Not getting any replies from entry level helpdesk jobs in the UK was planning to do the A+ and CCNA (ICND1(CCENT?)+ICND2) but A+ seems to easy but maybe it's necessary??
Not sure what Windows MCSE/MCSA/MCP/MTA I should do if any?
Which qualifications should I get is really what i wanna fucking know. All I have is a CompSci degree with no experience just some little webdev hobby projects.
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CCNA is a great entry level cert, you need to be able to work with routing and switching equipment in labs so you’ll have some experience with that. A+ is ass, Net+ is ass. Sec+ is okay but only really shines if you need it for a government position.
Wouldn’t bother with any microsoft certs until you’re in a job.
>A+ is ass
So should I just go for the CCNA straight away are there any other certs or prerequisite knowledge I should have before attempting it?
It also feels like im trying to run before i can walk with the CCNA because I don't even have any experience in a 1st line support/helpdesk job, how do I go about getting that in the first place? or should I just tell them I'm studying towards a CCNA on my CV
You can put that you’re studying on your resume. I have done that previously.
Most people need to do 6-24 months in a help desk job. You can have a CCNA, get a helpdesk job, then go to a system admin role for sure. Another path would be to just get a helpdesk job, work on CCNA, then go for the admin role. Either scenario is fine.
Also I know about 6 people who did that second scenario. Worked in a help desk call center, got CCNA, then moved up in the org. They didn’t mess around with low level certs. From there they usually get CCNA Voice or whatever they’re looking to specialize in. I would just skip A+ and Net+. You don’t need the other certs to prepare for that one.
Also most people don’t work on Jow Forums, these threads usually flop for that reason.
Was going to go for a CCNA but then I got hired by a local place that pays IT people with no certs or college $20+ an hour, pretty nice desu
That is really nice truthfully, and actually is fairly commom. I'd say to finish your CCNA so you have something else along with your experience. You may need to jump ship to a different gig in a few years.
Not him but putting studying CCNA is good enough along with having A+ knowledge without actually taking that cert due to hands on experience is a good thing in some job positions?
So it's a work on the way up kinda of thing?
A+ is absolutely worthless. Literally just means you're able to breath.
I've got A+/Network+, plus a few other Certs. The A+ and Network+ I got in 2003/2004. You know what good all that did for me? Not a damn thing. Why?. Due to my present employment situation, I'm effectively screwed from ever moving into IT within this "company" due to them outsourcing it all. I'm to invested now to just quit. Got only 15yrs to go till I can retire from it w/full benefits. After I retire, then I got options. I'll be only 50 yrs old. But till then all I can do is just ride it out till then..
>system admin
>ccna
don't sysadmins do a bunch of windows shit like active directory
ccna is more geared towards network ""engineers""
so give it to me straight how the fuck do people get their first helpdesk job as a fresh compsci grad with no experience?
Be ready to back it up. When I did it I brought a laptop with a virtual lab in to the interview. Use Cisco’s Packet Tracer or GNS3. I showed that I was able to connect to a device, manage it, and explain CCNA concepts.
>This is a switch. It has a cam table for each MAC Addressed used in the last 5 minutes.
>This is a router. It has OSPF as it’s routing protocol. I also have these static routes plugged in, let’s look at their administrative distance.
>Let’s disconnect one of the PC terminals and see what happens on the network
Stuff like that. Do not put you have CCNA knowledge if you aren’t able to back it up. I mean I skipped over the A+ entirely, like someone else said it’s for peanut brained shitheads. Only mention the A+ if you already have it imo.
Btw I got that job six years ago because I brought in the virtual lab. Am a RedHat Linux Admin now.
I see, got it.
You’re not wrong, was just mentioning a path. Usually the path at my company is something like
>help desk
>Sys admin
>Network engineer
>Lead tech/team lead
>formal management, architect, or security
Your results and path will vary.
so you got the interview with no prior experience?
Computer science has very little to do with stuff you'll do as a helpdesk person.
Also, know people. It's how I got my first one.
so if i don't know anyone it's pretty much impossible at least that's what it feels like
i see so many apprentice positions for people fresh out of their GCSEs i wish i did that instead of wasting 5 years in sixth form and uni making myself unhireable
Don’t beat yourself up, the degree will pay off in the long run once you actually get in the career field.
I got a CCNA and didn't have a helpdesk job before I got it.
It fucked me over from getting helpdesk jobs because a lot of them say I am over qualified for helpdesk now. It is this awful catch 22/
I would say work helpdesk for six months to a year then get a ccna. If you don't have a job get an A+ then a helpdesk job and then get the ccna. If I could do it all over again.
Also GSN3 is awesome but it doesn't allow for layer three switching. The tests pretty much only cover router on a stick though so I don't think cisco gear would be very helpful for the ccna outside of actually seeing the stuff work. Well it might be useful for password recovery and booting into rammon. I don't know if gns3 does that. I
If I were to recommend study material
Bosonlabs, the offical ccna books, cbt nuggets(That guy is so awesome) and gns3
Maybe you could lie, say you don’t have the CCNA. Then six months to a year later say “oh btw I just took the test and passed. :)” I understand the logic of them saying you’re over qualified, but at the same time I know you’d be able to handle most of the workload headed your way. That’s how my company thinks anyway. We’d rather hire a CCNA and put them in a call center spot than a Geek Squad faggot who’s troubleshooting skills consist of “power off router/power on router.”
