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FCKGW posted:My buddy just signed up for the Google IT Coursera course (they offer a free 7-day trial) and it's pretty structured. You have weekly video series and have quizzes and grades that are due once a week. You can easily accelerate through everything, but if you think you're going to just pop in and out of this course you'll have a bad time. Thinking about this myself, since I took a course eons ago that supposedly prepped me for A+ and Net+ (yet somehow couldn't spring for the exams, despite how much the school cost), and the additional security stuff would be nice. Structured is good - I'm terrible at self-paced/self-starting. Dr. Kayak Paddle posted:Wonder if it will have any effect on compTIA. They need some healthy competition in the entry level arena, because their current offerings are garbage tier BS, IMO. But I'm jaded because of the BS I have to put up with in the DoD/cleared sector. Reeeeeaaaally. <Googles Security+> <contemplates the pain of dealing with government bullshit>.
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Jan 18, 2018 17:52
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Diva Cupcake posted:This is an interesting thing I saw on Reddit. Google is putting out their own entry level IT support coursework because they feel the current certification environment is not providing them with enough qualified candidates. Might be an option for those debating the merits of A+ and MCSA stuff. This might just be what I need. I don't think I have the discipline to self-learn from text on my own and work/personal stuff kept me from enrolling in an entry level IT program my local community college offers for the winter quarter.
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Jan 19, 2018 07:05
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So, uh, any of you guys deal in long haul fiber networks? MEF Carrier Ethernet Certs or anything like that? This new network job is a world of difference from enterprise Cisco networking.
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Jan 20, 2018 02:32
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Finally passed my VCP6-DCV exam today. Turns out I was overprepped for it, but considering I've been cramming since the 1st, that's ok. Took the class portion through Stanly CC, so thank you for that recommendation thread.
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Jan 22, 2018 22:16
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Just in case anyone wants to know whats up with the google IT professional Cert, I've gone through the intro and first "week" of the course and it took me about 2 hours and that's with reading the voluntary supplemental readings (which are mostly links to wikipedia...) So far the course is very very easy, they really designed this for someone that knows nothing about computers. I'll give another update at the end of the first real section as well (there are 6), and then more if anyone is interested. (Just as a reference, I've built a couple comps and troubleshooted my own gaming rigs and work for Geek Squad, so I'm not exactly new, but never taken any formal training, I'm also going through the CompTIA A+ book, but I've set that aside while I do this course since this is a pay by the month thing and they promise job placement after it, I want to get through it ASAP)
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Jan 23, 2018 03:46
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MrBigglesworth posted:So, uh, any of you guys deal in long haul fiber networks? MEF Carrier Ethernet Certs or anything like that? When I worked for a large carrier that had Metro-E as one of its service offering as a network engineer/architect, I don't recall anyone having MEF certs. I wouldn't stress about them for advancement (unless many of your coworkers have gotten them), but if you're feeling overwhelmed (and most engineers moving from enterprise to carrier do, I know I did), it might provide some structure for learning.
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Jan 23, 2018 05:36
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That’s what I’m hoping. One coworker said it isn’t about the cert. it is a bonus but more about getting acquainted with the technology. It is quite a different beast.
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Jan 23, 2018 16:00
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Nitramster posted:Just in case anyone wants to know whats up with the google IT professional Cert, I've gone through the intro and first "week" of the course and it took me about 2 hours and that's with reading the voluntary supplemental readings (which are mostly links to wikipedia...) So far the course is very very easy, they really designed this for someone that knows nothing about computers. Thanks for the review. Interested to hear how it goes, for my own purposes.
