Certs for new job happiness

[technical.angel]

Hey all,

I'm in the process of trying to get a new job in the StL area.

I'm not having much luck, and figure it's due to my lack of certifications.. which I can get for free from the uni.

So, if I want to stay in tech support, what should I be doing?

[RichS]

I'm in the same boat - I'll have my Associates soon in Computer Networking, but I know that I'll need some certs in order to land a job somewhere.

Only problem is that my college won't pay for me to take them (they aren't a testing center), and I have no extra cash. So, in addition to what certs, what student funds are available for taking them?

I was thinking of starting with A+ since that's what every employer seems to want, and going from there. Is that good?

[Der Cute]

I've got A+, Net+ and MCDST.

How much telco have you done...that might be something also to look into. (telco stuff is good to have)

Can you also get Server+ and iNet+ ? What about MCSE 2003?

Cutenoob

[SteeleDragon78]

everything i see out here is a+, net+, sec+ and any of the CCxx certs

[Blade_Raver]

I have A+, Net+ and MCP.

Most places in St. Louis looking for tech support that pay well won't even look at you unless you have a MCSE/MCSA, CCNA/CCNP and/or experience with UNIX.

[crashhelmet]

Depending on the level of tech support you want to work, you'll need at the very least your A+. From there, it'll go with the job. Net+ and MCP or MCDST are great additions to have. Depending on what you're applying for, Linux+ may even be an advantage. If you want to be actually repairing computers and printers, their respective OEM certs will be highly recommended. Employers like to see MCSE or the CCxx certs, even if the job itself doesn't require it.

best i can recommend, is get everything that you can get.

Part of the reason you might not be getting any responses is that you're not in the area. A lot of employers automatically file those applications in the trash. You may want to contact temp/staffing agencies out there and see what they can do for you.

Don't forget to sell your experience. Some employers would rather have someone with experience over someone who just came out of school with a degree and/or certification. Some will take the experience in lieu of the certs.

Best of luck with it all though!

CH

[technical.angel]

Urg.

I've been doing some A+ practice tests... I'm not doing to well. WTF do I need to know ANYTHING about Win 95?

[Broomjockey]

WTF do I need to know ANYTHING about Win 95?

Legacy software that doesn't work under XP very well.

[Blade_Raver]

Been searching the job boards...

St. Louis employers are also looking for people who have experience with Oracle or SQL.

Also there's a lot of employers looking for techs that have government clearance (TS-SCI).

Hope that helps.