Question:
I'm a high school student and I am currently finishing my last year. I
am keen to enter the I.T. workforce directly after I graduate and I'm
looking for a little advice.
During the last two years of high school I took the Cisco Networking
Academy program and completed all four semesters. I also have one years work
experience (part time) repairing computers at a local computer servicing
shop.
Last week I wrote my CCNA exam and passed. I'm wondering what other
certifications are most popular these days? More specifically, I'm wondering
which certifications will be most helpful towards getting hired as a network
administrator (entry-level). I've heard a lot about the Redhat Certified
Engineer certificate, is it as great as it's hyped up to be? What about
obtaining either MCP, A+, or Linux+?
I'm assuming that many people subscribed to this website are either
network administrators, network technicians, or contract workers. I'm
wondering what the average salary for these types of positions are? What
kind of qualifications do you have (certifications, diplomas, degrees)? Is
it possible for me to earn a decent income with certifications and a high
school diploma? I'm planning on attending college or equivalent in a few
years, but right now I really want to get some hands on job experience.
Answer:
-A grad student advisor at a university once told me that once
someone has had even one year out of university, that the chances
that they will actually -finish- a grad degree are markedly reduced.
People who have been away from university for several years rarely
finish a grad degree, he told me.
Obviously situations vary, and some programs such as MBA are filled with
people who have returned for a degree. The point was pretty much
that once you've left University, you have to have a lot of personal
drive to come back and finish a grade degree: it has to be *important* to
you, rather than just something that you think you might like to do.
Sadly, going back for a grad degree hasn't yet become -important- to me.
Google hasn't helped any in that regard: when I start to feel the urge
to know about something, it's too easy to surf the net for information
about it instead of going in for formal study.
-Based on your post (writing skills) you're obviously pretty bright. So
I'm going to give you advice on what I think you should do. It's free
but I know of what I speak....The decision you're about to make will
affect you for the rest of your life so you should at least ponder it.
1) Certifications need to be backed up by experience. Don't believe
all the hoopla about certifications.
2) A four year degree (don't bother with an Associates) is what will
get you in the door. During the dotcom madness, everyone who knew how
to spell Cisco got hired making $75K USD. But that is no longer the
case today. We routinely turn away CCIEs with 6+ years of experience,
so that's who you are competing with these days.
3) Goto school now as it's INCREDIBLY difficult to "do it later." Very
few people come back to finish their degrees once they start working.
4) If it's about tuition, join the service for two years and they will
give you gobs of money for school. Oviously, this advice isn't for
everyone, but they - the military - do offer quite a bit if you ask.
