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Home > Archive > alt.certification.mcse > November 2002 > Re: MCSE in 6 weeks - entirely possible (?)
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Re: MCSE in 6 weeks - entirely possible (?)
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| Richard Ballard 2002-11-19, 10:25 am |
| In article <3dd9fdcd.0@news1.mweb.co.za>,
"Ptec" <ptec@pczone.com> writes:
>See www.i2ko.com
>
>Look at the newsflash page
>
>Not a bootcamp
If an individual has no IT experience and wants to enter the
IT field I recommend they complete their A-PLUS
certification and use their A-PLUS certification to qualify
for an entry-level position. Most employers will fund
continueing education courses for productive employees,
and the employee can learn new skills building upon the
experience base they acquire in the workplace. This is
analogous to building your house on rock, as opposed
to building your house on paper.
That's the nice way to phrase it. Another perspective:
"Occasionally you read reference to the 'paper MCSE'.
What's a paper MCSE?"
1) A paper MCSE is a person with a lot of wallpaper (test
passed certificates) but no practical experience.
2) A paper MCSE is someone who (when faced with a network
outage) locks the server room door, unplugs the telephone,
turns off their cellular telephone/pager, and (assuming that they
did not sell their texts after passing the tests) frantically
pages through the texts trying to locate *any* reference to the
problem. They also might ask vaguely-defined questions on
IT-related Internet newsgroups and then WAIT ... . The Help Desk
and Management receive no idea of the outage's cause. The Help
Desk and Management receive no Expected-Time-To-Restore/Repair
estimate. Suddenly the value of prior networking experience is
evident.
This is a reactive scenario. What is the PROactive scenario?
If your employer does not provide a non-production test network
for you to "break and fix" (the basis of practical experience), you
must provide your own at home upon which to experiment during
your own time. You also get the benefit of applying operating
system, application enhancement, and security upgrades to your
home network, a task that another individual might perform on the
production network. And you should apply these upgrades to the
test/home system *before* you apply them to the production
system where (due to incompatibilities) they might cause
production network failure.
I also advocate home technical libraries to supplement the
technical library provided by employers -- technical books are
IT "tools of the trade". My Amazon.com "Friends and Favorites"
webpage (referenced in my sig) contains links to a number of
MCSE-related "Listmania" reading lists, including "A Windows
Desktop OS Reading List", "A Windows NT4 Server Reading
List", "A BackOffice / SBS 4.5 Reading List" (reflects two
distinct Microsoft Corporation products), "A Computer Security
Reading List", "An MCSE Consultant's Business Reading List",
and (preliminary) "A Small Business Server 2000 Reading List"
(reflects one distinct Microsoft Corporation product).
This message was not solicited by Amazon.com, any author,
or their agent(s).
This message was not solicited by Microsoft Corporation. I
receive no remuneration of any kind from Microsoft Corporation.
My opinions.
Richard Ballard MSEE CNA4 KD0AZ
--
Consultant specializing in computer networks, imaging & security
Listed as rjballard in "Friends & Favorites" at www.amazon.com
Last review: "Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy"
| |
| Richard Ballard 2002-11-19, 2:24 pm |
| In article <20021119112015.10145.00000410@mb-cd.aol.com>,
rball84213@aol.com (Richard Ballard) writes:
>In article <3dd9fdcd.0@news1.mweb.co.za>,
>"Ptec" <ptec@pczone.com> writes:
>
>>See www.i2ko.com
>>
>>Look at the newsflash page
>>
>>Not a bootcamp
>
>If an individual has no IT experience and wants to enter the
>IT field I recommend they complete their A-PLUS
>certification and use their A-PLUS certification to qualify
>for an entry-level position. Most employers will fund
>continueing education courses for productive employees,
>and the employee can learn new skills building upon the
>experience base they acquire in the workplace. This is
>analogous to building your house on rock, as opposed
>to building your house on paper.
