[Dropped out uni] Looking toward certs

So I have dropped out of uni after doing my second year (course is not for me). I am looking to land a job in the IT industry as I have a passion for computing. I have built a custom desktop PC and have intermediate knowledge of several languages; HTML, CSS, Ruby and Java.

I have applied for 1st line support jobs and received one interview, however 90% of the support jobs I come across require 1+ year industry experience.

Does anybody have any suggestions ? I am looking at doing the MCSA : windows server 2012.

Bump

I think certificates are useless in IT. It is a meritocratic game. And without a uni degree, you will really need to prove your worth.

Reply 3

demondoor

It depends which area of IT you want to break into. Certs are a great method to show expertise in a subject without having any industry experience.

1st line support or administrator you would want the MCSA exam route. Unfortunately you have just missed out the MTA as they were retired end of July.

Network engineer wise there is cisco route. Start at cent and work towards CCNA. Possibly picking up CompTIA Network+.

Penertation testing/ethical hacking you may want to look into CEH or checkpoint.

Programming I'm unsure of qualifications but it seems to be more on showing a portfolio basis of projects you could have a look at prince2, sprint and agile.

General certificates you could look into ITIL Foundation. Most companies look favorably towards it.

When in doubt just look at job adverts, the skills that are required or desired are a good hint on what to work towards.

Reply 4

GuddaGudda

Original post by Juichiro

I think certificates are useless in IT. It is a meritocratic game. And without a uni degree, you will really need to prove your worth.

Goes to show how little you know, if he wants to go the tech route MCSA is probs the most demanded cert seen on job adds 10000x more than a requirement for a degree.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 5

Juichiro

Original post by GuddaGudda

Goes to show how little you know, if he wants to go the tech route MCSA is probs the most demanded cert seen on job adds 10000x more than a requirement for a degree.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I misread the OP. I thought he wanted to go into dev roles.

Reply 6

CompSci89

If you want to get into networking, certs all the way with experience, get the N+ then CCNA and then apply for network admin, technician, support engineer, system admin, helpdesk jobs, work for 3 years and you can get into junior network engieering jobs and then go for the CCNP, the pay is very good in this area.

Good luck!