Certification - July 2008 - (Page 12)

DEAR TECHIE Experience Will Serve Programmer Well in Move to Administrator Dear Techie, I have more than 10 years of experience in programming (COBOL, FORTRAN, Basic), many in a mainframe environment. For the past eight, I have been working for a nonprofit company where there are only two of us in the IT department. We support more than 300 desktops and 20 servers, plus routers, switches, cabling, etc. I have come to enjoy doing the support work more than programming. I would like to move into a network or systems administrator position in another company, and I was thinking of getting my MCSE and CCNA. Would you recommend I start with the basics first by getting A+, N+, then move up to MCSE and CCNA? Although my job has been classified as a programmer and analyst, will I be able to get a network/systems administrator position? I am 45 years young. –Richard D. Riley, programmer analyst Wayne Anderson: Given that your positions in the past have had responsibilities with systems administration, I would recommend that you target a network administrator or systems administrator role at a small company. Focus on building credentials with the individual platforms you are interested in. You have mentioned Microsoft, so if you want to position yourself for a Microsoft company, start working on your next-generation certifications now. You will find it relatively quick to pursue certification at the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) level on Windows Vista. You can then follow up with an exam or two to complete your Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional (MCITP) certification as an Enterprise Support Technician. Building on top of the client certification can make it easier to get familiar with the Microsoft test method and presentation, as well as show companies you understand how the infrastructure fits together. Once you have obtained desktop certification, start working on your MCITP: Enterprise Administrator by progressing through the Active Directory, Network Infrastructure and Application Infrastructure exams. Each one of these exams has a Technology Specialist credential that is granted when you complete the individual exam. When you go after the jobs, make sure to position yourself well. Focus on the management, projectrelated and administration portions of the experience you accumulated as a programmer. Ken Wagner: First of all, don’t worry about your age. In the U.S., there have been federal age-discrimination laws since 1967 and in some states even earlier. And the U.K. has something very similar with age-discrimination legislation and equal opportunities. As for which certifications to go for, first decide which environment you want to work in. If you want to work in a Microsoft environment, I would recommend going for the MCSA – then maybe the MCSE. If you want to work in a Linux/Unix environment, the Microsoft route would not be as beneficial as Linux certifications such as RHCT and RHCE. The same thing would apply if you were going to work in an Apple environment; the certification track of the ACSP, ACTC and ACSA would be more beneficial. As for which position you could get, it depends on the company you apply to, the industry and the region you’re applying to work in (salaries are higher in cities than in small towns). The good thing is that you already have eight years of IT support experience, and regardless of your job title, it is easier to move within the IT industry than it is to get your foot in the door. 8 Wayne Anderson is a highly certified instructional consultant and the certification lead for Avanade, a global Microsoft consultancy. Ken Wagner is an IT network manager and parttime IT lecturer in the United Kingdom. He has lived in the United States, Asia and Europe. To pose a question to Ken and Wayne, send an e-mail to DearTechie@certmag.com. 12 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE July 2008

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Certification - July 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Data System Virtual Village Tech Careers Dear Techie Academic Connection Look Ahead Troubleshooting Testing Your Foot in the Door: Certification at the Entry Level Analyzing the Societal Effects of YouTube Interface Spread the Knowledge: Becoming an IT Trainer Inside Certification Ad Index What We Like Endtag

Certification - July 2008

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