Posted on 11/06/2001 7:11:47 PM PST by Justa
The big issue I've run into talking with IT people in my area (including 3 MISs at mid-sized companies) is that their NT4 systems (inc. 98 clients) are a nightmare to operate now and they simply don't have the money for an NT5 system. Additionally, the MISs were horrified of the potential of having their databases on NT5's dynamic kernal and .Net. Another issue was the implications of the proposed changes to MS licensing next Feb. (mo' money, faster upgrading).
To be blunt, companies simply don't have this kind of money now and their NT4 systems are falling apart from security issues, malware and NT5's deployment. I had to explain to one MIS that the reason his company's software wouldn't run on a customer's new notebook was that it most likely was running 2000 or XP and they'd have to run the compatability patch/checker to see if the OS's HAL would accept their software. He said "oh, well we install our own .dlls with our software" so I had to delicately explain how NT5 deals with the installation of second-party NT4 .dlls.
From what I could tell every one of the MISs I spoke 'disliked' MS for what it was doing to their company. I.e., giving limited or no support to NT4, particularly with viruses. What's unfortuante about most IT professionals is they only know about running a computer, not a company.
So, if you're a new MCSE, all I got to say is... where were you 4 years ago when the cert. first started?
Trouble is, billy boy forgot to include PEOPLE SKILLS in his little MCSE exams.
Been there, done that. BFD.
My long-term goal is to get into the Fed. then retire from a well-paid senior nework admin. job within an agency. There's some real choice picks out there, like 50K for network admin. of a few dozen computers on a federal military reservation in Umatilla, OR, overlooking the Columbia river with mountains and forests all around. Boating, hunting, fishing -drool.
Unfortunately, the Fed. doesn't appear to be accepting the 18 months network admin. work I did in 96-98 as it was an additional duty and isn't in my DD-214. So it looks like I may have to settle on investigations again to get back into the system. Joy.
The short-term networking work I'm looking at is to fulfill the 52-weeks experience requirement for federal hiring and since I'm rather frank (truthful) in the interviews I usually tell them this. And they start asking me if I'm going to "settle here" and what not. "Settle" on a $10/hr. job? Yeah, maybe in a camper shell. In one interview they asked me if I'd be willing to admin. their NT4 network and even though I'd run NT4 before and it's in my resume I told them "No, no way". I didn't learn 2000 to get stuck servicing a dying NT4 network. For $10/hr. I didn't need that kind of abuse. Heck, I'll do roofs first.
Yeah, who would have guessed?
If your husband has an MCSE job he should stick with his MCSE job. If anything, he should work on keeping his MS administrator skills current by working towards an MCSA.
In the end I'd advise he get away from MS networking and go to Unix/Linux. I think that within 10 yr.s MS-certified network administrators won't reside onsite @ $60K/yr. but via their keyboards in Calcutta @ $10/day. MS will of course charge something like $3.95/min. for 'Remote Administration Services'. This ability is already built into NT5 (2000/XP) and is likewise planned for .NET Enterprise Servers. When that happens likely the only techs needed onsite will be a couple of A+ hardware monkeys to service the .Net End User's equipment. With .Net MS is going to a closed network -like AOL. They won't need administrators onsite.
I wasn't sure if you were using sarcasm but did consider it a possibility. Not to worry, I posted the links to benefit everyone.
I don't care about certifications. I want to know what you really know about real situations that cost me money. Certifications were supposed to do that. They don't. I'll stick with my sit-'em-down and tell them to type
Agreed, I would much rather have a person who can do the job over someone with a piece of paper that's worthless...and not just in the computer industry.
rm -r /
and see how much they flinch. GRIN!
You're naughty!
The tech job market in the DC area is still strong. A few certifications + clearances = $$$. Maybe the job market in Oklahoma will turn around when the economy picks up again - next spring? Best of luck job hunting.
That said, I will sign off;
Ol' Sox (MIS, MSCE (lapsed), CLP (lapsed), CNE (lapsed))
I give the same advice to go after database skill to anyone that asks, and they usually respond something along the lines that they are really more interested in some of the more exciting stuff (like the internet, etc...) People not real familiar with corporate information systems tend to go with the stuff they know about or see in the news. Databases don't make much news in the press.
When you think about it, a databse is at the core of most business applications. Take the forum we're on, FR. There isn't much doubt that most of the major functions of this site rely on a database. The OS it runs on may be Linux, but the heart of the system is the database. Almost any site on the internet that carries large amounts of info, be it a catalog, news articles, customer info, or search info is driven by a database.
Its been my experience that while different technologies come and go there is always a need for database people, and never enough of them. If your interested in some specific technology, learn how it ties in with databases.
Interested in the internet, learn about tying internet sites into a database backend.
Interested in Linux, learn about installing and maintianing database systems on Linux.
Interested in networking, learn about distributed database systems.
I know I sound like the guy in "The Graduate" who pushes plastics, but it has really been my experience that database skill are always in demand, and there is never enough of them to fill that demand.
I'm a 'Certified Java Programmer', and that certification has been very useful.
I think the actual point here is that developers who focus on Microsoft-only solutions are losing to cross-platform Java developers.
As he pointed out -- in the LA area if you want a job, your best bet is to know Java.
I can do a little bit of everything but am not certified. I've toyed with getting some sort of certification but have been unsure as to what to pursue. I've also considered getting some of the books and doing it on my own.
Do you (or anyone else) recommend some kind of Java certification? What would overall be the best kind of certification for someone who likes computers but not programming?
(IB I thought you'd be interested in this article)
Phhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhht!
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