Is it worth it? MCSE

[Amir46]

Hi I am currently enrolled in the MCSE course here in Seattle. It is a 7-month course. Then after the course I am preparing for the exams. It is a very fast pace course and some areas were glossed over. Luckily we have a program here call audit I can go back w/out added cost and take it over again. The course is nice however; you need to be committed in this area and passing the exams (certifications). This course buy no means replace the experience. If I had the power to get my cert. or experience at this moment in time I would choose the experience. Nothing can replace experience, what I am doing now is creating a network at home 8 computers some will be servers and others will be clients and a printer and scanner. I hope my words motivated you and God speed!

 

[Phantasm66]

I think, basically, in a nutshell the best thing to say is this:

It doesn't matter what kind of qualification (within reason) that you get, provided you work hard, learn, and continue to learn.

To be a computer person is to resign oneself to a lifetime of learning. You will never stop. Never.

OK, so you DO get some MSCE or something. Well done. But you get NIL POINTS if you don't move instantly on from that to something else, or something deeper.

 

[Raz]

Thx for the advice Amir, when I get an IT position I will think about it then, because its the lack of experience thats letting me down. But it's no good to get yourself stuck in a job with no advancement, so like Phantasm said, I'll be sure to keep on top of the industry.

 

[lowman]

I waited until I had about 4 years in the business before I got certified, and I took my time - I finished my 4.0 MCSE in 6 months time, and passed the first time on each test. I passed my 2000 MCSE in about 2 months a few years ago. Definitely beware of the questions Microsoft asks - and on the whole, I would much rather have them give certification testing in a hands-on lab environment, like some Cisco tests. There are a lot of MCSE's running around who have no clue what the heck they are talking about...just an observation. It's what you make of it and the value you place on it - if the paper is all that's important to you, don't waste your money - if you want the knowledge, go for it.