The IT Certification Megathread: Straight Outta CompTIA

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > The IT Certification Megathread: Straight Outta CompTIA

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Cool; work is sending me to a Server 2012 MCSA bootcamp; no cost / contract commitment here.

Any specific tips to prep in advance? Other than "powershell powershell powershell" which fortunately I use a lot of day-to-day.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2015 14:09

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 19:45

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

I have a 4 month old, and a pregnant wife.

Next week work is sending me to a 2012 MCSA bootcamp because there was training budget to blow.

7 business days, 8am to 8pm.

Fun times.

Having a kid isnt all that bad either. The first few months suck but it levels out a bit.
I'll probably eat those words when my first hits 2yrs :ohdear:

# ¿ Nov 9, 2015 02:00

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Sitting 70-410 in 3hrs. Let's see how bad it is... I've heard it's a nightmare!

# ¿ Nov 13, 2015 15:07

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Walked posted:

Sitting 70-410 in 3hrs. Let's see how bad it is... I've heard it's a nightmare!

70-410 down; it's not so much hard as worded worded obtusely and full of intricate tidbits on commandline utilities.

Not too bad.

70-411 up next

# ¿ Nov 15, 2015 12:40

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Danith posted:

Grats! I did pretty bad on that and should start re-studying and take it again. What did you use to study for it?

10 years experience, a home lab, and the MS press books plus transcender. PM me and I can share some resources for you.

# ¿ Nov 17, 2015 13:44

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Race Realists posted:

Any ideas for an mcsa/e lab for someone with a poo poo computer?

Microsoft has some stuff https://mva.microsoft.com/
AWS has a free tier: https://aws.amazon.com/free/
Or get a decent computer at home, it doesnt take a ton of money to get a decent Hyper-V box. IBM TS140 can be had for sub-$300.

# ¿ Nov 17, 2015 14:08

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Race Realists posted:

Microsoft Virtual Academy enough for anyone to pass the MCSA here? IS it enough (besides the usual like buying a book)?

No idea; I didnt use it much. The question was specifically what to do if you dont have the hardware to work with. It's one resource of many

May or may not be enough on its own; but its something in addition to drilling the books and whatnot.

# ¿ Nov 17, 2015 16:21

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

70-411 down. 929/1000.

These Microsoft tests are a bitch. If I didn't have the background doing this every day I have no idea how someone would pass these.

# ¿ Nov 17, 2015 23:38

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

My next question as I'm about to knock out the MCSA - is the MCSE worthwhile? How is it regarded these days in the field?

# ¿ Nov 18, 2015 01:02

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Walked posted:

My next question as I'm about to knock out the MCSA - is the MCSE worthwhile? How is it regarded these days in the field?

MCSA is a wrap.

74-409 was by far the easiest of the bunch.

edit: Just for kicks I fired up a practice test for 70-413. Goddamn.

Walked fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Nov 19, 2015

# ¿ Nov 19, 2015 00:06

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Tab8715 posted:

It's not well-regarded as much as other vendors certifications but it's still very useful. If you're into Microsoft-oriented solutions, which you ought to be if you're perusing the certification.

Microsoft exams are desperate need of an overhaul. Everything about them, overlooking the fact the tests are multiple choice are just bad. Too many of the questions are of the sort "In which sub-menu would you open to do <$X>?" format when they should be asking "When you click on <$X> in a sub-menu" what does this do?

Yeah; going through the MCSA was a ton of that poo poo. Genuinely frustrating to have to pick menu options as to where I'd go first to fix obscure thing x.

The MCSE stuff looks mostly case-study-esque, but still a bit fluffy in nature. May or may not bother; tbd

# ¿ Nov 19, 2015 14:49

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

HPL posted:

I'm going through the Boson practice exam for the 70-410 and is it me, or is this exam a load of horse crap? The questions take forever just to read through and I swear the exam must be like at least 25% 70-411 level material. CCENT was a finely-tuned piece of machinery compared to this.

Little late; but definitely one of the worst exams I've taken; its just designed to be tricky and doesnt really reflect knowledge or skill, IMO.

"WHERE ON THE SCREEN WOULD YOU CLICK FIRST IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN VIRTUALIZE A DOMAIN CONTROLLER?" Uhhhhhhh, I mean, I get the intention but really guys? :psyduck:

70-411 is indeed worse.

Take 74-409 instead of 412 for the wrap up of the MCSA (at least thats what I did and am glad I did).

# ¿ Dec 3, 2015 16:00

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

HPL posted:

Pro tip for anyone taking the 70-410: finish studying for the 410, finish studying for your 411, THEN take the 410.

100% agreed. My 410 test had some stuff from 411 for sure.

