Best certifications for working in IT?

[Jack_Bauer]

For almost five years now, I've been a one-man in house IT person for a small/medium size law firm, supporting 50 people in two sites. I have my COMPTIA A+ IT Technician certification, but I want to get more to help my job prospects down the line. I've heard from other people in the IT community that work experience matters more than certifications, but it's hard to get that experience because the position I'm at now is a jack-of-all trades position.

I've pretty much learned all I can at my current job and I want to go somewhere else where I can learn more. I'm wondering which certifications I should pursue to be able to take what I've learned here and to work for a much larger company where there is room to move vertically. Ultimately, I want to do hardware and software support since that is what I do now but I'm not opposed to other fields of IT such as networking and security. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

[Outta Control]

CCNA

[Spetsnazos]

don't know about IT but I just wanted to say that 24 is an awesome show and JAck Bauer kicks ***!

[Coded-Dude]

When I hired on at HP(as a contractor) they(my pimp) had me test at brainbench.com Not sure how widely they(brainbench) are used these days, but they do have assessment tests for virtually any and all IT related fields. Also any platform specific cert looks great on a resume; Microsoft Certs, Cisco Certs, Oracle Certs, etc.

Network +
CCNA
MCSE
MCSA

[den888]

CCNA, CCNP and CCIE

[Tripper]

Microsoft, help desk certification line
Then cna
Then cne

The a+ is already a plus fir good start

All of the helpdesk cert line applies toward cna
Or you can do a specific line, such as SQL expert etc...
sharepoint is gaining traction

Good luck

[nick]

It would depend on the career path you want to take. Generally, the Cisco certs (CCNP, CCSP, etc.) would be useful. Other networking certs (Juniper, CheckPoint, etc.) would be a plus, but most companies are more familiar with the Cisco ones. On the host side, Microsoft certs are useful (although you have to take a crapload of exams to get anywhere. The exams themselves are easy enough though). VMware VCP would go very well with those. You can round it by getting a few security certs (CISSP, SSCP, and the SSCP cert also counts as an elective Microsoft exam). If you're looking to work in a Linux/UNIX environment, RHCE would be nice, although few people look for Linux certs when they hire Linux admins. There're tons of other certs, and you'll pick them up as you go along. The most important part is to have the knowledge those certs supposedly certify though, as opposed to be someone who can cram for a test. The certs can get you a job interview, but it's quite apparent who has the knowledge and who just crammed for the exam during the interview.

That being said, I actually prefer the people who have certs when I'm hiring, as it shows that there's a likelihood that they didn't just touch a bunch of technologies and went through the paces on some Internet guy's blog, but actually studied why they did what they did, and can handle a new problem (as in the problem for which there's no guy-on-the-Internet solution yet ). It doesn't guarantee this, mind you, but it shows that there might be a likelihood of that.

The best thing you can do for yourself long-term is to get a college degree though. Unlike the certs, it'll work for you many years from now, when the technologies you got certified on are long since obsolete, and you will have moved over to management. It's a requirement for quite a few jobs, as well. Work experience can substitute for it, but it doesn't sound like you already have the relevant work experience. Moreover, a combination of a degree and relevant work experience (and relevant certs) is a killer.

Oh, and the good part about some CompTIA certs is that they work as elective exams for many Microsoft certs, while they never expire. Well, I believe, if you get them now, they do expire after 3 years or so, but if you had them before they made the change, you're golden

[desertdweller]

I give Nick's answer a big plus one.

Aside from that, it depends on where you want to work. If it's with government, you will need Server+ and Network+ or Security+ as a minimum. All the other stuff like Cisco, Juniper, etc. won't do much good if you won't use that, or that type, of equipment.

I do IT for an 80+ size company and I'm the only support there. Once things are working, there isn't much for me to do and so when the company was downsizing a few years ago, I got nervous. I then started doing Payroll because as IT, I knew the program due to installing it with the vendor and then supporting it. Now, I do HR/Payroll, IT, light bulbs, alarm management, locksmith, various State certification and compliance, calling vendors for building maintenance, etc. Basically I've embedded myself like a "Tick on a Hound". While I have no fear of being laid off, I don't think my pay will go much higher than it is. My point is to ask yourself what you want and where you want to go, and then find out from there what is needed. Find what is needed where you work, I believe HIPPA compliance is required for law offices, so make sure you highlight that and anything else in your resume.

While there are many people who hold "paper" certifications, a certification backed up by years of verified work experience will never be out of fashion.

[sholling]

I used to manage IT departments. It all depends on where you want to take your career. If you want to be a PC tech someplace else A+ is nice but an MCSE will get you in more doors - but experience is better, MCSE and lots of experience is best. PC tech is the only 9-5 techie job.

If you like server support then experience is mandatory. Especially successful projects. Take a PC support job in a shop that will let you work your way up to server support. An MSCE is a huge plus as is Linux but all that certifications prove is that you're good at taking tests. I've met some clueless MCSEs and nobody with an once of sense will risk their databases to a green MCSE. A CCNA is a huge plus for small shops. A PMI certification is a plus.

If you want to manage routers then Cisco certs are a must most places.

Another option - if you can get into is office telecom. It's usually in more demand than other fields and pays very well but it's hard to get into and brand specific.

Management usually takes a 4 year degree, a few years of experience at a lead level. A PMI cert is a huge plus. However nothing trumps a successful track record. The best IT director I've ever known got there with a HS diploma, hard work and a genius level IQ.

Keep in mind that if you take a government IT job then that's your career path. No private sector IT department head in his right mind will even consider civil service IT techs. Most hiring managers round file those resumes without reading further.

