Advice Part 2! :)

Thu, 22 Mar 2001 09:23:11 -0700

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Tyler,

Cisco certification is something that few people go for because it seems 
useless or not a profit generating as MS or other certs you can get.  I 
agree with Alan in the fact that if you successfully talked your company 
into using Linux than someone will need to administer that Linux with 
expansion, etc.  Why go for MS certification and lose that Linux 
opportunity.  If you jump forward into something, then you cannot jump 
back.  That's just the rules of the business world.  Don't burn what you 
created, to say it in other words.

Learning and doing Cisco based stuff should be in addition to what you 
would have knowledge of with Linux, modules, add on's, etc.  Machines are 
important and A+ certification does seem to get your foot in doors more 
than having the actual experience.  DeVry is a good place to start.  It's 
expensive, but worth the attempt.  Having closed your company on the 
platform and going to school for more useful training will also allow you 
to work with hands on experience and theory work through school, the best 
of both worlds.

Good luck in this endeavor.  Also, if you post to this group, be aware that 
we are all looking for knowledge, both to give and to receive.  A very 
prominent person in this group once told me that other people aren't 
necessarily smarter per se, but may just have different information.  We 
all are smart in our own way.  However, human nature presses us to share 
our knowledge with others, both in an attempt to share with others what we 
know but also to trade information that we may not know.  It's how most 
people learn, by doing and reading from the experienced people of the 
world.  Let's keep this list and it's purpose: sharing and sharing!

Kimi

At 3/22/01 06:05 AM, you wrote:
>At 09:48 PM 3/21/01 -0700, you wrote:
>>Since nobody listened and posted all the messages to the list, I wanted 
>>to reply to a few of them:
>
>Nobody listened?  This has been a flood of great advise, for you and for 
>me!  I am glad "nobody listened" and we all posted to the list!  That is 
>what the list is for.
>
>["Nobody listened."  BAH! (said while waving my hand)]
>
>>1)  I currently work as a Technician at a computer company, so my hands 
>>are always on the insides of computers, etc.   I also run the linux 
>>server for my company.   Theres just 6 people in the company, but they 
>>were going to pay $250 or whatever for WINGATE To run on NT, and I talked 
>>them into just doing it with Linux for free..
>
>Good job to get going in the field.  Good job going for Linux.
>
>>2)  I plan on getting a degree, but should I get a Microsoft Certified 
>>degree?  Will that be useless in the future?  I heard Cisco is pretty hot 
>>right now..
>
>Degree == Bachelor of Science from a university or a technical school like 
>DeVry.
>Certification == a certification.  A generally good thing.
>Certification != a Degree.  They are two different things and show 
>completely different levels of knowledge depth.
>
>Now, after successfully arguing against an MS based solution and 
>implementing a Linux solution as you described above in #1, why do you 
>want an MS certification?  MS certification will get you jobs doing MS 
>stuff.  If you want to do MS stuff, go for it.
>
>I don't know what is entailed in a Cisco certificate.  Never looked into 
>it.  I am a coder, not an admin, mostly.  ;^)
>
>Alan

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<html>
Tyler, 
 
Cisco certification is something that few people go for because it seems
useless or not a profit generating as MS or other certs you can
get.&nbsp; I agree with Alan in the fact that if you successfully talked
your company into using Linux than someone will need to administer that
Linux with expansion, etc.&nbsp; Why go for MS certification and lose
that Linux opportunity.&nbsp; If you jump forward into something, then
you cannot jump back.&nbsp; That's just the rules of the business
world.&nbsp; Don't burn what you created, to say it in other words. 
 
Learning and doing Cisco based stuff should be in addition to what you
would have knowledge of with Linux, modules, add on's, etc.&nbsp;
Machines are important and A+ certification does seem to get your foot in
doors more than having the actual experience.&nbsp; DeVry is a good place
to start.&nbsp; It's expensive, but worth the attempt.&nbsp; Having
closed your company on the platform and going to school for more useful
training will also allow you to work with hands on experience and theory
work through school, the best of both worlds. 
 
Good luck in this endeavor.&nbsp; Also, if you post to this group, be
aware that we are all looking for knowledge, both to give and to
receive.&nbsp; A very prominent person in this group once told me that
other people aren't necessarily smarter per se, but may just have
different information.&nbsp; We all are smart in our own way.&nbsp;
However, human nature presses us to share our knowledge with others, both
in an attempt to share with others what we know but also to trade
information that we may not know.&nbsp; It's how most people learn, by
doing and reading from the experienced people of the world.&nbsp; Let's
keep this list and it's purpose: sharing and sharing! 
 
Kimi 
 
At 3/22/01 06:05 AM, you wrote: 
<blockquote type=cite cite>At 09:48 PM 3/21/01 -0700, you wrote: 
<blockquote type=cite cite>Since nobody
listened and posted all the messages to the list, I wanted to reply to a
few of them:</blockquote> 
Nobody listened?&nbsp; This has been a flood of great advise, for you and
for me!&nbsp; I am glad &quot;nobody listened&quot; and we all posted to
the list!&nbsp; That is what the list is for. 
 
[&quot;Nobody listened.&quot;&nbsp; BAH! (said while waving my
hand)] 
 
<blockquote type=cite cite>1)&nbsp; I currently
work as a Technician at a computer company, so my hands are always on the
insides of computers, etc.&nbsp;&nbsp; I also run the linux server for my
company.&nbsp;&nbsp; Theres just 6 people in the company, but they were
going to pay $250 or whatever for WINGATE To run on NT, and I talked them
into just doing it with Linux for free.. </blockquote> 
Good job to get going in the field.&nbsp; Good job going for Linux. 
 
<blockquote type=cite cite>2)&nbsp; I plan on
getting a degree, but should I get a Microsoft Certified degree?&nbsp;
Will that be useless in the future?&nbsp; I heard Cisco is pretty hot
right now.. </blockquote> 
Degree == Bachelor of Science from a university or a technical school
like DeVry. 
Certification == a certification.&nbsp; A generally good thing. 
Certification != a Degree.&nbsp; They are two different things and show
completely different levels of knowledge depth. 
 
Now, after successfully arguing against an MS based solution and
implementing a Linux solution as you described above in #1, why do you
want an MS certification?&nbsp; MS certification will get you jobs doing
MS stuff.&nbsp; If you want to do MS stuff, go for it. 
 
I don't know what is entailed in a Cisco certificate.&nbsp; Never looked
into it.&nbsp; I am a coder, not an admin, mostly.&nbsp; ;^) 
 
Alan</blockquote></html>

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