Certifications

Hey,
I'm a first year college student, and I'm really interested in getting a job in security in the future. At my college they have a number of network courses of study that correspond to different certifications. I'd like some advice about which would be best, right now they only have the main NOS certs like MCSE and CNE and the cisco ones like CCNA(no specific security courses of study) Any ideas?

google.com, you can get anything from there

A+ is a great entry level degree. MCSEs, and Cisco certs are also great to have. But the place I would start would be with an A+. You can find out about the degree at Comptia's website. http://www.comptia.com/

If you are at a 4 year college, then forget about the A+, it is a basically worthless cert (matter of fact most of the + certs are). I would definitely go with the Cisco certs (CCNA and CCNP) because they not only deal with Cisco specific stuff, but also networking concepts that are universal despite equipment manufacturer. If you are somewhat interested in Microsoft sys administration, then the MCSE is definitely a possibility. If you are interested in security the new SANs certifications are gaining in popularity (GCSE I think is the acronym), there is also the CISSP, but you need 5 years of experience to even take the test. Some of the linux certifications, Red Hat ones specifically, seem to be growing in popularity, so if you are interested in that, yo ucan also look for some of those.

Regards,
Wizeman

I have agree with Wiseman. Most Certs are basically useless, including A+ cert. Most of the industry people I have spoken with feel that it is too easy to obtain to actually mean anything. I agree with them. I know a couple of A+ certified 'techs' that I wouldn't trust with putting a floppy in someone's computer. About all A+ is good for is a low-level job. Look into the Cisco certs because they will be of great value to you as a network admin. MSCE can be useful for landing a job. Keep in mind there are thousands of certifications out there and you should carefully research the ones you spend time and money on obtaining.

If you're looking for a more introductory level security cert look at the SSCP. Instead of CISSP's 10 security domains, it only covers 7 I believe. No prerequisites to speak of. It's a good way to get your foot in the door for that CISSP. Will get you rolling in the direction for that CISSP. Cisco is always a great way to go. I don't see their certs depreciating any time soon. I've heard a lot of people mention A+. I don't know why. A monkey could pass and claim they have the A+. If you're looking for a basic networking cert that will carry some weight, look at the CCNA. It's not very Cisco specific at all. The CCNP is where you get into the specifics. Or there is the design route as well. The entry level CCDA is a little more diffiult than the CCNA. But, as Reality said, certs are a good thing to have. Make sure that you are retaining the knowledge. Most people brain dump after they take the tests and just go on to take the next one. How does that help you when it comes time to use that knowledge. Don't be one of those guys with an alphabet behind his name and couldn't tell you the difference between a bridge and a switch because he brain dumped.

hi

from my small amount of experience i have found that if you take the right path, certification or any qualifications apart from graduating from high school are probably not essential at all... needless to say, i still have to finish my last year of college when i get around to it, and save up to do some linux certification just so i can learn more... but i got pretty far enough without either of them. good luck! =)

regards,
mark.