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Jan 24, 2018 00:00
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Nitramster posted:Just in case anyone wants to know whats up with the google IT professional Cert, I've gone through the intro and first "week" of the course and it took me about 2 hours and that's with reading the voluntary supplemental readings (which are mostly links to wikipedia...) So far the course is very very easy, they really designed this for someone that knows nothing about computers. I just started the program yesterday, and I managed to blow through the first course out of five (6 weeks of work supposedly) in about 8 hours. I'm pretty sure that later courses will take longer/be harder, so I'm not too worried about it being a fluff certificate. I like the format and information is explained well and in a concise manner. Just FYI, the first course is all extremely basic stuff, I only went through it because I wanted to be 100% that there wasnt one or two things I might not have known. The main benefit from the first course for me (I've built many computers, am an intermediate Python user and familiar with the bash terminal) was getting familiar with opening virtual machines through google's cloud service. You can skip as many non-graded things as you want, if you're itching to get to the more advanced things I really hope this certification will help me get a job, and I'm feeling pretty good about it. Also, for anyone who might not be able to pay the $50 a month for Coursera, Google is offering direct financial aid to the first 10,000 people who apply before February 20th. All it asks is your income, and two statements (150-word minimum each) about why you need financial aid and how the certificate will help your career. No tax information or anything complicated, and they decide within a week. In the meantime I started a 7-day trial so that I could start now. Apparently if you're applying for aid from Coursera generally, starting a free trial will get your aid application cancelled, but I spoke to a customer service representative and verified with him that, because Google is offering the aid directly, starting a free trial after applying is not a problem.
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Jan 25, 2018 22:11
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Has anybody done the CCNP Security track? It seems like most of it has been refreshed to focus heavily on Cisco Firepower services, which actually seem helpful. Just not sure how crazy difficult it is after being split into 4 exams. I imagine it's typical Cisco stuff where half the exam is practical knowledge and half is obscure Cisco specific garbage that they use to fluff the tests (CCNA security talked about insane error codes produced by their spam filter and what they actually meant).
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Jan 26, 2018 16:47
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I haven't actually looked into the CCNP Sec since the refresh. I know the old one was straight awful though.
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Jan 26, 2018 19:44
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I already gave up on it after finding there are no video courses online for the refreshed version. Can't take the test if I can't find study material, way to go on scaring everybody off Cisco
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Jan 26, 2018 21:28
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Yall think Pluralsight plus a lab to play with is enough to get by for the Server 2016 MCSA?
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Jan 29, 2018 05:45
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Any point in doing the SEC+ 501 vs the Sec+ 401 if I am gonna take the sec+ before the cut off date for the 401? Will it look shinier on a resume to have the 5 vs 4? There seems to be way more study material and test banks out there for the 401 right now.
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Feb 1, 2018 18:43
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It doesn’t matter. If you have the study materials and are ready to take the older test before it’s depreciated, go for it. Sec+ on my resume shows expiration date and cert number. Not version. The real question is how many new versions of wardriving can CompTIA sneak in.
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Feb 1, 2018 18:56
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In case you're interested in what looks to be another grab for CompTIA dollars, the new PenTest+ beta is now available. Although I suppose cheaper marginally less scammy alternatives to CEH should be welcomed. https://certification.comptia.org/certifications/pentest 
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Feb 1, 2018 19:33
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Whats a cysa+ supposed to be about?
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Feb 1, 2018 19:41
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That's their rebranded CSA+ which appears to have fairly widespread inclusion in 8570 requirements. https://certification.comptia.org/certifications/cybersecurity-analyst
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Feb 1, 2018 19:54
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CYSA+ reads far too much like an exam in CYA
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Feb 1, 2018 21:16
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Thanks Ants posted:CYSA+ reads far too much like an exam in CYA It seems this is not far from the truth.
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Feb 1, 2018 21:30
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So I currently have a bachelors in biology and have been working at a tech company doing customer service for a few years now. I'm looking for a new career path and have been interested in IT for awhile now. I have experience building computers and doing repairs and such. I also have some experience with setting up home networks. If I'm looking to get into the IT/networking path what is the best way to start? I've heard different things from different people. Some say get the A+, some say go straight for the CCNA. Any advice would be appreciated.
