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Home > Archive > General Discussion > May 2003 > Decisions, Decisions
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Decisions, Decisions
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| DemiGod 2003-04-30, 2:27 pm |
| Ok, here's the situation.
1. Company I work for is being bought out.
2. I've been preping for A+ certification.
3. "Future" boss has made a reasonable
offer for me to stick around.
Here's the catch. I need to be trained and certified for the following within the next 6 months.
- Upgrade CNE from 4.11 to 6
- A+ Hardware
- Microsoft Small Business Stuff
It's a lot of work and I'm up to the challenge. I'm just not sure if I should put the A+ aside and do the CNE update first or finish out my A+ review, take the exam and then do the CNE stuff.
I'm leaning toward laying off the A+ and getting started on the Novell stuff. In order to keep my certification I have to be Netware 6 by October 31, 2003
On the other hand, I have all my A+ material and am about 45% of the way through it. I've been ptting this test off for about a year now. And I know CompTia is making some changes to the exam. I don't think I'd have to run out and buy all new study material.
I just don't know what to do.
Any suggestions or advice??  | |
| 6slave6 2003-04-30, 2:50 pm |
| I would get your A+ out of the way. It really isn't that hard of a test and if you are already 1/2 way through just keep going. I think if one is commited the A+ could be gained within 2 weeks or so with some computer experience.
Just my 2 cents.
Best of luck to you!! | |
| Forsaken 2003-04-30, 2:52 pm |
| Those goals seem quite reasonable | |
| DemiGod 2003-04-30, 2:56 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by Forsaken
Those goals seem quite reasonable
Oh yes, I agree.
I'm just "on the fence" so to speak about how to pursue these goals. | |
| anchor40 2003-04-30, 4:46 pm |
| Sorry in advance for the length of this reply, but you dragged me onto a soapbox! 
I guess it really depends on how much real-world experience you can rely on during your studying. I put off the Cisco Prof. exams for a couple of years, but needed the paper to keep off the chopping block at work. I cranked through all 5 exams to get the CCNP and CCDP in 3 months - because I only needed to use the books as refresher/fill-in-the-gaps. Is that normal, heck no, but that begs the question for another thread, "What's normal?"
If you're "refreshing/filling-in-the-gaps" like the CNE 6 updrade probably will be, then you've got a heck of a motivation to press on and pass those tests!
If you're learning the material from scratch, and can commit two hours a day to preparation, I'd think it'd be do-able.
To 6slave6's point, if you're halfway to the A+, why not pick up the pace and knock that one out. Then upgrade the CNE, as fast as you can, so you can give as much time to the Microsquash stuff. Knock out the easy one, or the the one where you have the least effort to complete, then the next easiest. If you can get two under your belt in a month, or two months, you can take 4 months to get the last one.
Also, feel free to re-arrange the order depending on your strengths.
Heck, it's the same with credit card debt. If you're trying to pay off 6 credit card bills, put any extra cash on the smallest one so you can get rid of it. When it's gone, take what you were paying for the first one and add that money to the next smallest one and pay that one off quicker, and keep repeating the process. Very soon, you're paying an extra payment a month. I saved thousands in interest payments toward a lot of debt.
That's actually how I tackled the Cisco exams - nail the "easy" ones first, then use the additional time to make sure I had all the gaps filled for the more difficult exams.
Keep us posted! | |
| jonhiker 2003-04-30, 5:01 pm |
| I would keep on the A+ track. You stated your were 45% of the way, so I would recommend finishing at tleast the core(it's in your requirements), and then head to the CNE upgrade.
When you say 45%, is that towards the Core, OS, or both?
Good luck! | |
| thecomeons 2003-04-30, 5:13 pm |
| stick with the a+. it isn't that hard
if you are already cne, it may not take too much time to upgrade.
is the m$ stuff just getting to know word, excel et al? i heard the lower tear mous stuff is a cakewalk.
we know you can do it! | |
| DemiGod 2003-05-01, 7:32 am |
| quote:
Originally posted by thecomeons
stick with the a+. it isn't that hard
if you are already cne, it may not take too much time to upgrade.
is the m$ stuff just getting to know word, excel et al? i heard the lower tear mous stuff is a cakewalk.
we know you can do it!
Thanks for the vote of confidence!!
The Microsoft stuff is for their new CRM(Customer Relations Management) product.
I've never trained on any CRM packages, so I'm really excited!!
Once I get my cert, I'll be responsible for the design, implementation and installation for use at our company and at customer sites. | |
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| yes go for A+ it will be a like taking a candy from a baby.
gook luck.: | |
| Teck Shark 2003-05-01, 9:12 am |
| I agree with the crowd. The A+ is entry level & fairly easy. That way you'll be riding the confidence wave after passing the A+ Core & OS exams before moving on to Netware. | |
| DemiGod 2003-05-01, 11:45 am |
| Thanks to everyone for your comments and advice!!
I've decided on the following.
1. A+ Hardwarw
2. A+ OS
3. CNE Update to NW 6
4. Microsoft Training | |
| Factor>G< 2003-05-01, 9:22 pm |
| ...Wise choice due to the fact that the A+ objectives will be upgraded toward the latter part of the year. |
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