MCSE Exam


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ok guys....i need some help here

i need to know everything you guys know about the mcse exam.

i've been thinking about studying for it....i mean im not going to college or anything but i need to know if i pass will there be no need for college? do i get some kind of certificate or degree good enough to get a great paying job?

just some inside info would do nice....i have no idea where to begin or where to start so some help would be greatly appreciated

i've been working with computers most of my life so i feel it would be a pretty easy thing to accomplish and if thats so then i wont need to waste 4+ years in college

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yea i was thinking of taking it too this summer, i wanna kno also :)

but im still goin to college , i can jus work :) and make good money

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Dont even think about not going to college!!

College isn't a waste of four years, if you have a genuine interest in the field then it will be the best thing you can do to help yourself.

I graduated at masters level two years ago and now i'm working as C++/Java programmer for a multinational. An MCSE wont tell you how to be a professional, it wont help you understand they WHY's of your job; just the HOWs; if that makes sense.

If you're aspiring to be a developer then you'll definately need the degree, it will make job hunting so much easier. If you're into networks or server support then you may be able to get your foot in but you probably wont get the career opportunities you would with the degree.

Its sad i know, but to tell you the truth its really worth it. And it pays more with a degree too!

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Well, it depends on what you want to do. I have an MCSE and MCSA and i had job openings in IBM and Michelin. I spent 2 years working in IBM here in France, in their IGS division and what got me in the door was that i had my MCSE and MCSA. They were looking for a good admin for NT/2000 and Exchange and i qualifyed nicely for the job. If what you want to be is network and sys admin mostly on Windows networks, MCSE and MCSA is the way to go.

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Originally posted by shark1

Well, it depends on what you want to do. I have an MCSE and MCSA and i had job openings in IBM and Michelin. I spent 2 years working in IBM here in France, in their IGS division and what got me in the door was that i had my MCSE and MCSA. They were looking for a good admin for NT/2000 and Exchange and i qualifyed nicely for the job. If what you want to be is network and sys admin mostly on Windows networks, MCSE and MCSA is the way to go.

exactly what i want.

something familiar and easy to do.

did you go through a local college to get those?

i've seen books and courses on video tape/cd and crap for like 500 bucks on the web.

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MCSEs are a dime a dozen. You need serious credentials to compete for high-paying IT jobs these days. Consider getting a more specialized certification or a degree in computer sciences/engineering.

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Originally posted by Hatter

MCSEs are a dime a dozen. You need serious credentials to compete for high-paying IT jobs these days. Consider getting a more specialized certification or a degree in computer sciences/engineering.

how many years of college does that require :(

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College IS a waste of 4 years imo, but you don't really have a choice whether to go or not. All employers require a minimum of BS/BA so no matter how many certificates you have, they will not even look at your resume if it doesn't have BA/BS on it. Smaller companies may not be as strict and may let you have a job, but most definitely you will be treated like scum.

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You can study on your own for the exam but you won't know sh**... you'll know enough to pass the exam but when you start working you'll be like.... WHAT!!!!!!! You should goto a 6month class to get hands on.... I'm in school right now, I go 8hrs a day til sept. and I'm get great hands on with computers, and networking... I just got my A+, I'm going for my Network+ next week and getting my MCSE by the end of school...

Good luck..

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Hatter, they are not that common, at least not here, and imo MCSE and MCSA those who hold those certifications are the best qualifyed to run a Windows corporate network. I have spent a good amount of study on it, and contrary as most think, its not easy as you would think. Most of those who say that, have never read a book about Windows 2000 or Active directory or Exchange, etc....

If you want to be sys and network admin of windows corporate networks, there is nothing better than an MCSE or MCSA. Certainly you could hold a degree, but you wouldnt be as qualifyed to run a Windows network as an MCSE. Anyway, you can mix up things and get other certifications along, like Cisco, Linux, Novell and other certifications. If you have the time to do both degree and Certification well it would be the ideal thing.

And as salary concerns, i earn 39000$ a year, which i am quite happy with it. And the more experience you will get,chances are you will earn more.

gl.

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ok ok im learning quite a bit about this....

now what is this A+ and Network+ and is that required to get an mcse or is it just another thing under the belt to get you into a good job

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Originally posted by freeza

ok ok im learning quite a bit about this....

now what is this A+ and Network+ and is that required to get an mcse or is it just another thing under the belt to get you into a good job

A+ is just a PC tech.... Network+ is someone that can configure and operate networks... Both are not required for MCSE... and yes its just more stuff under your belt. MCSE is the best thing to get if your going for the network part of computers. I'm just getting my A+ and Network+ as well as getting my MCSE because its all part of what I paid for, for school...

