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Certification Dilemma

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by itgrunt80

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Should I get a certification for MCDST, MCSA..etc, targeting legacy products like XP, Server 2003...etc or go ahead and pursue current certification on Vista and Server 2008?

4 replies

by kjell_andorsen

Well it looks to me like you're pursuing two different tracks here, both desktop support and Systems administration. You may be in a role where you have to wear two different hats, but in most cases it would be wise to specialize in one or the other.

As for going for XP/2003 certs or Vista/2008 I would say either course has it's advantages and drawbacks. I can assure you that XP and server 2003 will be common in enterprise environments for many years to come, and getting the more famil.iar certs such as MCSA or even MCSE will be beneficial for years yet.

Of course, getting some of the newer certs such as the MCTS or MCITP on Server 2008 and Vista might make you stand out to companies looking to transition to the newer systems. It all boils down to what you want to do.

I wasn't planning on taking any more MS certs for a while, but after playing around with Server 2008 I've been tempted to learn more about it and may do the studying to upgrade from my 2003 MCSE.

by itgrunt80

I really needed to hear someone else lay it all out. Thank You. My only drawback is that I don't have a fast machine to experiment at home with.

by kjell_andorsen

I just built a pretty hefty system with a core2-duo processor, 4GB ram and 1TB of storage for less than 900$, I use it to run a virtual network with 1 2008 DC, one 2008 member server, one vista ultimate client and one xp pro client. Great testing environment to get to know 2008 in.

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