The types of jobs that involve working with Cisco equipment are usually very different.

Ando

2001-12-14, 11:41 am

When I think of Cisco, I think of configuring routers and connecting offices from different parts of the world.... Am I right in saying that a Cisco engineer never or very rarely deals with general office problems (eg, stupid secrataries .. or wrong drivers for NT etc etc) ??

TW2001

2001-12-15, 11:16 am

"cisco is like the gate that holds all the (children)
from running accross the playground.

children = MS,Novell,Linux,UNIX,Apple "

What?

Yeah employers like Cisco people.As a matter of fact what they like is experienced people.
Period.

Ive never studied the cisco material.I will tell you becouse Ive had exposure and need to interact with those guys(Network engineers). I proably know a lot more than the freshly christened CCNA with no experience and a couple of router/switch sims.

As for Ando`s ? usually Companys structure there support infastructure into tiers.Dependent on where you are is what you deal with.The further you go the less user interaction you have.However, you will increase your interactions with management.Better? Not really.You may have responsibiltys in different areas.If you work in a large shop you tend to have a lot more options.Dealing with DBA`s seems to be the most frustrating for me.They are in the top of the Ivory IT tower and can be less than understanding sometimes.
Anyway thats a little of my experience.

I think going the full MCSE with no experience or no real present opportunity to work with the technology is foolish.

NickL

2001-12-15, 2:00 pm

{{I think going the full MCSE with no experience or no real present opportunity to work with the technology is foolish.}}

How do you get the experience if you don't have certification nor a degree. There are too many MCSE's now, but other certs like MCDBA, Oracle, or MCSD can help you.
I notice that the ones who trash certs have them themselves. Why is is good for you, but foolish for everyone else?

Nicole

2001-12-15, 2:38 pm

quote:
How do you get the experience if you don't have certification nor a degree.

This is the $25,000 question, of course. It is often starts something like this:

"I just graduated from XYZ tech college with an MCSE/MCDBA/OCP/etc. and they promised me I would get a job making $80k a year..."

All those silly advertisements for tech colleges and teenage millionaire stories has fostered a climate of unreasonable expectations. I see folks turning up their noses at help desk and telephone tech support because they have a particular certification or degree, and only applying for Sys Admin or Analyst positions -- and then they wonder why they don't get work.

Lets face it, telephone tech support stinks. But it's solid, verifiable experience, and you can often get a position with some typing skills and a winning personality. They might require an A+. If you have an MCSE or any other advanced certification, however, they may be loathe to hire you, because either the attitude that usually comes with it or the fact that they expect you to run off as soon as you find another job.

You can also earn experience by working for free, or tackling technical jobs at your current employer and then applying within the same company for an entry level tech job.

And most importantly -- network, network, network.

I agree with TW -- spending the amount of money and time required to get (and keep!) an advanced certification purely on speculation isn't a great idea. But taking a couple of exams and spending you free time learning new stuff IS.

TW2001

2001-12-16, 10:07 am

I didnt see anyone trashing Certs in this thread.So Im not sure where that comment is coming from.

Why would a certification be better for someone in the field experienced with the technolgy and products used to implement solutions? I would hope that you could answer that one for yourself.

RobertJ

2001-12-16, 10:22 am

I think the thing people have to realize is that your best chances of getting into the field are if you have a degree and also does not hurt if you know somebody thats already established at a company. I know many people that have jobs in the computer field that did not have any experience, but they had a 4yr degree and most employers are willing to hire and train you for any job if you have your degree. I also know a couple lucky people that have gained great entry level jobs, and the only thing that got them the job was knowing somebody already working there.

mcp_mcse

2001-12-16, 10:58 pm

Luck is another important factor for getting a good job.

Jack

NickL

2001-12-16, 11:45 pm

{{{I know many people that have jobs in the computer field that did not have any experience, but they had a 4yr degree and most employers are willing to hire and train you for any job if you have your degree.}}}

I have a masters degree in finance, and a BS in accounting & computer science, plus I will hopefully get my Oracle Developer & Sun Solaris Unix certifications next month. By the way, I also have experience in Oracle financials. So why can't I get a job? Since when did someone by the virtue of only a 4 yr degree become such a hot commodity, but if you have an advanced degree, it is less valuable than a certification only?

StewartH

2001-12-17, 8:44 am

1. Experience
2. Certs/Degree
3. Personality
4. Recommendation
5. Realism
6. Willingness to work hard, learn & take responsibility

Any or all of these may land you your first IT job but in order to succeed thereafter you will need all six.

RobertJ

2001-12-17, 12:08 pm

I completely agree with Stewart, I mean come on if you have a bachelors degree and a masters and you can't get a job??? You might really want to concentrate on #3-6. I still find it hard to believe, my cousin has his bachelors in CS, he's been in the field only about 4 years, he was layed off a couple of months ago, and not only did he find another job in less than 2 weeks, he actually got more money also.

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