Both if you're a beginner, or an IT professional hoping to formalise your skill set, there are state-of-the-art Microsoft Certified Systems Administra...
Both if you're a beginner,
or an IT professional hoping to formalise your skill set, there are state-of-the-art Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) study programs to cater for both entry levels. To achieve certification at the MCSA level you need to pass 4 Microsoft Certified Professional exams (MCP's). For a newcomer to the industry, it's likely you'll need to learn a few things before tackling the 4 MCP's. Search for a training organisation with people who can identify the ideal program for you and will take care to start you at the right entry level.
Students often end up having issues because of a single courseware aspect which doesn't even occur to them: The breakdown of the course materials before being sent out to you. Drop-shipping your training elements piece by piece, as you pass each exam is the normal way of receiving your courseware. This sounds sensible, but you might like to consider this: What could you expect if you didn't actually complete all the exams at the proposed pace? Often the staged order won't fit you as well as another different route may.
To be straight, the very best answer is to have their ideal 'order' of training laid out, but get all the study materials at the start. Everything is then in your possession should you not complete it inside of their required time-scales.
We can guess that you probably enjoy fairly practical work - the 'hands-on' type. Usually, the world of book-reading and classrooms is something you'll make yourself do if you have to, but it's not really your thing. You should use video and multimedia based materials if learning from books is not your thing. If we're able to get all of our senses involved in our learning, then we normally see dramatically better results.
Courses are now available in the form of CD and DVD ROM's, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Utilising the latest video technology, you will be able to see the instructor presenting exactly how it's all done, and then practice yourself - in an interactive lab. It makes sense to see some examples of the kind of training materials you'll be using before you sign the purchase order. You should expect videoed instructor demonstrations and interactive modules with audio-visual elements.
It's usually bad advice to opt for on-line only training. Connection quality and reliability varies hugely across most broadband providers, ensure that you have access to disc based courseware (On CD or DVD).
A question; why ought we to be looking at commercially accredited qualifications instead of traditional academic qualifications taught at tech' colleges and universities? With the costs of academic degree's climbing ever higher, alongside the industry's recognition that corporate based study is closer to the mark commercially, we have seen a large rise in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA accredited training programmes that supply key solutions to a student for much less time and money. In essence, only required knowledge is taught. It isn't quite as lean as that might sound, but the principle remains that students need to cover the precise skills needed (including a degree of required background) - without overdoing the detail in every other area (as universities often do).
Imagine if you were an employer - and you required somebody who had very specific skills. What should you do: Wade your way through a mass of different academic qualifications from several applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which trade skills they have, or pick out specific commercial accreditations that precisely match your needs, and make your short-list from that. The interview is then more about the person and how they'll fit in - rather than on the depth of their technical knowledge.
The world of information technology is one of the more stimulating and innovative industries that you could be a part of. To be working on the cutting-edge of technology is to be a part of the massive changes that will impact the whole world for generations to come. We're only just beginning to understand how all this change will affect us. The way we communicate and interact with everyone around us will be inordinately affected by computers and the internet.
The money in IT isn't to be sniffed at also - the income on average in the United Kingdom for the usual IT professional is a lot higher than in other market sectors. Odds are that you'll receive a much better deal than you'd expect to earn doing other work. With the IT marketplace growing nationally and internationally, one can predict that the requirement for well trained and qualified IT technicians will continue to boom for the significant future.
