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Certification Advice?

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    Certification Advice?

    Hows it goin all thought i would write a thread to ask if any one could help me out. you seem an intelligent lot.Ill tell ye about myself. Im a farmers son from Northern Ireland with IT qualifications and experience up to his neck but no certifications. what the situation is that im not working at the moment having left a job in November, to do a major CCTV job nov-dec. But im finding it difficult of getting another permanent job with serious prospects in computer networks and admin. However being hard of hearing doesnt make it any easier(cant use telephone) So I looked at the contracting scene as it seems a n attractive way to get more IT exposure and experience along with the good salary that comes with it. so I want to ask you all some questions to help me make a sound decision.

    Bearing in mind i have a bsc and HND networking qualiifications along with 4 years of network experience.

    i want to be able to do contracting but contract jobs mostly cover a demand of specific exposure and certifications.
    ok here goes.

    Option one
    look for a permanant IT job with current qualifications, train myself after work hours on certifications e.g msce ccna ccnp etc etc. then look for a serious contract job e.g 6months or a higher paid permanant IT job.
    time scale could be 1 yr or so with the cost of books and IT equipment

    Option 2
    Go to india (cheep)on a boot camp for 2 or 3 months for MCSE 2003 ccna ccnp cover 3 or 4 certifications. return to uk to secure a contract job where ever in the world.

    Question is which option is better and more chance? do employers pay more attention for certifications thus more chance of getting interviews and proving your worth to them?

    I would be grateful of any help.

    Thanks in advance

    Ryan

    #2
    Certifications for most contracts rarely come above experience - in my experience anyway. If you are having difficulty getting a contract with your current experience then you may have to look at both permanent and contract options. However, you have not been out of contract that long not if you consider most of that was the Christmas period when no-one was really recruiting that much, this is generally one of the quiter times of the year for recruiting so give a bit longer. Spend the time out of contract learning new tricks and/or skills at home.

    Good luck

    Comment


      #3
      thanks for that privateeye, but i have never actually been in a contract job with specific skills, my skills are lets say your average network administrator with the intelligence of knowing other skills such as VPN ,wireless VOIP cisco router etc, yes i would benefit more knowledge if i got training but what im asking is if i should go and get these certifications or wait it out and keep applying? whenever i see a contracting job it as a ccna ccnp mcp msce that they are asking for.. so i if wanted to overseas to work they ask for this specialist skills. i want to go into a more specific networking role. but im asking which way is the best way to go about it.i work on my servers at home anyway.


      Ryan

      Comment


        #4
        i don't think there's any best way. as a contractor, you play a game whose rules, context and bias constantly change. therefore, you change your game to suit. what might be 'best' in q1 may not be so good in q3.if you begin to see a preponderance of adverts requiring certs then you might want to consider that. if you get contracts without certs, then why bother? the point is that, with hindsight we can all say, yes, certs are best or no, save your money. the trick is not to waste too much time on developing foresight. focus on getting work, whatever that takes. it's dog eat dog out here!

        and as a rider, echoing old pe above, in my experience, experience always carries more weight than bits of paper.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by scotspine
          and as a rider, echoing old pe above, in my experience, experience always carries more weight than bits of paper.
          I agree. Thats why we have so many graduates struggling to get jobs in this country. They have all the qualifications, but have sod all commercial experience, which is what most employers are looking for.

          You have a printer right? Just run a few certificates off on that!!

          Comment


            #6
            hey what you saying makes sense to me. i realise that qualifications are paper but what about the actual skills, i fi dont have the training how am i going to know it properly and then how am i going to apply for a job with that specific skill such as unix Cisco and such an such, even if i do get a job based on my qualifications and experience so far which may not require me to use thier equipment due to some managed service reasons etc, how can I gaurantee the skills i want for the next job which leads me to think to do the training now. kinda difficult becuase in the last permie job they wouldnt let me expand my skills and get involved in develoments (cos they were selfish) i dont actually care if i get a name, just want the skills and the means to prove it.
            but cheers for your responses....
            might save money not doing certifications but also mite miss out on jobs and a lot of time..is this right?

            Comment


              #7
              >Go to india (cheep)on a boot camp for 2 or 3 months for MCSE 2003 ccna ccnp cover 3 or 4 certifications. return to uk to secure a contract job where ever in the world.

              Not a chance. Unless you are happy to charge Indian rates. All those certs might get you the interview, but the lack of relevant experience will cost you the gig.
              His heart is in the right place - shame we can't say the same about his brain...

              Comment


                #8
                You might also wish to consider a basic English grammar course. They speak English in India, so your dosh won't be completely wasted...
                His heart is in the right place - shame we can't say the same about his brain...

                Comment


                  #9
                  yer bit of a c**t arnt ye mordac i reckon my grammar is spot on there heh

                  but i take your point on the commerical experience, might aim a little lower on the wage side of things. and get a contract without certification requirements with the job having modest exposure.

                  small moves eh.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Never heard of capitals at the start of sentences? If you want to fool people into believing you're a Professional, you need to start by learning the basics of English. And not calling people c**ts. Now. f**k *ff while your legs still work properly.
                    His heart is in the right place - shame we can't say the same about his brain...

                    Comment

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