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Feb 2, 2018 21:49
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Partial Octopus posted:So I currently have a bachelors in biology and have been working at a tech company doing customer service for a few years now. I'm looking for a new career path and have been interested in IT for awhile now. I have experience building computers and doing repairs and such. I also have some experience with setting up home networks. If I'm looking to get into the IT/networking path what is the best way to start? I've heard different things from different people. Some say get the A+, some say go straight for the CCNA. I would not go straight for a CCNA. Look at the ICND1 if you have some experience with networks already. You can get that without a home lab and it's mostly a lot of memorization. It's the weakest Cisco cert, but it probably beats a Network+ and is infinitely better than the A+. You can then work on getting your ICND2 which means you'd now have a CCNA. Does your tech company offer any employee training? There are some technologies that are pretty difficult to learn on your own like Active Directory or Salesforce that are in demand these days.
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Feb 2, 2018 22:00
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Split the difference and do N+ if you have no job experience. A+ isn't worth much unless you're getting paid to do it. CCNA is tough and you're going to want a year of network experience to understand the material.
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Feb 3, 2018 02:48
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Apologies if this has been retread over and over through years of this thread (or even in the last few pages, haha), but I'm 35, haven't worked in IT since 2002 (as a bottom-rung housecall support tech), and I'm getting sick of the no-future retail/service work I put myself through during the day while doing hobby-level and odd-job computer touching/repair/refurbs at night Will a company or public-sector org even consider hiring someone new to the industry who is ~10 years older than other entry-level schmucks? It's pretty obvious that I oughta attain the certs that I'm confident I could get with a lil specific studying, but then what? I don't really know anyone in the industry and I haven't actually held, like, a 'professional' job (unless call centers count, which they dont, saddest lmao). I applied to work with the local library association some years ago, and got two interviews on the strength of 'my job history is making coffee and cocktails and readying sales displays but I've spent p much my whole life dicking around with computers for fun'- but tbh I don't even really know where to look for those job offers (a library friend tipped me off to that one- mostly I keep an ear to the ground for stores/bars that are hiring and, in the latter case, if I know someone who works there who can talk me up)- I feel like a LinkedIn profile listing my accomplishments would look hella weak with the context of 'high school class of '01', but I don't really know how that world works! At all! I'm tired of working the poo poo end of the job market for $8/hr and would like to leverage my skills to not be stressed out about my meager finances forever, instead of leveraging them for the occasional "I'll give ya $40 and a six of beer to unfuck my computer". Has anyone else managed to claw up that ladder in their mid-30s? I'd like to take home more than $1200 per month in pay someday, I don't even care if I'm working the poo poo end of the professional market (though if I could never work at a geek-squad-like again that'd be swell) Been thinking of doing trade school for this, or even going in for an Associates or Bachelors, but tbh I don't even know where to start- an employment agency? aggressive pavement pounding? a school that is known to do placement well? If it matters, I live in the KC/Topeka corridor and would commute if it meant never cleaning a stranger's drunk poops from a bathroom floor ever again again sorry if this is the billionth retread of this question; compthanks in compadvance
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Feb 4, 2018 01:18
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Peanut Butler posted:Apologies if this has been retread over and over through years of this thread (or even in the last few pages, haha), but I'm 35, haven't worked in IT since 2002 (as a bottom-rung housecall support tech), and I'm getting sick of the no-future retail/service work I put myself through during the day while doing hobby-level and odd-job computer touching/repair/refurbs at night I was in a similar situation, and what got me out of hell was enrolling at an online school (WGU) and grinding entry level certs during breaks/lunches/all of my free time (the CompTIA trilogy is part of the coursework). It's easy to get caught up in the details, but I think the important thing is starting to work actively on your IT skillset. When your complete lack of recent experience in the field comes up in your interview you want to be able to say you've been doing X to educate yourself, you learned a lot in your homelab that you set up to study for Y, and that you are currently working on Z. Also, your call center center experience is not worthless. Customer service and the ability to talk to people is one of the most important skills in entry level IT, and being strong in this area can get you a job as easily as any technical strength you might have.