# ¿ Dec 19, 2015 16:35

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Sefal posted:

How much more difficult is the MCSA 70-411 compared to the 70-410?
I passed the 70-410 exam last friday. I used https://www.icttrainingen.nl/ to study for it.
I was planning on taking a small break on studying But I imagine it would be better if I pushed on and passed the 70-411 in february and 70-412 in march.
70-410 was really difficult. It took quite a while before i started to understand it all.
Is this viable? Is it realistic to do 411 in feb and 412 in march. Is that enough time. I hear 411 is difficult and that 412 is insane. I already had so much trouble studying for 410.

let's say by some miracle. I pass this all in march. Should I continue to go for MCSE and start the 70-413 exam or should I get CCNA?
Also can I add 70-410 to my linkedin page before passing all 3 or can it only be done after I pass all 3 exams?
mcp.microsoft lists my MTA and MCP certs. But I don't see a 70-410 cert.

I did my MCSA in about a week; but I've been doing Windows admin work for a living for the last decade. and I dedicated literally all day, every day - throughout the whole process - to studying and practice tests and labs

70-410 was the worst, in that it included a lot of content from 411 and 412 (at least based on the course outlines / books). It was the only one I needed a retake on.

70-411 was much easier, but I just went straight from 410 to 411 in the same breath, with no pause between. This kept everything fresh and available for me.

Instead of 70-412 I took 74-409, it was much simpler for me as it followed my work environment closely. Additionally, no case study questions.

I'm debating the MCSE track right now. CCNA is a good one to have as it proves a fundamental level of networking knowledge that has value regardless of your specific role.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2016 14:28

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Alain Post posted:

I will say that if you live anywhere near Washington DC, a Security+ is basically mandatory.

Yep; this is very true. It's annoying, but worth grabbing. It's the only CompTIA cert with any real value, given that you have some other cert.

# ¿ Feb 17, 2016 17:29

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

bitterandtwisted posted:

Going through some sample questions on the training guide for 70-410 and one of them asked to choose all possible reasons something could fail. They all looked feasible and when I looked in the answers, it said three were correct and I should have chosen D because it was "possible but unlikely".

E: specifically Windows update site being down would stop binaries being downloaded to install a feature is merely technically correct but an invalid answer because Microsoft tries really hard to make sure that doesn't happen.

Does that sort of bullshit really happen in the exam?

Having gone through the whole MCSA track: emphatically yes

Their tests are so full of poo poo.

# ¿ Mar 15, 2016 18:10

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Sefal posted:

I need some advice. Yesterday I finally passed the MCSA 70-412 exam. I kinda don't know where to go from here. I believe I need more experience before I go for the MCSE cert.
Where do you go from MCSA Server 2012?

Similar boat, but with a lot more experience; and I'm not even certain whether I want to futz with MCSE. With where the industry is headed I think I'm going to put my energy into AWS certs and experience.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2016 13:30

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

MC Fruit Stripe posted:

I always feel like this is hurting my career, but I am very "old school" in that I want MY datacenter. My routers, my servers, my storage. Cloud nothing.

There's a place for it, and I feel similarly sometimes. Market forces and trajectories will probably force your hand a bit as time goes on. I'm seeing it more, and more, and more

# ¿ Mar 31, 2016 16:36

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

BelDin posted:

So I finally bit the bullet and signed up for the OSCP. I'm getting back in the groove with Python and C to prep.

Class doesn't start for a week or so, does anyone have any additional recommendations for me to hit the ground running? I already have a networking background and took computer engineering undergrad with a lot of C and inline assembly.

Probably need to become more familiar with gdb and cross compiling with gcc, but I figure that will come with the lab work.

I'm in the midst of getting work to pay for this one too. Not sure what to advise, but please keep us updated :q:

# ¿ Sep 16, 2016 02:41

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Chickenwalker posted:

Are the MCSA Server 2012 tests still unfair bullshit? Should I wait for Server 2016 in October? Doesn't seem to be any Nuggets stuff up about it yet is the only thing.

They definitely are. Hardest certification I've done, and least pride with it because it's largely just BS questions.

The 2016 stuff is TBD, as there's definitely going to be done changes but who knows it's still going to be bullshit

Not looking forward to the upgrade

# ¿ Sep 19, 2016 01:36

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

TEH Zombie Penguin posted:

I just did it in two weeks. It's hard but not a ton of content.

Yup. It's really mostly just full of trivia; so it's fairly easy to cram for. Really not a difficult test in the spectrum of certifications.
Good in with a lot of jobs too; at least on the DoD side.

# ¿ Sep 23, 2016 03:35

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

I'm not going to argue with the MCSE changes; makes picking it up from MCSA a single test, which is cool.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2016 13:26

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Taking my final test for MCSE tomorrow. Hopefully it's not as bad as I expect; but I think it will be.

Microsoft tests are annoying as hell :ssj:

# ¿ Oct 7, 2016 01:38

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Walked posted:

Taking my final test for MCSE tomorrow. Hopefully it's not as bad as I expect; but I think it will be.