>
>That's the nice way to phrase it. Another perspective:
>"Occasionally you read reference to the 'paper MCSE'.
>What's a paper MCSE?"
>
>1) A paper MCSE is a person with a lot of wallpaper (test
>passed certificates) but no practical experience.
>
>2) A paper MCSE is someone who (when faced with a network
>outage) locks the server room door, unplugs the telephone,
>turns off their cellular telephone/pager, and (assuming that they
>did not sell their texts after passing the tests) frantically
>pages through the texts trying to locate *any* reference to the
>problem. They also might ask vaguely-defined questions on
>IT-related Internet newsgroups and then WAIT ... . The Help Desk
>and Management receive no idea of the outage's cause. The Help
>Desk and Management receive no Expected-Time-To-Restore/Repair
>estimate. Suddenly the value of prior networking experience is
>evident.
>
>This is a reactive scenario. What is the PROactive scenario?
>If your employer does not provide a non-production test network
>for you to "break and fix" (the basis of practical experience), you
>must provide your own at home upon which to experiment during
>your own time. You also get the benefit of applying operating
>system, application enhancement, and security upgrades to your
>home network, a task that another individual might perform on the
>production network. And you should apply these upgrades to the
>test/home system *before* you apply them to the production
>system where (due to incompatibilities) they might cause
>production network failure.
>
>I also advocate home technical libraries to supplement the
>technical library provided by employers -- technical books are
>IT "tools of the trade". My Amazon.com "Friends and Favorites"
>webpage (referenced in my sig) contains links to a number of
>MCSE-related "Listmania" reading lists, including "A Windows
>Desktop OS Reading List", "A Windows NT4 Server Reading
>List", "A BackOffice / SBS 4.5 Reading List" (reflects two
>distinct Microsoft Corporation products), "A Computer Security
>Reading List", "An MCSE Consultant's Business Reading List",
>and (preliminary) "A Small Business Server 2000 Reading List"
>(reflects one distinct Microsoft Corporation product).
I also recommend that prospective MCSEs become familiar
and skilled using the Microsoft Corporation Knowledge Base.
Microsoft Corporation provides an *extensive* collection of
detailed technical information in its Knowledge Base, and
the Knowledge Base is *keyword-searchable*. To answer a
specific question I would search the Microsoft Corporation
Knowledge Base rather than post IT-related Internet newsgroup
messages -- no wait.
Knowledge Base article ###### currently can be accessed on
a no-cost basis at URL
"http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q######"
(no quotes).
The Microsoft Corporation Knowledge Base is valuable, but IMO it
does *not* replace paper texts and searchable e-books on CD-ROM.
Occasionally an MCSE might require information while at a
Customer site where Internet access is not available.
>This message was not solicited by Amazon.com, any author,
>or their agent(s).
<snip>
This message was not solicited by Microsoft Corporation. I
receive no remuneration of any kind from Microsoft Corporation.
My opinions.
Richard Ballard MSEE CNA4 KD0AZ
--
Consultant specializing in computer networks, imaging & security
Listed as rjballard in "Friends & Favorites" at www.amazon.com
Last review: "Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy"
| |
| Richard Ballard 2002-11-20, 10:25 am |
| In article <uvLWf#DkCHA.2760@tkmsftngp10>,
"Glenn D. Crosse" <glenncrosse@earthlink.net> writes:
>If you know your stuff going in (a good handle of most of the
>material) I believe 4 to 5 months is about right ( if you work
>your butt off).
>6 weeks sounds like a scam and I can't see how lasting
>results can come out of that experience.
Several comments:
1) I did not provide *any* schedule estimate for an experienced
IT person to complete their MCSE (or for an inexperienced
person to complete their A-PLUS certification). Issues include
ability and other responsibilities -- everybody is not a full-time
student.
