MCSE, MCTS or MCITP

mercurial

mercurial

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I'm considering getting some extra qualifications. Which of the above would you recommend and why? Thanks.
 
Well I did my MCSE 2003 -> IT Pro
Upgraded to 2008 ->Technology Specialist

I reccomend getting MCSE 2003 first, then upgrade to 2008.

You also get lots of shiny cards lol
 
mercurial said:
I'm considering getting some extra qualifications. Which of the above would you recommend and why? Thanks.
Click to expand...

So what qualifications do you currently have?

Before making a recommendation you need to supply more info since MCTS is more "role specific" whereas MCSE is very broad based. Give some feedback regarding the below and that should determine which direction to pursue.

What is your experience/skill set ? how long have you been working with the following products:

Windows Server 2003 ?
Windows Server 2008 ?
Any MS Exchange experience?
OS/Network Security experience?

PS > if you don't actively work with the above or have limited exposure then getting a cert wont help you much, if the other way around then yes it would be of benefit.
 
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If you just want to get some more qualifications under your belt have you thought about Cisco?, Cisco IMO is much more in demand!
 
My advice would be to go for the MCITP (if the three above were your only choices for certification). I know a lot of people will say MCSE2003 because its more relevant, BUT, most people, when hiring, consider an MS cert to be backward inclusive of all the other products (so MCITP on 2008 includes 2003, 2000 and NT). If you do it now, then you will have the MS cert valid for the next 6-8 years easily....
 
Does one actually need any knowledge to study for towards an MCSE?
I have a fairly good amount of general knowledge about PC's and networking and I have done my A+, will I be able to study towards my MCSE or do I need some other pre-requisite?
 
No. An A+/N+ is sometimes seen as a prerequisite for MCSE, but mostly because its *** as a trainer to have to explain basic stuff to a person, while everybody else sits there bored :)

If you know PCs, and networking basics, then go ahead and study an MCSE; I am assuming that you want to self study? If so, set up virtual machines, play around with things like DNS, GPO, security, DHCP etc, and you will be fine in the exam. Aim for one exam every 5-6 weeks....
 
No comparison at all. Really none. A degree is for life, and you can build on it Bsc > Honours > Msc and/or MBA. With a degree you can run a company like Didata or BCX, or get a job as CIO for a major player. MCSE, or any other certification, is just a certification, in 20 years time, with 20 years worth of study; you will still only have a certification. While some people go far with certs, most people stay in a "techie" field....

While certifications have their place, university is the way to go. I did certifications, but would rather have gone to varsity - were I not a dumbass at school ;)
 
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