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Monday, November 5, 2007

HERE'S THE REAL DEAL ON NETWORK PLUS CERTIFICATION

In deciding to return to 360 I had to take into account just how blessed I have been and what I could give back. Not everyone is a writer, so I couldn't change that. But computers is for everyone. I doubt if you could find 3 homes in your area that does not have at least 1 PC. And let's face it, these things not only saves us time, but they're also very handy in almost every area of life. For example, from a few little boxes mounted on a shelf in my office, I use my main PC to control the telephone service, the internet service, the cable tv service, and several other things. I can book my next flight out, confirm my hotel, and be ready for a book signing in any part of the world in about 5-7 minutes!

Computers are no longer the future, they're also the present. So if you enjoy them as much as I do, why not also make a career managing them? If you can blow a bubble with chewing gum, then you can do this. And the money is nothing short of nice! I mean an entry-level position in many areas of computers starts between $28,000 to as high as $50,000. And with a little experience, the salaries can blow through the roof. My goal is to get you there. And when I say, I'm talking about anyone who presently works a low paying or dreaded job, anyone who's out of work due to company layoff, or any single parent who perhaps just haven't been able to afford to return to school due to present demands.

In 2001 I wrote a simple study guide to help a few people that I knew to pass a single Microsoft certification exam. The results for those who used the exam was amazing, and in the next couple of months that study guide was popping up all over the internet. People began contacting me out of the wood-works, asking if I would develop a second study guide. That is how I came to write the 7 Microsoft study guides that eventually became part of a LPI published bestseller. In less than a year I went from being a Microsoft Systems Engineer & Database Administrator to a bestselling author who had no idea what was happening! Since then, life has been especially good to me, producing 2 more bestselling books, and even the "Observation To If He Did", the mixed message book orginally by defamed celebrity, O.J. Simpson.

So over the next few months (with the exception of a 14 day overseas trip) I will be blogging to assist others in getting into the rewarding field of information technology. Here we're going to discuss two primary areas where I suggest is the best entry way to the field, required certification exams by Microsoft and CompTia, and the differences in both Network+ and MCSE positions. If by chance you are someone who already knows they desire to get into the field, I suggest you visit my website and read an excerpt for my books "MCSE In 3 Weeks" and "Network+ In 21 Days".

SO YOU WONDER IF IT'S HARD TO GET INTO COMPUTERS ?


It's hard to believe how quickly technology is working its way into every aspect of our daily lives. But if you desire to get in on the excitement, now is the time to begin your journey. After all, where would we be in this day and age without cell phones? Laptop computers? Wireless networks? E-mail? Not only have we become dependent on these things, we rely on the people with brains suited to operating, repairing, building, and programming them. But technical colleges aren't necessarily the best place for you to start if you've got a tech-oriented mind.

Many are actually getting appropriate training and hands-on experience for a new career of their choice in the IT field, without college. Software engineers, webmasters, support specialists, and programmers are all rapidly growing occupations with plenty of opportunity. Most employers are eager for new hires, but you will need certifications. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that most computer career opportunities will continue to increase through the year 2012. I'm convinced that home-study remains a great way for you to get a jump on this blossoming trend.

The diversity and flexibility of a career as a techie is what attracts many aspiring professionals. In many cases, technology specialists work as part of a team, and enjoy lots of interaction with their peers. And, if you think you're more suited to working independently, there are plenty of computer jobs that can provide you with that opportunity as well. Many webmasters and network administrators (myself included) work or have worked from the comfort of their own homes.

I highly recommend that you look into technical career areas today and find a program that suits your career goals and your lifestyle. Then visit my website for two of the hottest technology home study programs available!

THE BEST APPROACH FOR ONLINE CERTIFICATION TRAINING

Online certification training helps you achieve your professional goals and increase your chances of advancement in a most affordable and convenient manner. This is very suitable if you have a busy schedule or find it difficult to attend a regular class. Various courses are offered such as Linux and Java certification programs, as well as other IT subjects that you can study at home and at your own speed.

The number of universities, colleges, and internet learning programs that provide online certification training are steadily increasing to cope with the growing demand for IT skills in the industry.

Online certification training, however, is not for everyone. Students who excel in a classroom environment may not do as well in distance learning. There are no live interactions between the student and the instructor. You will have to set-up your own schedules and plans for your subjects. You will have to create your targets and discipline yourself to meet those goals.

Students who would like to enroll in online programs must have a basic understanding of operating a computer, word processing skills, spread sheets and database know-how. You must also have knowledge of accessing the internet and communicating through emails. You will have to be in front of a computer and read volumes of materials on a certain subject. If you are one of those people who have difficulty focusing on printed materials, you would do well in a classroom setting rather than an online certification training program.

