How to Get Certified

[thatfilmcrew]

Hey guys,

I was wondering how do I get certified for IT.

Where can I find what I need?

What do jobs want?

[Recon-UK]

Blow the boss?

 

Naww kidding, get an education in that field.

[T.Vengeance]

Normally speaking A+ certification.

[Freaky_spider]

Blow the boss?

 

Naww kidding, get an education in that field.

didnt think dirty enough when i first read that, i thought, 'kill him?' and then i was like 'you ninja  '

[Blade of Grass]

Well, professional certification from companies like Microsoft, Cisco, etc are quite useful, along with general certs like CompTIA A+.

 

Though most companies are looking for Bachelors in Computer Science or IT.

[jakkuh_t]

Hey guys,

I was wondering how do I get certified for IT.

Where can I find what I need?

What do jobs want?

To be honest, you really should think this through. IT is a very tricky field in the sense that some jobs can be fun, while others are extremely repetitive and un-enjoyable. It really boils down to what field of IT you enter. So, I'd do some research and maybe get in contact with some IT personnel and see what they do, how they like it, and what education they have/needed to have to get said job. 

[AMICLG]

What part of IT do you want to do? You need to be somewhat specific on what you want to do and start from there as they're tons of certs out there.

[ygohome]

Yeah, depends on what you want to be certified in.  Here is an example.  To be Oracle Database Administrator certified you would need  to follow Oracle's certification paths:

 

 

exams cost between $125 USD and $245 USD.

 

Courses cost between $1400 and $4000 depending on which courses you select.  Minimum # of courses required to obtain an Oracle Certified Masters would be three courses (min of 1 course to become certified professional, plus min of two more courses to become certified masters).

 

Some Oracle exams may be taken as non-proctored (online) or as proctored (in person, in a classroom with an instructor).  The "high risk" exams (ie the finals) are required to be taken in person with an instructor.   non proctor  vs proctor are officially looked at as being equal but I would recommend taking all exams in person since an interviewer may look more favorably to such a candidate than one who could have potentially been "cheating" online.  Regardless, the finals are required to be taken in person.

 

hope that helps

[deafboy]

What jobs in particular are you looking for?

[doubley_m]

As stated before, kinda need to think of what you want to specialize in before you make decisions on certification/education.

 

General Certs like CompTIA's collection can be a good foundation for most paths but if at all possible, a degree in CS or IT can help getting your foot in the door to pretty much all IT roles, and you can then specialize with certifications/experience.

[ericlee30]

Most IT jobs only require the A+ certification and thats it.

[beau]

It really depends on what you enjoy.  There is no such thing as just 'IT,' that's being WAY to vague.  IT is an industry and entails a vast number of strands... i.e. networking, security, applications, programming, design.  Generally if you see people advertising for 'IT Positions' and very little else to describe the position, they don't really have a clue about what it really entails.  For example, I work in IT, but I consider my work a little bit of carpentry, electrical work, psychology, and security.  I spend a lot of time on a ladder and in the ceiling/walls running cables around.

 

If you like networking and security, I can vouch for the Cisco - CCNA - course.  If you're not up to scratch on that then the Cisco - CCENT - is the preliminary course.  If CCNA is to easy then there's CCNA Voice, CCNA Security, CCNA Server, CCNP, etc etc etc.

 

A-lot of the CompTIA A+ courses are pretty boring for me.  It was interesting at the start when it went through the history of computers, legacy components, Intel VS AMD in the 70s and 80s, but when it got to 'This is how you connect to the internet' parts in Windows... very very boring.

 

ITIL Foundation is great for Large enterprises.  Alot of them like and value the fact that you may have studied/certified in ITIL Foundation.  This is a very practical skillset but only at the large enterprise level.  Small or medium businesses don't really know how good ITIL is though because they don't implement those kinds of solutions.

 

Stay away from the Microsoft courses.  They are not as valued as Cisco/Linux and employers generally prefer actual experience with Microsoft server/sharepoint etc rather than theoretical knowledge.  A lot of IT businesses are moving away from Microsoft solutions and implementing Linux distributions 

 

If possible try get a traineeship in the field, although they are very rare these days.  That's how I got started.  You could try approaching an 'IT' employer and suggesting the traineeship to them.  A few countries offer incentives to employers if they accept trainees.

 

That's my 2 cents anyway.