Certification? What's the difference between them.

[chris64]

Just as the title states. I'm thinking of getting somekind of certificate in the near future and wanted to know what kind of certification(s) I should try to get. Or a "pathway", e.g. are there any certificates that you need to have a certain certificate to take it, or it would be helpful when taking the test. What's the difficulty, price, retake policy, and relevance of those certificates.

I recently took a Computer Repair Class(teacher didn't know much and lots of the stuff is outdated about 3 years).

What Certificate would you recommend for me and why?

Thanks.


EDIT:

I don't have any networking experiance, would it be wise to take a Basic Networking class before trying to get certifide.

[chris64]

Oh I forgot to add how long are they valid for because I actually just turned 16 and would like one that last a lifetime or atleast 5-10 years.

[SeanC]

Well...

The logical first certification would be the A+ from CompTIA

http://www.comptia.com

There are two exams, a hardware focussed one and a software (read: Windows) focussed one.

It is a lifetime exam. Anything from CompTIA is a lifetime certification. If you go through the website above, you can read about all of the ones they offer.

I think CompTIA is the best starting point.

Sean

[Buzioid]

How much does it cost to get certified by CompTIA??

[chris64]

Sean, thanks. I was looking into an A+. I wanted to know if it would be better to get some other kind--if there are any similar certifications--or just get the A+.

I was thinking about one of those M$ certifications but I thought I heard somewhere that those are only one year or something.

Buziod: A+ is $145 for each test. The Certification has 2 test--hardware and software--so it would cost $290 unless if you get a voucher or something.

[Buzioid]

that is a lot of $$$ that i dont have.

[chris64]

check this out> http://forums.anandtech.com/messagev...AR_MSGDBTABLE=

[SeanC]

It is a lot of money, if you can't spare it but the A+ is a lifetime and (to me anyway) it's a good starting place.

If you take the Network+ then you can go to the Microsoft MCSA certification track and get an exemption from the elective course and only have to write 3 exams.

I think most certifications are around the price of the A+ at least. Some are MUCH, MUCH more and require more then 2 exams to get the certification.

I'm going to be studying to Network+ soon. Once I move and get some personal matters sorted out.

Like I said in the previous post CompTIA courses are a good baseline for any other field. The Network+ gives you a decent grounding into Cisco certifications. The Server+ for if you go into manufacturer specific certifications (like ones for Compaq, HP, IBM etc...)

Sean

[chris64]

Thanks,

But now I also got some other(new) questions. What's the difference between an MCSA and an MCSE. Would an MCSA(or MCSE) certification be better than taking a 2 year or 4 year college course or do you need to take a 2(or 4 year) course to have proper knowledge to pass the test.

[SeanC]

There are several differences between the MCSA and the MCSE from what I know anyway. If anything is wrong, please correct me.

MCSA:

- 4 exams (3 core, one elective), if you have A+ and either Network+ or Server+ from CompTIA then you don't need to take the elective
- less expensive then MCSE
- is the building block for the MCSE
- shows that you know to administer an existing Windows network

MCSE:

- 7 exams (5 core, two elective)
- more expensive then MCSA
- shows that you know how to plan, implement and administer Windows networks
- if you have MCSA, you only need 2 more core and one elective exam to get MCSE

Sean