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BKPR posted:Was getting set to take the A+ tomorrow, but it seems like all the testing locations listed in my area (columbus oh) are tech schools that don't allow nonstudents to test there. I have to be missing something here. Pearson VUE was where I did my testing for A+, did you look at their site?
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Jun 14, 2013 01:47
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Would anyone here recommend studying for the 70-687 (Windows 8) instead of the 70-680 (Windows 7)? I see that the 70-680 is getting discontinued in January 2014. Also: Microsoft posted:NOTE: The MCITP certification will be discontinued/unable to be earned as of January 31, 2014. The certification will remain on the transcript for those that earn the certification prior to January 31, 2004 
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Jul 20, 2013 22:41
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I have successfully landed a pretty cushy university job doing your typical deployment and troubleshooting/break-fix work. Very nice environment wherein I'm essentially free to go for whatever certifications appeal to me and the cost of the first test is covered by my employer. All else equal (though factoring the amount of studying required for each), for someone who already holds the esteemed A+/Network+ certifications, which would you say to go for first between MCSA (70-680 + 70-685/686), Security+, or ICND1? I'm leaning toward doing them pretty much in the order I've listed (MCSA --> Security+ --> ICND1 (and then ICND2)), as my on-the-job work is pretty good study for the MCSA. After that, my CompTIA certs would expire next year, so I'd kinda like to refresh them and I have an interest in information security anyway. And finally, CCNA's always been a goal. Sound logic? There's no real push for me to get any particular certs so I'm just wanting to do what sounds interesting and useful. P.S.: When does the 70-680 exam retire, anyway? I thought it was due this year but I can't find anything about it going away.
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Jun 5, 2014 23:03
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MJP posted:That said, given my wariness of being thrown into two pools and expected to swim in both, I'd say get the MCSA and Sec+. N+ and A+ probably aren't worth taking the time to refresh - I don't think many employers even verify current status of someone's certs. Obviously it's not a very big concern now that I'm actually in the industry, but if I can keep them, might as well.
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Jun 6, 2014 19:34
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GobiasIndustries posted:Quick question about the A+ cert; am I understanding it correctly that, on top of renewing my certification, I have to pay yearly dues to CompTIA as well to keep it valid? Seems like dropping $300 every few years on the test would be enough.. No, I'm about 95% sure that that's not correct. They have some stupid Continuing Education program that can do to renew your cert in place of taking the test (I don't really know anything about it), but you can also retake your certification exam, or take a higher-level one (Network+, Security+, etc.) to renew lower-level ones. http://certification.comptia.org/stayCertified.aspx
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Jun 19, 2014 03:25
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For some reason Storage+ sounds depressing to study for. I think it's because once I get my Security+ I consider myself done with CompTIA forever, outside of renewing Security+ when necessary.
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Jun 19, 2014 16:04
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Any word on when the 70-680 exam will stop being offered? I'm doubling down on studying it - hit a lull when my daughter was born a 6 weeks ago - and I assume its expiration has to be somewhere on the radar (with Windows 10 and all), but I'm not seeing anything anywhere. Edit: Nevermind - looks like it still isn't scheduled. Found this link: https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/retired-certification-exams.aspx#fbid=Reu1n1N85CQ Japanese Dating Sim fucked around with this message at 17:46 on Oct 14, 2014 |
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Oct 14, 2014 17:44
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Alright, got my job to pay for me to take the 70-680 exam. I scheduled it out for December 20, which should be way more time than I need, so hopefully I can move it up. Tired of just having A+ and Network+ to my name given how much further along I've come lately. I've got the Panek book, and I'm watching videos at http://www.professormesser.com/ - any other study materials people might recommend?
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Oct 31, 2014 17:00
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Faded Sloth posted:I'm an undergrad studying Electrical Engineering. I want to go to industry after I graduate in May 2017. I've heard about Six Sigma a couple times and I'm wondering if this is something I should look into getting. There are some student engineering orgs here that can give us a huge discount on getting it. Thoughts? I'll just answer by saying that Six Sigma isn't really an IT certification and I don't know that anyone here is likely to be able to give you a very straight answer concerning whether you should or should not pursue it, as it's not really in the wheelhouse of most people here. If you're hearing it brought up within a lot of industry org's and/or companies that you're interested in, maybe consider it. It does seem a little obtuse to me though.