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Feb 4, 2018 03:47
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Peanut Butler posted:Apologies if this has been retread over and over through years of this thread (or even in the last few pages, haha), but I'm 35, haven't worked in IT since 2002 (as a bottom-rung housecall support tech), and I'm getting sick of the no-future retail/service work I put myself through during the day while doing hobby-level and odd-job computer touching/repair/refurbs at night It's a good question so don't feel shy about asking, you might poke into the other threads for advice as well. I've been in IT for 5 years and I'm a couple years younger than you. You're not out of the game yet. When I'm on an interview panel, I look for signs of motivation, interest and self driving. If you get a bunch of certs on your own time, that's a good sign. I'd recommend trying to set up a lab environment, maybe get on digital ocean and spin up a linux vm and play around a little. Write up a structured set of goals for your play. For linux, maybe something like:
What kind of stuff are you interested in?
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Feb 4, 2018 03:56
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Peanut Butler posted:Apologies if this has been retread over and over through years of this thread (or even in the last few pages, haha), but I'm 35, haven't worked in IT since 2002 (as a bottom-rung housecall support tech), and I'm getting sick of the no-future retail/service work I put myself through during the day while doing hobby-level and odd-job computer touching/repair/refurbs at night I don't know how your market is, but I've been doing desktop support in LA for about 2300 a month for a few years. We're interviewing people now since some slots open and in the junior tech slot, they mainly wanted to see the ability to learn and customer services skill more than anything. No certification is going to prepare for all the random/bespoke apps we have, so there's no point in asking about specific applications anyway.
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Feb 4, 2018 04:01
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I'd call around to some tech-centric staffing agencies. If you don't know any names, go to dice.com and do a search in your area and you'll have a half dozen options fast. Get the name of a recruiter and call them up, ask if you can arrange a face to face meeting. You want to be on their radar so even if they have nothing now, they may call you when a good fit comes by. If you know Linux, play that up. If you don't know Linux, download a distro and buy a book fast. You can look at certs, but you already have some experience. At this point you want an entry level IT job and they're not going to expect you to have too much experience and/or skills. If it's a big company they may propriety forks of software that they know you'll need training on regardless of your current skill level. Don't feel too bad about your age and starting in an entry level position. Lots of people change careers and need to start over. Your past experience can still help give you a leg up over some 22 year Summer child.
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Feb 4, 2018 05:40
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Peanut Butler posted:Apologies if this has been retread over and over through years of this thread (or even in the last few pages, haha), but I'm 35, haven't worked in IT since 2002 (as a bottom-rung housecall support tech), and I'm getting sick of the no-future retail/service work I put myself through during the day while doing hobby-level and odd-job computer touching/repair/refurbs at night You are not too old, and if you can get an interview and sound competent you can get a job.
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Feb 4, 2018 14:55
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In case you wanted to start the VMware desktop certification path, I strongly suggest to avoid the view ICM 7.0 ondemand course. I have just completed it and there are lots of content issues(typos, cut&paste from old releases that are possibly misleading, even straight up wrong diagrams/slides) and the lab hasn't been correctly provisioned(RDSH had an expired license in my case). Go for a instructor led course for 7.3 instead.
SlowBloke fucked around with this message at 16:02 on Feb 7, 2018 |
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Feb 7, 2018 15:41
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I wish you luck, friend. About the only useful advice I can give is that almost every job I had in the last twenty years I found due to connections. Depending on where you live IT can be a tight circle. My recommendation to you is to pick an interest in the IT field and start looking for special interest groups on meetup.com. Interested in basic Windows administration? Join an Active Directory or Microsoft SIG. Interested in Linux? Join a Linux-centric SIG. Not interested in either? Join one anyway, attend a few and see if it piques your interest. Don't be shy, let people know you're eager about learning. There's a lot of "Professionals" meetups too that may or may not be relevant. If you're looking for a job tomorrow then it likely won't happen because you attended a SIG. This is your long game.