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yea I was thinking of actually taking a course for A+ and Network+, instead of just studying on my own cuz humans learn better when they see how things work :), cuz then i aint gonna kno wut im doin later. any other certifications that are good to get?

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heh you guys are a lot of help thanks

is it better to take seperate courses like a 6 month class or course on it than to go to college

or are those 500 buck cd/video tape packages worth it ( i would assume not )

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Originally posted by shark1

Hatter, they are not that common, at least not here, and imo MCSE and MCSA those who hold those certifications are the best qualifyed to run a Windows corporate network. I have spent a good amount of study on it, and contrary as most think, its not easy as you would think. Most of those who say that, have never read a book about Windows 2000 or Active directory or Exchange, etc....

If you want to be sys and network admin of windows corporate networks, there is nothing better than an MCSE or MCSA. Certainly you could hold a degree, but you wouldnt be as qualifyed to run a Windows network as an MCSE. Anyway, you can mix up things and get other certifications along, like Cisco, Linux, Novell and other certifications. If you have the time to do both degree and Certification well it would be the ideal thing.

And as salary concerns, i earn 39000$ a year, which i am quite happy with it. And the more experience you will get,chances are you will earn more.

gl.

Actually, I studied for a year+ to become an MCSE. Don't tell me I don't know about windows 2000 or active directory. An MCSE is difficult to attain, but there are too many of them. It's nice to have it on your resume, but it doesn't MAKE the resume. By having an MCSE, you've only shown that you know how to operate one specific operating system and set of tools. Networking is a heterogeneous group of computers with different OSes, apps, and languages connected together and you have to be able to manage that. A CompSci/CompEng course is your best bet to doing that. After you get some sort of BA/BS then you can start piling on the certs. Without a strong base though, you're very tied down.

I would still rather have experience with different platforms and products and be able to use them without referring to a book than have lots of pointless letters after my name.

BTW I will probably get my MCSE if it is a requirement for a job, but i'm not going to dedicate that much time to something i'm not sure I want to do. I am also in the process of taking my CCNA wince it will give me a foot in the door for future studies in networking.

-Hatter

PS. Woohoo, my post count just reached 8 on bits :p I'm such a nerd.

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I want to go for comp. systems engineering when I enter college. I tried to study for a MCSE when I was a sophmore in HS, but it never worked out. I hated Win NT 4. Should I go study for an exam now, will it help me since I know how to work with NT now, been using Win 2K and XP

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I agree with the going to college bit. I myself am still in highschool, but have already completed my CCNA as a 4 credit high school class :p I still would like to get my MCSE and A+ though. Thats why, imo I would like to go to college... I want to (hopefully) become something to do with com-tech. :D

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For me my college degree wasnt enough to get my foot in the door. I didnt go to school for 4 yrs just so that i would be competiting with people to get a helpdesk job who hardly made it through highschool and went to some tech school to get trained. Here in NY the market is saturated with people studying for their MCSE cause of schools advertisements of 6 figures salary if you obtain one. A MCSE hardly means anything over here anymore.

Because of that its been hard to enter into the tech field even though i have an bs degree, double majoring in Finance and IS, from NYU. I am studying for my MCSE but I dont put much faith into it. Someone recommended to get into SAP (dont know much about it). I guess the thing is to make sure you dont just study MS stuff...try to pick up other things as well. I'm considering going back to get my masters in IS (would go for comp sci but i dont have the prereqs classes to go for that) to make myself more marketable. Hopefully its not another a couple of years wasted. I hate finance and I want to get out of it already :)

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All I have to say is... forget a 4 year college... if you want to get into computers, goto a tech school... You get better hands on training at half the time. But thats just me...

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well before suggesting anyone to go to a tech schooll i would highly recommend in sitting in a class and checking it out. The ones in NY are most taught by people who dont know how to teach...most of the time youre learning on your own. Ontop of that the classes arent even set up with the right equipment...trying to teach a networking class on regular pcs is not what youre gonna face when you leave those schools.

nowadays mcse = a helpdesk job.

i know quite a few people who hold those positions...most of them are idiots who hardly know anything about pcs let alone networking

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I am starting my MCSE, MCSA, MCDBA, CCNA, and SQL 2000 course in the summer :D Its intensive training and costs ?4,000 including a top of the range Dell. I am not going to University

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