Also agree with the CBT Nuggets guy. That series is pretty fire. Also the Plural Sight one was good too imo. The three on Udemy though blow. The Scottish guy is good but his accent gets tiring real quick, but maybe that’s just me. I also think Boson was a must, but I know a few who skipped that and did fine.
What about vmware certs?
Does any one know about IT Army positions?Im looking at 25b because it says entry level.
>If you don't have a job get an A+
Did you already have a degree or not?
The company I work for requires certs but they let you plan for them on company time. They don't expect you to just magically walk in first day on the job with all the certs they want. It's also worth pointing out CompTIA stuff is only good for 3 years so its really not a good idea to spend your time and money if you dont have a job lined up.
I also wouldn't worry about the over qualified non-sense. That's only going to come into play if you come off as a toolbag in your interview.
just look around. funny part is no entry level job you want will ever be labeled entry level. Having a degree will get you an interview. You might fuck up a bunch of interviews but who cares it's useful information about what is expected of you and what they already want you to know.
ive just got my degree and not getting any replies from recruiters for junior/1st line roles don't know what im doing wrong
Well my problem with that is I have no other certs and only an AA in computer science. My work experience was working at a pc repair shop and fast food. I don't really have the money to go and pay for an A+ right now as I just moved out of my parents house. If I take the CCNA off of my resume it looks pretty bleak.
I even live in the greater seattle area and it has been so hard finding a job here in IT. It always comes up on why I went straight for the CCNA and not A+. I told them i pretty much know A+ and I got a CCNA because with discount vouchers i got it for about 300 bucks since I only bought the official books and pirated the shit off iptorrents. I totally thought I was being smart getting the CCNA rather than the compita certs but help desk loves their A+.
I only have an AA in cosci.
A+ is piss easy but you still need at as basic positions will still ask for it.
Former helpdesk manager here. What experience have you got? Also, what sort of companies have you been applying to?
Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about CCNA but A+ would be good to see, as would exposure to Office 365 and basic AD admin
Not OP but I pretty much have all of that except I don't know exchange at all. I know outlook a little have know how to work it but exchange is an unknown to me.
Try to install it in a VM. I'm pretty sure it's on the Microsoft evaluation center. Be warned that it can be installed perfectly but still decide not to function. It has a mind of its own
i had some experience with a startup doing marketing and branding material design for them bit of ux stuff
got a degree now in compsci but got no other experience just some retail stuff.
not getting any replies for 1st line support or helpdesk roles don't know if the A+ is worth it seems too easy as well like i said in OP im in the uk and even the entry level roles ask for stuff like windows active directory knowledge so maybe MCP is needed?
If you wanna go Ops and be employed easily then do AWS certs and learn about how to administrate cloud and do things there.
Cisco certs are for IT support fucks being dicks to other people because they wanna show you how they are important (they are not)
Not op but I'm tempted to go this route since they pay pretty well. Would I need a degree to get in the field? Other than AWS, any other certs I should be going for or learning?
I'm also thinking about studying for RHCSA but I'm not sure.
don't you need prior experience to go anywhere near cloud related stuff in the industry
i haven't even worked helpdesk or had a junior dev role
thinking of doing MCSA: Windows 10 and MCSA:Windows Server 2016
although most of the roles are asking for things like windows 7 and server 2008/2012, it's always better to get the most recent quals i assume?
cybrary only offers windows 2012 training though
>>AWS
>>Not getting a Cloud MCSE for the superior cloud
>How end user devices communicate to each other and the rest of the entire internet aren’t important
>I just plug my computer into my router at home and it works!
>No need for those pesky routing and switching guys, their jobs are so easy
>Just skip helpdesk and go straight into “the cloud”
Never worked in an enterprise environment, the post.
This is objectively bad advice. If you don’t have 5 years of solid experience to go along with your AWS cert, you’re getting black listed from any job you apply to.
>being dicks to other people
>muh "my application is slow because your network sucks"
>my packet capture proves you wrong you fucking shitbird, did you not account for (dns|shitty DB queries|the fact that bandwidth is not literally infinte) again?
>"you're a dick"
all day every day.
step to me.
Go 35T. Am 25B trust me it's not what it seems.
just to add to the 'A+ is worthless' discussion, I received my A+ 2 years ago and pretty much gave up on finding a job in IT after working a shitty internship for a few months. did I try tremendously hard? no, but it became apparent that the work I put in (through a program that I was directed to by the workforce center in my state) pretty much amounted to me being able to get jobs repairing cell phones, or whatever, because help desk positions generally want experience or even college a lot of the time.