2) I sincerely believe that *inexperienced* people should get
their A-PLUS certification, use that background to obtain an
entry-level IT job, and work on their MCSE in conjunction with
their IT employment. Experience is a good teacher -- it teaches
skills like Customer relations, when to call in a specialist, and
trivia like carrying band-aids in your service kit so that you do
not bleed on Customer carpeting when you cut your fingers on
sharp chassis edges.
A working technician has a tangible experience base upon
which to assimilate his/her MCSE knowledge -- not "in one ear,
out the other".
A productive technician's employer probably will subsidize the
productive technician's continueing education -- consider it a
form of "natural selection".
>I think you are a rip-off.
>
>Glenn
YMMV.
>"Richard Ballard" <rball84213@aol.com> wrote in message
>news:20021119112016.10145.00000411@mb-cd.aol.com...
>
>>In article <3dd9fdcd.0@news1.mweb.co.za>,
>>"Ptec" <ptec@pczone.com> writes:
>>
>>>See www.i2ko.com
>>>
>>>Look at the newsflash page
>>>
>>>Not a bootcamp
>>
>>If an individual has no IT experience and wants to enter the
>>IT field I recommend they complete their A-PLUS
>>certification and use their A-PLUS certification to qualify
>>for an entry-level position. Most employers will fund
>>continueing education courses for productive employees,
>>and the employee can learn new skills building upon the
>>experience base they acquire in the workplace. This is
>>analogous to building your house on rock, as opposed
>>to building your house on paper.
>>
>>That's the nice way to phrase it. Another perspective:
>>"Occasionally you read reference to the 'paper MCSE'.
>>What's a paper MCSE?"
>>
>>1) A paper MCSE is a person with a lot of wallpaper (test
>>passed certificates) but no practical experience.
>>
>>2) A paper MCSE is someone who (when faced with a network
>>outage) locks the server room door, unplugs the telephone,
>>turns off their cellular telephone/pager, and (assuming that they
>>did not sell their texts after passing the tests) frantically
>>pages through the texts trying to locate *any* reference to the
>>problem. They also might ask vaguely-defined questions on
>>IT-related Internet newsgroups and then WAIT ... . The Help Desk
>>and Management receive no idea of the outage's cause. The Help
>>Desk and Management receive no Expected-Time-To-Restore/Repair
>>estimate. Suddenly the value of prior networking experience is
>>evident.
>>
>>This is a reactive scenario. What is the PROactive scenario?
>>If your employer does not provide a non-production test network
>>for you to "break and fix" (the basis of practical experience), you
>>must provide your own at home upon which to experiment during
>>your own time. You also get the benefit of applying operating
>>system, application enhancement, and security upgrades to your
>>home network, a task that another individual might perform on the
>>production network. And you should apply these upgrades to the
>>test/home system *before* you apply them to the production
>>system where (due to incompatibilities) they might cause
>>production network failure.
>>
>>I also advocate home technical libraries to supplement the
>>technical library provided by employers -- technical books are
>>IT "tools of the trade". My Amazon.com "Friends and Favorites"
>>webpage (referenced in my sig) contains links to a number of
>>MCSE-related "Listmania" reading lists, including "A Windows
>>Desktop OS Reading List", "A Windows NT4 Server Reading
>>List", "A BackOffice / SBS 4.5 Reading List" (reflects two
>>distinct Microsoft Corporation products), "A Computer Security
>>Reading List", "An MCSE Consultant's Business Reading List",
>>and (preliminary) "A Small Business Server 2000 Reading List"
>>(reflects one distinct Microsoft Corporation product).
>>
>>This message was not solicited by Amazon.com, any author,
>>or their agent(s).
>>
>>This message was not solicited by Microsoft Corporation. I
>>receive no remuneration of any kind from Microsoft Corporation.
<snip>
This message was not solicited by CompTia. I receive no
remuneration of any kind from CompTia.
My opinions.
Richard Ballard MSEE CNA4 KD0AZ
--
Consultant specializing in computer networks, imaging & security
Listed as rjballard in "Friends & Favorites" at www.amazon.com
Last review: "Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy"
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