MOUS certification

[azndrifter318]

I'm 17 and wondering if I could get a job that pays like $800+ a month soley on the Microsoft Office User Specialist Certification, or is this just some basic certification that most people have?

 

[miata13B]

I have my MCSE -> Oh I have been waiting to use this one : )

 

[emad]

does mcse offer anything decent in the way of jobs? I was considering studying it over the summer.

@drifter, don't bother with that particular certificate because it's only for ms office. You should easily be able to pass the test for it without taking any courses...plus just having knowledge of ms office will be more than sufficient to get a job that requires you to use it.

 

[azndrifter318]

It's a high school course and I'm already near the end, Access is the only part giving me trouble.

 

[emad]

Access is REALLY easy once you get used to it

try getting an a+ certification guide and work up from there.

 

[miata13B]

You need exp. behind an MCSE to make it worth while to tell the truth. MCSE have gotten a bad rap in the tech field that I have been in because I deal mainly with book read MCSE with no exp. I mean they can't even load a freaking driver in 1 OS let alone 6 OSes

 

[emad]

heh, but why would a MICROSOFT certified systems engineer know anything about a non-windows OS? I've got tons of experience with hardware and software but most of it's been for friends and family. I have like no real work experience and it's making it hard for me to find a job anywhere

 

[miata13B]

Originally posted by emad
heh, but why would a MICROSOFT certified systems engineer know anything about a non-windows OS? I've got tons of experience with hardware and software but most of it's been for friends and family. I have like no real work experience and it's making it hard for me to find a job anywhere

The reference to the 6 OSes are all Microsoft based OSes . . .

 

[Carl.]

Originally posted by emad
does mcse offer anything decent in the way of jobs? I was considering studying it over the summer.

I did the 4 core courses of MCSE for Windows 2000, these are indeed useful if you want to have a job related to network admin/planning, but are quite expensive (at least at the time I had them...) If you're kind on being autodidact, I'd suggest buying the books from microsoft and save a lot on the courses, unless you can have your employer paying for them. Also, keep in mind that the majority of students that take the course don't do the exams, these are quite hard and require you to know by heart a lot of things you won't really need in real business cases, and tricky problems that you won't ever see (or ever solve with a Microsoft product). And most of the time, a 2 min quick search will answer the question if you have basic knowledge about the OS, Active Directory and networking.

Still, if you're up to it, having a MCSE would sure help yourself to get a better job or to have a better income. For me though, if I have to hire a network admin, the fact that you passed the exams or not wouldn't be a significant factor.

 

[emad]

cool. I'll dig around for the books. It shouldn't be hard for me to find them cheap. The course costs 3 grand here. I'd take courses but the problem is I need that 3 grand to cover for school next year.

How about MCSD? I've already got 3 years of high school VB programming and a semester of vb .net. Next year will be more vb .net and maybe even C

 

[Carl.]

Originally posted by emad
How about MCSD? I've already got 3 years of high school VB programming and a semester of vb .net. Next year will be more vb .net and maybe even C

I don't know anyone who did MCSD, but seeing the amount of programming courses you had or have on schedule, my guess is that you'll end up with a lot expensive and redundant information if you take them... so I'd stick with books for this too. If you're confident enough and want the certification, you could go for the exams this way. (I'm not sure if they are availible without taking the course like the MCSE exams though)

I'm curious though, most of the time students are heading toward either specialisation in networking or programming, rarely both of them.... what kind of job are you looking for after university? (or is it college?)


Edit: 3000$?? (CAD?) for the whole MCSE? (7 courses) that was the cost for one week only when I took them back in 2000-2001