[Adehtla]

I know for a lot of people (coworkers) certifications are merely pieces of paper. They retain nearly nothing. Best example: guy with a Linux+ asks me how to boot to single user mode. Seriously? So, if you're going to take the time to get certifications make sure you not only learn the material, but you retain and use it.

Myself, I'm a network engineer in charge of an international (Asia, North America, Europe) backbone which happens to be the largest IPv6 network. I have a CCNA and a HS diploma. Could I get more certifications? Easily. Would my employer pay me more? Not a chance.

[nick]

I know for a lot of people (coworkers) certifications are merely pieces of paper. They retain nearly nothing. Best example: guy with a Linux+ asks me how to boot to single user mode. Seriously? So, if you're going to take the time to get certifications make sure you not only learn the material, but you retain and use it.

Myself, I'm a network engineer in charge of an international (Asia, North America, Europe) backbone which happens to be the largest IPv6 network. I have a CCNA and a HS diploma. Could I get more certifications? Easily. Would my employer pay me more? Not a chance.

Sounds like you need another employer

[high_revs]

cisco..

i'd do database admin certs too (oracle probably better than mssql for enterprise purposes)

[sholling]

One more thought. Law offices like hospitals is an IT specialty and once you have that under your belt you may want to leverage the experience with a larger firm. Just a thought.

[nick]

cisco..

i'd do database admin certs too (oracle probably better than mssql for enterprise purposes)

Not necessarily. More and more companies are moving to MS SQL, and it's easier to find a job working with MS SQL than Oracle. Your salary will mostly depend on your experience and how badly the company needs you, not whether you're a MS SQL or Oracle DBA.

Also, what most companies are looking for in a DBA (which is a rather vague title, given how many people with very different skillsets it applies to) is SQL developer experience (in MS SQL world - T-SQL, SSIS, SSRS, OLAP) with as much experience in developing, optimizing, and troubleshooting the above as they can get. The second most important part to them is managing the SQL environment, which is where the certs can be useful (at least, with large companies), but it IS the second most important part by far. When most IT managers think of a DBA, they think of the guy who can do the development/optimization/troubleshooting of SQL code and reports and hopefully can do the architecture design and administer the SQL environment. The primary things they're looking for when it comes to SQL development (when they look at the resume that is) would be the length of your experience doing it, what exactly you've done before(if you've only been doing data conversion for 12 years, you're not really a DBA, whatever your title says), and whether the versions of SQL you've worked with match what they have.

If you want to get into the database field, a cert might buy you an interview for a Jr. DBA position (which is where you'll have to start, anyway, there aren't many shortcuts in that field. It's quite conservative when it comes to moving up the ladder, it mostly takes time and experience), but to get it and keep it you'll need a few good SQL courses (or books, or whatever it is you do to learn a new technology), a lot of practice at home (MS SQL Developer Edition is only $75, and it has the Enterprise feature set), and a lot of reading on sites like www.sqlservercentral.com.

Come to think of it, there is one shortcut you can take, but that presupposes you're already a decent enough network engineer. You can become the DBA that administers the environment and grow into a senior DBA position by gradually shifting to more T-SQL/SRSS/SISS/OLAP/etc.

One thing though, if you're into networking, being a DBA will feel rather limiting (I've tried it, couldn't stand it for long, but tastes differ). However, knowing SQL will help you in whatever it is you'll be doing with your career. More and more applications depend run off SQL as their backend (be it MS SQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, or whatever obscure flavor of SQL they chose to use), and knowing SQL will likely make you the person who understands how those applications work the best. And senior engineers are VERY hard to find, not to mention that consulting opportunities for them are pretty much unlimited, since most companies can't find them (just because a company hires or gives someone the title of a senior engineer doesn't mean his knowledge fits the title. In most cases it doesn't). Speaking of which, I've been trying to find a senior network engineer (that's the title, anyway, looking for a jack of most trades, master of many) for a long time by now. The pay depends on experience (duh), but the person with the skillset I'm looking for would be making around $120K or so. Any senior guy looking for a job? If so, PM me.

I'm looking for 7-10 years of experience as an engineer/sr. engineer. We're a mostly Microsoft/Cisco shop, so those two need to be solid. Intermediate and up Linux, SQL (environment administration - clustering, performance monitoring, knowing what the DBA is talking about, some T-SQL), Exchange 2007, bulk email (we use Strongmail, so Linux and SQL knowledge is needed, as well as knowing bulk mailing - bounce handling, dealing with ISPs, etc.). Intermediate VoIP (we use ININ), OCS2007 are a big plus. Intermediate and up VMware 4.1 (you must have the experience running DRS clusters, HA, MS clustering in a VMware environment, etc., not just running an ESXi host here and there). Security - PCI, Cisco ASAs (we just got rid of the last CheckPoint boxes. I'll miss them ), best practices, log correlation, IPSs, etc. In-depth IIS 6.0/7.5 administration for high-traffic websites (some .NET coding experience is a big plus, but it's not required. You have to at least know some HTML and VB or C# to deal with developers though). SAN administration (we use Compellent, so I don't expect you to know it, given that it's a small company (well, it's Dell now, anyway). But you have to know the fundamentals of it from working with other SANs. And I don't consider Dell MD3000 a SAN, even if it can run iSCSI, I mean real SANs - EMC, NetApp, and equivalent). Monitoring (SNMP/WMI and whatever it is you used. We use WhatsUp Gold). Designing DR locations and network infrastructure in general. In-depth Active Directory (duh, Microsoft shop). I've probably forgotten a few things.

I know, I know, a bit much to ask for $120K in today's dollars, which is why I'm probably still looking. But hey, one can try

[Adehtla]

Sounds like you need another employer

You are quite correct. And that is exactly why I'm checking out a few other companies. Never a bad thing to have options, especially if they'll pay you what you're worth ;-)