I'm going back to school now, on a pell grant (thank god), and am happily leaving behind the IT industry. it wasn't right for me anyways. I've been tempted to start a thread talking about the program, the time it took, and what it costed the state to put me through it just because I think it'd be amusing for a lot of people. I wish I would've read up on it more, because the place that ran this program is honestly worthy of being called a scam.
If a+ is worthless, how would I go about getting a entry level help desk job without work experience?
I don't have degree and I'm in industry. Depends just on your self-control in self-learning.
As I said before I'm without degree. You can touch cloud related things even without a job. What stops you from creating a free account on GCP or AWS and tinkering with it?
AWS is a standard in the industry and HR will know what it is.
The I must justify why I am a stupid fucktard connecting people computers for at least ten years. What skills do you need to configure stupid router? I did that being in elementary, wtf?
Helpdesk is soulless job draining your psychic-mind like a atomic blast does to the lake when it is a groud zero.
I had something else in mind than that.
Ah, good old Cisco; two middle fingers, is a very fitting logo indeed.
>compsci degree
>applying for helpdesk positions
Why lad why
which AWS certs did you do? even the foundation recommends for 6 months experience
what should i be applying for then? everything asks for experience which i don't have not sure what route to go down if i do programming most places ask for java round here or webdev shit
I didn't but have plan to do them since my position requires it.
Recommended experience != Your knowledge about topic
A+ isn't "worthless", it's just doesn't open that many doors. it's a cert a lot of people can self study for in a month or two.
entry level help desk positions seem to not exist, but I definitely did see some good opportunities pop up once in a while during my job search, so it's also a matter of finding the right opportunity. try to find an internship perhaps. that can be very valuable and perhaps lead to a full time gig.
even though I'm a bit bitter about my time spent in IT, the opportunities were definitely there for someone with an A+. were they fantastic $20+ starting jobs? fuck no, but they could've definitely led to something better or would've helped get there.
and to add onto that, I have occasionally seen A+ listed in preferred qualifications. it does happen. it's definitely not worthless. again, is it big money maker that opens a bunch of doors? no, but it's a good start and can lead to better things if you keep expanding and have a passion to learn more.
4 tedious tests vs 1 test
How long did you guys study for the CCNA? Would it be worth getting a $350 lab kit as a study tool?
8 months total for both tests.
Worked full time and kinda dicked off and had a great social life during that time.
I think you could get both in 2 months total if you tried super hard.
If you’re a richfag then go for it. Otherwise no, Packet Tracer, GNS3, or Boson Lab Simulator are great. Actual equipment might be needed for CCNP, but I wouldn’t know from first hand experience...just what I’ve heard.
If you're going on helpdesk then a Windows cert is good idea. You can switch to server down the line to get off help desk. That's what I did, got 6 years of help desk experience on a A+ and MSDT certs then became a sysadmin.
No idea why people keep suggesting the CCNA for helpdesk work.
I see this being suggested on other sites as well. Think its a US thing.
The A+ isnt completely useless for informational purposes but I wouldnt do it to secure a job.
Considering that most helpdesk roles have you supporting client side issues on Windows based machines I'd look at doing the first or full Windows 10 MCSA exam (70-698 and 70-697)
Windows 7-10 are pretty similar o that should sort out your OS skills.
Maybe complement that with a Network+ or MTA networking cert to ensure you have your network basics down.
That should be enough but with a CompSci degree you should be able to get a helpdesk role without any of this. Start applying directly to MSPs. They hire anyone on the basis that there's usally quite a high turn over rate. Tough it out for a few months to a year then leave for hopefully a better job.
Honestly just watch Professor Messer's video playlist on A+ and maybe even Network+ for free online to get and idea about them and then get a CCNA
what is a msp?
are there any good mcsa windows 10 resources online?free ones
messer and cybrary don't have anything on it and cybrary only has mcsa windows server 2012
also down the line would it be better do a windows server 2012 or 2016 qualification
MSP = Managed Service Provider
Companies that have little to none IT staff will hire MSPs to do IT for them.
Some companies use MSPs also to do stuff they don't want to deal with like they have a full time guy or two but need other people to do/handle the backups then they'll hire an MSP to take care of that.
Sometimes you have a big deployment and need more people on board like refreshing all desktops to Win10 then you'd hire a MSP for assistance.
you can't beat CCNA with pajeet.
Entry level; get A+, Network+, Security+, , Linux Essentials and or Linux+, CCNA, and ITIL Foundations. Plan to complete this in 6 months to a year. Prospects should start opening up.
Learn a programming language or more after. Every three years you will need to recert, but this path it should be only one test. The highest level test.
These should be IT standards most government and companies will look for in an employee.
You dont need actual equipment even for ccnp. Packet tracer is enough
Makes sense, didn’t know because I won’t be taking the CCNP for years, if ever.
In that case for the other guy I’d just skip the physical lab entirely. It is definitely the cooler option but you could use that money towards a lot of other stuff in regards to training or tests for certifications.
Two months sitting in a full time course. If you have basic knowledge of computer networks and work through the Cisco books you have a good chance. Do the full configuration for every device in packet tracer until you have it memorized and don't skip IPv6 routing.