Just curious, what kinds of certs you guys got? Comptia, Windows, Linux, Cisco, etc.?
I currently have Security + and MCTS Windows 7 Configuration. Currently working on my MCSA Windows Server Administration.
None, (don't have any)
well I have an A-level in IT, not having any industry qualifications hasn't hurt me though.
Certs get you interviews, knowledge gets you jobs...
That said I'm working towards (vaguely studying with an intent to take the exam) for VMwares VCP-DV5 (Virtual Centre Professional - Datacenter virtualisation). I might go for private the higher ones after that.
I'm intending to do CCNA, as I've recently statred working more no network design, -something I've not done at the level I'm now expected to do this before, and could at least use the training...
do you guys do computer work a career?
yes.
I work for a managed services company, providing support and consultancy services to third party companies.
I'm a bit of an odd ball in that whilst the company has dedicated teams for various technologies, I sit in all the teams. (so work with a mixture of technologies... which would be pointless to list)
The thing that gets me is that the Cisco certs are specific to Cicso equipment, and to some level specific Cisco equipment, (so certification in switching doesn't help me using jet nexus load balancers, nor IPS modules, and does nothing to help when I'm configuring the F5 BigIP load balancers...)
GCSE expire but your A-Level won't.
no they don't, GCSE and A level results never expire, they do however become less relevant. -that is to say if you passed 20 years ago someone might think that your skills have dulled since then and ask you to sit a key skills test etc to show that you still have the abilities that were previously proven.
when we talk about expiry, the original MCSE exams never expired, those that were MCSE certified in windows NT4 and still Joe Blogs MCSE (NT4)
the new ones do expire, thus joe blogs MSCE only gets to be joe blogs MSCE for a couple of years before his qualification expires and he is no longer entitled to use the post nominal letters.
It's all about the certificates these days, you must be qualified.
My experience suggests that this isn't true.
certainly where I work they are recruiting now and are not requiring certification. (that's because we have exams set in interviews)
Telephone interviews, (weed out people who are managed to write a competent CV but otherwise are just wasting your time) then in person interview with exams.
exams are set as an "in this situation what do you do"...
if a company is only hiring on the strength of exams then they won't necessarily get good staff,
in fact it's generally been my experience that those who spend all their time fixating on exams, and knowing the "exam answer" generally fail to understand what "should" be done, or the most practical way of resolving a problem. -or the real world problems with rolling out software...
Thus in a bind you hire a consultant to get something done, you hire a consultant because he's got mountains of certifications in a product, he rolls out a product in accordance with a deployment guide, fails to understand needs and requirements properly, and thus fails to set up the product in any reasonable way...
then you need to spend the next few years trying to make a bad installation work, or trying to justify upgrades and changes to clients, -when you sold them the design in the first place...
