# IT administrator career advancement help.



## Kenziltron (Aug 28, 2014)

Hi, i've been working as an IT support assistant/system administrator for 6 years. I went straight into support out of school so I never went to university. I have progressed in my career although this has happened fairly slowly. 

I know networking, windows server, Active Directory, OSX server, VMware, print and telecom solutions, Veeam, symantec backup exec, citrix Xenapp, i'm learning HTML/CSS currently.

I have skills in lots of things but i specialise in none of the above.

I've looked into MCSE qualifications but the job i have at the moment is roughly on that wage level and feel it might be a bit of a sideways move, I landed my current job because of my proven experience as opposed to qualifications. 

I'm just trying to figure out what good certifications would boost my skill set and help me progress in IT, as well as get some ideas for potential directions i could take my career. I understand this is a bit of an open ended question but it'd be helpful to have some external perspective.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to contribute!


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

Really depends on what you want to do. Someone with skills in many areas can be desirable to many employers but often times someone who specializes in an area can make more money. I've always just known a lot in many areas rather than specializing and it's served me well so far. 

If you're looking for certifications, Cisco, VMware and Microsoft certifications can certainly get your more money depending on the company.


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## BosonMichael (Nov 1, 2011)

Since employers generally view certifications as validation of your experience, I would recommend that you certify on what you have experience doing. In addition to certifying on what you already know how to do, I would recommend that you continue to learn things that you don't already know how to do... then, if at all possible, actually put your knowledge to use in a real-world IT environment. This is how you grow your skillset, and ultimately, grow your career over time.

As far as specialization is concerned... I never specialized in anything. Instead, my supervisors knew (and my current one knows) that they can throw just about anything at me and I can figure out how to make it work. In truth, I think I'd go crazy if I were to specialize, doing the same thing, day after day after day. No thanks - keep my challenges varied and interesting, please!


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## jimscreechy (Jan 7, 2005)

@BossonMichael, dude, you must have flip-pad business cards to hold all those qualifications.


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## Wizmo (Apr 3, 2011)

jimscreechy said:


> @BossonMichael, dude, you must have flip-pad business cards to hold all those qualifications.


Certs indeed! All I have is the CompTIA 'plusses' but have extensive experience in networking and servers, though I have no time to study and pass exams anymore. I'm too busy trying to earn enough and get ready to retire. I never attended a day in university, other than education extension courses when I got certified to teach high school in the 80's.

I don't plan to actually stop working! I want to teach CompTIA and mentor once I no longer do the 9-5 grind.... What's the old adage about 'idle hands?' 

Thanks for your service Michael! I was USNR ['72-'78 *- *Fire Control Radar Technician/Instructor]

__________________
In this world there are too many politicians and far too much politics.

Poly - meaning many
tics - meaning blood-sucking parasites


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## BosonMichael (Nov 1, 2011)

jimscreechy said:


> @BossonMichael, dude, you must have flip-pad business cards to hold all those qualifications.


No certs on my business card... but I do have a pretty sizable Certifications section on my resume.


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## BosonMichael (Nov 1, 2011)

Wizmo said:


> I don't plan to actually stop working! I want to teach CompTIA and mentor once I no longer do the 9-5 grind.... What's the old adage about 'idle hands?'
> 
> Thanks for your service Michael! I was USNR ['72-'78 *- *Fire Control Radar Technician/Instructor]


Yep, that's why I love doing what I do - I get to pass along all the bits of knowledge that I've learned and experienced. 

Thanks for your service as well, my brother. Sadly, it looks like the country that you and I fought for is falling apart. But that is a story for another thread...


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## jimscreechy (Jan 7, 2005)

I think Certs are a good thing, especially these days. Gone are the days when you had to spend a grand or two to attend some training course at a centre so far from home your company had to book you into a hotel. In a time when studying off your own back was almost out of the question. God bless the internet, multimedia and changing business models. Pluralsight for example (the old trainsignal) had a fantastic offer the other day. All their courses online for a year just over £100. Christ! if you have the time you could be a brain surgeon, a mechanic, and an astronaut within the space of a year! well... not quite, but what a fantastic offer for the price of a months petrol.

@BosonMichael Don't throw in the towel just yet. Not just your country but the world in general needs the intentions of good people to survive the same why your brain needs mental stimulation to stop cerebral decline. Once you start letting stuff slide the demise is on.


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