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Nov 14, 2014 23:57
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MC Fruit Stripe posted:Is one of the questions why am I doing this? Empty-quoting this. For content: Five-year-old Passes Microsoft Exam I wish the article would say what test the kid took. They say he's an MCP so it can't be one of those MTA tests... Probably the one I'm studying for (70-680). 
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Nov 19, 2014 20:36
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:Related question: If I have Security+ can I just ignore A+ and Network+? Outside of the small risk of getting pre-screened by some lovely HR "Do you have A+? Y/N" thing, yes. I feel like based on your posts you're past looking for desktop support/help desk roles anyway...?
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Nov 25, 2014 20:50
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Some of you guys reference CBT Nuggets, Pluralsight, etc. for your studying. Do some of your employers pay for subscriptions? Do you? Just wondering since their subscriptions are pretty pricey.
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Nov 29, 2014 23:25
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psydude posted:So, after reading through the Cisco Press CCIE Guide for a little bit, I'm actually glad to see that they've updated the material to be relevant to current technologies, particularly at layer 2. SWITCH seemed to cover mostly legacy stuff that you still find in production (MTP, GLBP, HSRP, etc.), but which is being phased out as people refresh their core infrastructure and replace the older designs with VSS and SPB. The exam actually covers these newer technologies (in addition to the older ones). Some day I want to be able to read this paragraph and have the first idea as to what all the acronyms aside from CCIE mean. :/
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Dec 4, 2014 19:33
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Bigass Moth posted:I'm not asking for answers or a braindump, I just want to know if the A+ test is multiple choice or "choose as many as are correct" like the practice exams I've been doing. I'm using the CompTIA Complete Study Guide and their sample questions are kind of ridiculously in depth. Yeah, it is. I think there might be some matching, too? But at least 90% of it is all multiple choice/choose all that apply, etc., as best as I can remember.
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Dec 9, 2014 00:31
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Vintimus Prime posted:Passed my security+ today. Pretty drat stoked. Congrats - I'm about to start on that once I take my 70-680. How long did you study? Any book recommendations?
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Dec 10, 2014 18:37
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Remy Marathe posted:Has anyone found a particularly useful book/study source for the Microsoft 70-680 and 70-685 (especially the 70-685), preferably something that helps prepare for the format and design of the exams themselves? Prefacing this by saying that I've yet to take the test, so take it with a grain of salt. This is all concerning the 70-680. But I bought myself the Dan Poulton book, and my job bought me the William Panek book. Between the two of them I like the Poulton book best, though I've enjoyed having both of them. I've been wondering how much additional studying will be required to pass the 685 exam when/if I get the 680 done with...
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Dec 10, 2014 22:55
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Just got back from passing my 70-680! Wasn't sure when I clicked Finish, I got hammered on a bunch of BranchCache configuration questions when my knowledge of that was basically limited to the fact that it exists and what it does. Time to review that and then onto the next... thinking Security+.
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Dec 27, 2014 22:03
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Crunchtime posted:what all did you use to study? The Poulton book, the Panek book, and Professor Messer videos. Of the two books I liked the Poulton one a little better, but they're both good. Work offered to buy me one so I let them buy me the Panek one. If you're planning on taking it, the one bit of advice I'd offer is to make sure you know DISM command options well, since it comes in for both .wim files and .vhd's, and was covered more than a couple of times in both instances for me (specifically adding drivers, packages, and changing Windows 7 editions).
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Dec 27, 2014 23:02
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skooma512 posted:Congrats! But then they'll also ask you something like, "After preparing a machine to serve as a reference image, what utility should you use to remove system-specific data prior to capturing it as an image?" So overall, yeah, not too bad.
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Dec 31, 2014 19:59
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:Security+ Should be pretty easy for someone who is generally into computers, especially if you have a little knowledge of what kinds of threats are out there. You do need to read through a study guide because there might be vocabulary that you aren't aware of. I'm really looking forward to starting on it, honestly. I'd have bought the book already if work wasn't going to foot the bill for me when I ask for it Monday.
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Dec 31, 2014 20:06
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Anyone here get their MCSA in Win 7? I'm debating studying for the 70-685. I could be wrong, but it doesn't look like it'd be much of a jump to go from passing the 70-680 to studying for the 70-685.