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Feb 7, 2018 16:17
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Martytoof posted:I wish you luck, friend. About the only useful advice I can give is that almost every job I had in the last twenty years I found due to connections. Depending on where you live IT can be a tight circle. My recommendation to you is to pick an interest in the IT field and start looking for special interest groups on meetup.com. Interested in basic Windows administration? Join an Active Directory or Microsoft SIG. Interested in Linux? Join a Linux-centric SIG. Not interested in either? Join one anyway, attend a few and see if it piques your interest. Don't be shy, let people know you're eager about learning. There's a lot of "Professionals" meetups too that may or may not be relevant. To expand on this, people love to hire guys they know. It's less risk and IT in particular can have quirky personalities that don't mix well with others. One guy on my team got into a hissy fit because another person reflected on some hosed up corporate policies by calling the company bi-polar. Well we didn't know that one guy was bi-polar then, but we sure knew about it after our manager met with us individually in order to avoid a HR dust-up. More than half of the jobs I've gotten have been through connections. All of my friends are better at technology than I am, but I keep getting opportunities because they know I'm not weird and I'll do my job without drama. So you don't even have to be good. Just consistent.
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Feb 7, 2018 20:54
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I decided to give the google thing a shot because of the free 7 day trial. Starts off super basic, which is what I'm expecting, but what I wasn't expecting is the complete lack of quality control. I hate video so I've just been reading the transcripts, which are just the subtitles, but there's tons of stuff like this  I'm assuming they just used whatever automatic subtitling stuff they have and didn't bother to proofread any of it. This was just the funniest one to me but there's tons of other errors too. Rofl, and now the transcript for the current video is just straight up for the wrong page. Jesus Google I guess I'm just live posting my experiences now. Anyway  (The answer they are looking for is 256) Garrand fucked around with this message at 02:11 on Feb 8, 2018 |
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Feb 8, 2018 01:16
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Garrand posted:I guess I'm just live posting my experiences now. Anyway 256 because you also count 0
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Feb 8, 2018 02:50
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wargames posted:256 because you also count 0 Yeah but the question is what is the highest value you can get, not how many different values are there
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Feb 8, 2018 02:52
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Garrand posted:Yeah but the question is what is the highest value you can get, not how many different values are there The question is asked about a byte, not an IPv4 octet. It's not necessarily wrong, just a real rear end in a top hat move to put that first sentence there if that's the answer they're looking for.
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Feb 8, 2018 02:57
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Grassy Knowles posted:The question is asked about a byte, not an IPv4 octet. It's not necessarily wrong, just a real rear end in a top hat move to put that first sentence there if that's the answer they're looking for. If you read the explanation it says that the decimal value can range from 0-255 and the question asks what is the highest possible decimal value, so no matter how much leeway you give them 256 is a nonsensical response. It’s a really stupid answer. “What’s the highest possible decimal value you can have using numbers between 0-10?” “11.” YOLOsubmarine fucked around with this message at 03:10 on Feb 8, 2018 |
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Feb 8, 2018 03:06
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Grassy Knowles posted:The question is asked about a byte, not an IPv4 octet. It's not necessarily wrong, just a real rear end in a top hat move to put that first sentence there if that's the answer they're looking for. You can count to nine in a single digit. If I ask you what the largest number you can represent in a single digit is, and you say ten, I'm marking you wrong. e: f;b
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Feb 8, 2018 03:10
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YOLOsubmarine posted:If you read the explanation it says that the decimal value can range from 0-255 and the question asks what is the highest possible decimal value, so no matter how much leeway you give them 256 is a nonsensical response. Kazinsal posted:You can count to nine in a single digit. If I ask you what the largest number you can represent in a single digit is, and you say ten, I'm marking you wrong. Very good points.
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Feb 8, 2018 03:21
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"Want to be in IT" guy: Forgot to mention. Check to see if your library has a Lynda.com subscription. Lots of video tutorials that you can watch in your spare time. Even if it's just to get familiar with concepts to talk about.
some kinda jackal fucked around with this message at 04:02 on Feb 8, 2018 |
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Feb 8, 2018 03:58
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