1

I am currently studying for the Comptia A+ and Network+ certifications and plan on testing later this summer/fall. My question is, from a System Administrator/Network Administrator’s perspective, what would be the next best certifications to pursue after A+ and Net+?

4 Spice ups
2

This is the point where most people start to specialize depending on what they want to do going for Cisco, Microsoft, or other vendor certs.

What ares of IT do you have experience with? What area are you most interested in working in?

3

CCNA would be a good next bet (in my opinion).

4

It depends on what you want to do. If you’re still looking for general knowledge, Security+ may be the next one you want to take.

If you’re looking to do Desktop support, maybe the MCTS Windows 7 would be the next best one

If you’re looking to do Windows Administration, maybe the MCTS Windows 2008

If you’re looking for Virtualization certification, the VCP would be good

If you looking for Networking certification, I would recommend the CCNA

5

MCSA/MCSE probably. If you aren’t locked in to the CompTia cert you might consider pursuing those instead of. I am A+ certified and that really hasn’t helped me much career wise.

6

Yes, CCNA is your standard networking cert for Cisco. But from a starting point the A+ is good, then decide if you are going to go into Systems Administration or Networking and go for those specific certs. Microsoft has a ton of different ones from Messaging, to servers, to desktop support.

7

Most of my experience is in end-user support and PC hardware/software troubleshooting. I am interested in getting more involved in networking though. I need to learn more as far as server support (both hardware and software) and overall network maintenance. I am interested in the Linux+ certification for personal knowledge, though I am not sure how relevant the actual certification is in regards to finding a job down the road.

8

From a lot of the job descriptions i have seen, a lot of network/server admin jobs require at least Red Had experience so the linux+ cert would probably be pretty useful in terms of opening a lot of doors for job opportunities.

9

I think Systems Administration is my end-game. CCNA seems to be the next logical step after Net+, followed by necessary Microsoft certifications. I’m sure I will take a hard look at Security+ at some point in the process as well.

Thanks for all the suggestions and information, much appreciated!

10

If you are in a Microsoft world, MCP, then MCSA.

11

In addition to what other people have said, my suggestion would be to look at the job postings and see what employers are looking for.