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Jan 3, 2015 00:58
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Well, I'll see how I feel - I put in an order for the Darril Gibson book and I hope to take the exam pretty soon. It'd feel pretty nice to be an MCSA, even if it is just for an OS that's in the tail-end of its life. Based on what I've seen so far in the way of study materials, it seems like stuff I encounter on a regular basis, as opposed to the 70-680 which was mostly just academic for what I do now. So hopefully I'll feel confident going in with just a quick once-over of the book.
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Jan 5, 2015 21:18
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incoherent posted:GUESS WHATS BACK Sweet, I'm taking at least one during that timeframe.
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Jan 6, 2015 03:28
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Bigass Moth posted:Is network+ pointless if I plan on getting a ccna? Somewhat. Others would just give you a flat "yes." No employer is going to say, "Oh, this candidate has his CCNA, but this one has his CCNA and his Network+!" Prefacing this by saying that I'm speaking as someone who has a Network+ but not CCNA - Network+ can be a pretty good lead-up to ICND1. That is, a lot of what you learn while studying for Network+ will be a good stepping stone to ICND1, which leads to ICND2... once I had the Network+ stuff down, I figured I might as well get certified for it, so I did. If you have the spare cash to spend, or if work pays for certs, go for it. The time you spend studying for Network+ won't be a total waste that only helps you get your Network+. But if you feel like you can get your CCNA in relatively short order, I wouldn't spend the money unless you have some other reason to be Network+ (work asking for it, getting over an HR wall somewhere, etc). Japanese Dating Sim fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Jan 6, 2015 |
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Jan 6, 2015 20:23
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Mad Wack posted:A typical PM's day ... is several days worth of back to back meetings with stakeholders at various levels, calls and text messages to executives ... very late night (think 1AM) and early morning calls to testers in other countries, overseas outsourced programmers, etc. Reaffirming for me my complete lack of interest in pursuing a PMP certification/career. Kudos to the people who can do it but man, that is not for me. Regardless, thanks very much for the reading list, I noticed the same (people's questions going unanswered).
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Jan 7, 2015 23:56
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Pretty sure I convinced my boss to purchase a department subscription for CBT Nuggets. He said he'll have to talk to someone but seemed pretty certain we'd get it. 
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Jan 8, 2015 17:02
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Bigass Moth posted:What info do nuggets provide that the course books don't? None. It's just a different style of presentation that lots of people (myself included) find to be helpful. They aren't really a replacement to a book (or a class, if it's that type of certification), but they're a good supplement that may help to shorten how long you take to prepare for an exam and/or enhance your understanding and retention of it.
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Jan 8, 2015 18:18
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Anyone ever gotten their Apple Certified Macintosh Technician (ACMT)? My boss is interested in making our department an Apple Self-Servicing Account and it looks like you need an ACMT on-staff to get any parts beyond keyboards and memory. I'm not really dying to be Apple certified but it wouldn't hurt, and they'd pay for everything. Edit: Okay this is actually already making me twitch: Apple posted:Traditionally, to deploy computers, you would create system images and copy them to Japanese Dating Sim fucked around with this message at 00:27 on Jan 15, 2015 |
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Jan 15, 2015 00:24
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Zeratanis posted:AMCT is quite easy and isn't even proctored, if memory serves me right. My friend who had to get it for work constantly mocks it and its sub-certs. Looks like you might be thinking of the Apple Certified Associate? I was getting them confused too earlier. Anyway, thanks for the responses all, it does sound pretty easy so I guess I'll devote a little time to studying for it. I should probably learn Macs better anyway if I'm going to work in academia. 
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Jan 15, 2015 17:04
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Elucidarius posted:I'm kinda nervous because every practice test/sample question test I've taken I've gotten an 85%. Guess it's time to up my studying more! This is kind of the opposite of what I would be thinking, were I you? Edit for more content: Registered for the 70-685 exam Feb 7, which would get me my first MCSA if I pass. I haven't done nearly enough studying but between the fact that it's covering what I do all day and that I'll double down today and until then, so I feel pretty good. Plus that awesome second chance program means that if I fail the first try that work's paying for, I'll get a retry for free. Japanese Dating Sim fucked around with this message at 17:41 on Jan 20, 2015 |
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Jan 20, 2015 17:25
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Elucidarius posted:Woo, passed the Security+ with a 787. Not as high as I'd hoped but given that I have no professional experience or previous certificates, I'm pretty happy. Very nice start. Congrats! I remember getting my first cert and feeling like "Hey, I'm kinda legitimate now." 
