Which one to choose

An MCSE might get into company as a junior network administrator or technical support/help desk. This will allow you to get into the business and see all the networking components. There are a lot of hardware out there and to know all is impossible. To get really into the networking architecture a Cisco certification will help. Once into a company you can ask if you can go on courses hosted by Nortel, Lucent, Dell, Cisco, etc on their product line. I believe A+ is mainly a hardware certification with a touch of networking. Hope this helps.

If you don't have production experience with a particular product, then a cert really doesnt' mean a whole lot. It just means you passed a test. Since you will have a degree, you'll find work with that. In my opinion I think that certification moreor less verifies your experience. It only impresses the non technical mgr. Everywhere I've been, the sharpest guys weren't certified, they just had experience. Keep your money and teach yourself Linux/Unix. YOu'll definitely be more marketable than someone who only knows windows. Get certified once you have some time under your belt. Then you'll be able to get your money.

I sorta agree with romulus. Certifications alone should not get you a job based entirely on that certification. It appears you are inclined towards the networking vocation. I would go to the IT department at your college and ask them if you couldintern there and learn the business. As you become more indoctrinated in the IT field, your experience level will increase as will your thirst for knowledge. It gets in your blood. When you graduate, you will have a years worth of experience to go along with that degree. Getting your degree is a great thing, but a degree and very little practical experience doesn't go very far in the IT field. Build on that experience by finding an entry level job that will expose you to the real world. There are a lot of young guns out there who feel the world owes them a lot of money because they were very smart and passed the certification exams with very little experience, only to find out there are no jobs out there for CCNA's who are asking for60-70 thousand smackers with very little experience. Be patient, the certifications will come with time if you feel you need it, but experience can only be obtained through time and that should count for more.

If you have no experience and want a fair paying job starting at low 40k then either MCSE or CCNA will do. If you are planning to concentrate on Desktop Client/Server Support then choose MCSE. Network and security then choose CCNA. My advice... take an IT Consulting position no matter what it pays... you will learn more in 1 year than you would in 3 years at any support position. Get your CCNA and work on your MCSE...