Not a typical question?

justinm14 · Member Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 9 Points: 0

Alright. This might not be the typical kind of question one would find on here, and im not exactly sure if anyone can give me a exact answer on this.
Heres my situation, im 16 and im looking at a career in the IT field. More so towards Network Tech.
I have seen countless guidance councilors about this, and get a different answer each time
What is needed to become a successful Network Tech.
do i have to go too collage, is a technical school sufficient?
or can i simply study for it my self?

i know you have to take specific exams like the ones through Cisco
but is there anything more needed?

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Canuck · Posted: Sat 03/08/2008 9:32pm [Post #2]

Hi justinm14,

I'm sure you will be getting alot of advice from our members ... a good question you ask. I will move your post to the Discussion Forum as this forum is dedicated more to 'fixing PC problems'.

It might help to let us know where you live, we have members from all over the world, and one of them may live close to you and know what's available in your area.

Here in Canada we have Tech Collages and Universities that certify ITs as well as being certified by various computer/software companies like Microsoft.

Good luck, computing is the way to go.

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PartieHonteuse · Posted: Sun 03/09/2008 2:09pm [Post #3]

IMO this answer varies depending on the area in which you live and the market for this type of position.

Example: If you lived in rural Kansas where there were some small businesses or 1 large manufacturer then you'd probably get away with just getting certifications.

If you lived in say: Silicon Valley, then certifications alone won't help.

To get a better understanding of what is needed in your area (or the area you plan on moving to later on in life) I would browse their want ads in the paper looking for the different IT positions and seeing what the different companies are looking for.

Partie

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justinm14 · Member Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 9 Points: 0

oh, i guess i really should have provided some information about my location.
i like in Ontario Canada, just outside of London, a few hours from Toronto.
sorry about the delayed response, been kind of busy with school.

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Bear · Supreme Guru Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 1781 Points: 362

A good starting point would be Comptia A+ and Network +, and for network techs the Cisco CCNA is a good cert to have.

http://certification.comptia.org/a/

http://certification.comptia.org/network/

http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/le2/le0/le9/learn ing_certification_type_home.html

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Canuck · Posted: Sat 03/29/2008 10:53pm [Post #6]

I came from just down the road from you .. Clinton. The place I think you should start is the University of Western Ontario and for starters check out the Information Tech Services Program http://www.uwo.ca/its/courses/ . It's a basic course given by many of the Tech and Universities, if you can handle this course go for your BSc degree. My son is doing exactly this and will be getting his BSc this year here in Edmonton at NAIT. Good luck.

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Mich · Posted: Sun 03/30/2008 7:28am [Post #7]

Hi Justin,

From looking at ads you will probably find that most places that are looking for network admins ask for an MCSE/MCSA. A definite starting base is Comptia's A+ and Network+.

Any school that preps you for the exams is sufficient unless you are going for a bachelor/masters in that field. Unless things have changed over time, when I was in school the colleges offered what could be considered an exam prep. The MCSE course at Durham College (I think these courses might have moved now to UOIT) was $10,000 for 11 months and didn't cover books or exams. It just prepped you to be able to take the exams required for the certification.

Depending on how well you learn is what would make the decision to go to school or do it on your own. Schools provide labs to test in etc. If you don't have the software you need and a lab to run it on then doing it your own would go down to memorizing a book then passing a test. I do not suggest this. If you do this chances are once you get into the 'real world' you might be a little lost.

Certifications expire, so if you you might want to start with a few only (unless you can afford it) then find a job that will pay for your certification upgrades and further certifications down the road.

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