Microsoft tests are annoying as hell

Hell yes.

835

Done with MCSE and it feels good

# ¿ Oct 7, 2016 17:14

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

quote:

A.

The new MCSE certifications (MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, MCSE: Mobility, MCSE: Data Management and Analytics, MCSE: Productivity) are aligned to Centers of Excellence, used by the Microsoft Partner Network to identify technical competencies that are widely recognizable by both Microsoft partners and customers. These credentials do not have a recertification requirement. Instead, the achievement date signifies how you keep up with changes to the technology. Every year, you have the opportunity to re-earn the certification by passing an exam from the list of electives, demonstrating your investment in broadening or deepening your skills in a given Center of Excellence. Each time you earn the certification, a new certification entry is added to your transcript. This process replaces the existing recertification requirement of taking a specific recertification exam every three years to prevent your certification from going inactive.

So kinda

Microsoft certification annoys me but what can I do?

# ¿ Oct 7, 2016 17:59

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

a fleshy snood posted:

I guess my main questions are 1) can I prepare for these exams without spending thousands of dollars on courses? 2) is BI a financially lucrative career path in the first place? 3) where do I even loving begin?

1) Generally yes; while a bootcamp or something (paid by employer!) helps kickstart (or finish) the process, it's entirely unnecessary.
2) No idea; not my field.
3) Are you a student or still have a .edu email address? Microsoft Imagine is a program that will get you access to some / much of the software. It used to come with 6 months of free pluralsight too.

Microsoft Virtual Labs help:
https://www.microsoft.comen-us/cloud-platform/virtual-labs

It's daunting, and oftentimes frustrating, but entirely doable on your own accord.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2016 15:43

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

MrBigglesworth posted:

So salary wise what would a Network Engie make with 2-3 years of Networking Experience, a BS in CompSci as stated, adding CCNA R&S, CCNA Data Center, S+ A+ ITIL?

Im only pulling about $62k and starting to apply and have been headhunted a few times in the last 2 weeks. No interviews yet, but seems like everyone wants to start with contract work and $45k to start.

gently caress THAT.

Im wanting as much as possible of course, but seems like national average should be around $75k or better....

I have bills to pay and health insurance that I need for my family. I have put in my time in the front line dirt doing helpdesk since 1996.

75k+ sounds reasonable to me, especially if you have additional IT experience (help desk) PLUS the 2-3 network and the CCNA stuff.

Obviously location dependant

# ¿ Oct 16, 2016 22:26

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

MrBigglesworth posted:

Where does one what has absolutely NO knowledge of programming even start? SDNs are gonna be a thing, so I am thinking I should learn something related to that, where to go? Python?

The whole industry is headed that direction. You don't need to be a developer but you better have a clue with code.

Python is good. PowerShell and .Net are good.

There's a ton of resources around. Just dive in. You'll feel lost until one day you still feel lost but know how to approach a specific problem at least

# ¿ Oct 29, 2016 19:11

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

The Nards Pan posted:

Three hours till my N+

You'll be ok. I believe in you, random internet stranger :salute:

# ¿ Nov 4, 2016 18:47

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

vyst posted:

If you fail the Network+ you need to find a new line of work because IT is not for you.

poo poo, now I kinda want to just go take it cold just to see if I'm allowed to stay in IT :getin:

# ¿ Nov 5, 2016 00:29

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

psydude posted:

Can confirm OpenNet (the State Department's version of NIPR) used to be terrible. Not sure if it's changed since the massive hack a few years ago.

Still terrible as it ever was

# ¿ Nov 7, 2016 00:44

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

big money big clit posted:

It is telling that we have hacked emails from the state department servers and none from the private server running in a basement managed by a fly by night IT shop. That's how bad Infosec is in civilian government.

It's telling you more about the value & profile of the target than the security. I've seen some fly by night poo poo that's far far far worse than Government IT.

# ¿ Nov 7, 2016 17:47

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Chickenwalker posted:

I posted this in the wrong thread!

Is MCSE Server really a hard exam to study for or is it just the ball-busting trick questions? How long should I expect it to take to study for?

Yes to both.

There's a lot of trickery type questions but also a lot of fundamental knowledge needed too.

2-12 months is about right if you have your MCSA already. If not, it wholly depends on your background

# ¿ Nov 17, 2016 11:59

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 19:45

Walked: Apr 14, 2003

Keith Stone posted:

I took MCSA 2012 R2 70-410 today. That sucked rear end. No questions on what I concentrated on, and I got educated on how little I really knew. 562.

Out of all the tests towards my MCSE; the 70-410 is the only one I needed to take a second time. It's a nice kick in the rear end to get you on your way. You'll do better next time.

# ¿ Nov 18, 2016 01:08

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > The IT Certification Megathread: Straight Outta CompTIA