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Jan 29, 2015 19:15
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Quaelopec posted:I'm looking to get my Net+ finally. Are the suggestions for it in the OP still fine or are there better resources you guys prefer now? Preemptive warning that you might get people telling you to skip Network+ and just go for ICND1. There is a lot of overlap though Network+ gives you a lot of high level conceptual takes on things that might be helpful for you, depending on where you're at. I liked what I got out of it, personally. Anyway, I took and passed the test using Mike Meyers' book. I liked it. A lot of people here like Todd Lammle for the CCNA book, and he's got a Net+ one too, so you might consider that. I've got no experience with it though. Also, check out Professor Messer for his Network+ videos; they're basically as good as CBT Nuggets imo, and free.
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Jan 29, 2015 22:52
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Dick Trauma posted:I went through the 20+ sample Network+ questions and got all but two correct. If that's really representative of the difficulty I feel like I should do this one right away for my first cert.  Uh yeah I don't think you'll have any trouble with it. Though at your experience level, I'm not sure if the cost/benefit ratio's good enough for you to even pay for the exam?
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Jan 30, 2015 21:51
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Do you guys think there's ever a risk of getting too many certifications? Assuming that someone's not using test dumps and such. Just wondering since my job is willing to pay for basically everything and I'm starting to take full advantage of it... just don't want to go overboard and make my resume look odd for my experience level.
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Feb 3, 2015 21:21
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skipdogg posted:The simple answer to this question is 'No', but here's my more complicated opinion. Makes good sense - thanks to you and the others for replying back. In reality, I'm in no danger of approaching levels like you're describing. I only have A+, Network+, and my 70-680 right now (though I'm scheduled to take my 70-685 Friday for MCSA: Win 7), and for the rest of the year I'm hoping for Security+ and CCNA. Maybe one of the MCSA Server 2008 exams if I'm lucky. So if nothing else I think like you said, I'll continue getting all the foundation-level certs I can, until I start leaning toward one specialty or another. And while I confess I do have a small desire to collect certs like they're Pokemons, my actual life (five month-old, wife, desire to have fun some times, and other good things like that) would be preventing that anyway.
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Feb 4, 2015 17:07
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Failed my 70-685 yesterday. I definitely took it earlier than I would've otherwise cause of the Second Chance thing, but I was pretty close. Rescheduled for two weeks out, reading through the book and redoing all the exercises. Not too worried, but I wish I was done with this one. Kinda tired of studying Win 7.
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Feb 7, 2015 19:31
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incoherent posted:what did the graph say you failed on? Managing and Maintaining Systems that Run Windows 7 Client, and Identifying Cause of and Resolving Desktop Application Issues. Worst 3 were 1.3, Solve software failure escalations, 2.1, Solve enterprise logon Issues, and 2.2, Solve enterprise network connectivity issues. Kinda just did scattershot across the whole test, really.
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Feb 7, 2015 19:47
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Broletariat posted:Total nub here. Have a degree in an unrelated field and want to jump in. no experience. is it better for me to gun for certs like A+ and Network+ and just try to land an entry position? Should I go back to school for a degree? You might want to try to get a Net+ to get your foot in the door, but keep applying to help desk type jobs while you do. And no, you definitely don't need to go back to school to get another degree.
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Mar 5, 2015 21:53
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Slig posted:I want to start working my way through A+, Network+, and Security+ and I'm looking for the current most effective materials. Once the test is released, I don't believe that the material within it changes. So as long as the version that Professor Messer's videos is covering matches what's posted on CompTIA's website, you're fine. The only updates that I'm aware of happen when they actually retire a test and come out with a new one (they'll probably come out with the Windows 8.1 focused A+ exam right when Windows 10 hits the market). Same's true of the other two as well - so if Messer's stuff is covering the same exam version, you're good. And even if you aren't, the material doesn't change that much, so you'd still get a lot of good from watching his videos. Edit - in my opinion, the test A+ book is Mike Meyers' and the best Security+ book is Darril Gibson's.
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Mar 19, 2015 22:33
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MJP posted:I came out of helpdesk/desktop support into sysadmin by getting my MCSAs. I had zero networking experience and very moderate networking knowledge - basic ping/traceroute, making cables, knowing a little bit about different physical network layouts. I really appreciate you writing all this up. After I finish with Security+ I was planning on going for my CCNA next, but I think you've convinced me that I might want to go for my Server certs first.
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Mar 25, 2015 18:25
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