The other disadvantage to taking distance courses is the fact that you will have to research on your own through the internet any additional data needed. You will have to wait for a response from your online instructor, if you have one, unlike in a classroom where you can just raise your hand and a question is quickly answered. Also, you won't have the benefit of study groups and class discussions on IT subjects that you would like to pursue.

There are several kinds of online certification training programs. One is instructor-led wherein you are assigned a person whom you can communicate with and who will guide you through the course. This type of program follows a strict schedule and entails deadlines for submission of work. The other kind of online training lets you study at your own speed. You can take an exam and complete the course whenever you are confident enough that you have understood the modules provided to you. Both programs also involve submission of assignments, research or worksheets, similar to a regular school system.

If you prefer to work at your own pace and are confident that you can find any extra information you need through your own efforts, however, you will probably do well with a self-directed online certification course which has no specific completion date and will let you study the material in the order of your choice.

To get an idea of the available online Linux certification training courses, you can visit redhat.com. Red Hat Inc., is one of the premier Linux OS distributors and has a highly regarded certification program, with both classroom and online instruction available. Looking over their online certification training is a good way to see the available curricula and their cost.

While online certification training is a great way for those who do not have time for classroom training to proceed toward certification testing, there is no substitute for on-the-job training in IT applications and troubleshooting. Second to that in desirability is classroom IT training which makes use of simulators to give students a taste of real world IT problem solving. Both the Red hat and Novell Linux certification exams, for instance, require candidates to provide hands-on IT solutions.

As a way to grasp IT theory, online certification training certainly has its place, but should really be accompanied by some sort of hands-on IT experience if it is to give you the best chance of qualifying as a certified IT professional.

LINUX CERTIFICATION COURSES BENEFITS IT PROFESSIONALS


Achieving Linux certification is important for IT professionals who want a way to prove to potential employers that they can manage, maintain, and troubleshoot the Linux operating system in an actual business environment. So Linux certification courses have been developed by vendors Red Hat Inc. and Novell, as well as SAIR, LPI and several other vendor-neutral several IT organizations to help candidates for certification prepare for their exams.

Becoming Linux certified at one or more levels benefits IT professionals by opening up employment opportunities, and hiring certified employees benefits employers by ensuring that their Linux operating systems and networks will function smoothly and securely. The Linux certification courses and exams offered by different vendors and institutions vary significantly, however, and many of them focus on theoretical knowledge at the expense of hands-on Linux OS and related software training.

Both the Red Hat and Novell certification courses expose their students to both textbook study of Linux and to lab sessions in which they experience simulated installation and management saturations like those they will have to face in the workplace. Thousands of businesses have migrated from Windows-based operating systems to Linux, which is much more economical, but the operating system, as an open source project, remains a work in progress.

Employers need to know that the IT professionals they hire to work on their Linux applications are prepared to handle their in-house needs as they arise. And Linux certification courses, to be truly effective, will require students to show they are up to the task.

These courses build their students' theoretical understanding of the various aspects of the operating system, but that classroom learning is secondary to the laboratory work it gives students in the areas of Linux OS installation, software management, networking, troubleshooting, and security implementation. Linux certification candidates who pass the Red hat or Novell exams have shown that they are ready to take it on as it exists in the workplace.

Because the operating system and its different applications are constantly evolving, Linux certification courses can be very helpful even for IT professionals who are familiar. These courses are always being updated themselves to reflect the latest advances in technology. Taking Linux certification courses before testing for new levels of certification will ensure that even IT employees experienced in Linux will have state-of-the-art solutions to the various test scenarios.

The Linux certification courses are each designed to prepare for a specific kind of exam, and both Red hat and Novell offer more than one level. But each of them requires that every certification candidate qualify at their basic level before testing for more advanced certifications.

Other Linux certification courses are available either as classroom curricula or self-directed online courses, and there are also many good test study guides. As it becomes increasingly adopted in the business environment, employers are more and more concerned that the IT professionals they hire have Linux certification based on practical as well as theoretical knowledge. While Red Hat and Novell courses may cost more and require more time than those of other organizations, the lab preparation they provide can lead to test success and even bigger employment opportunities!

CISCO CCENT - CCNA CERTIFICATION EXAM TUTORIAL - CROSSOVER, STRAIGHTTHROUGH, AND ROLLOVER CABLE


To pass the Cisco CCENT and CCNA certification exams, you have to know what cable type is appropriate for a given situation. It's also a good idea to know this for working in real-world production networks as well! After all, if we have the wrong cable, we don't have a network!

This is particularly true of the following scenario, where we have:

A laptop connected to a switch (Cable 3)

Two switches connected to each other (Cable 2)

A PC connected to a switch (Cable 1)

This is a very basic and common topology, but we've got three different cable types in there! Working from top to bottom, let's take a look at the different cables we'll need to make this work.

For Cable 1, we need a straightthrough cable. A straightthrough cable is used to connect a PC to a switch or hub. In a straightthrough cable, the wire connected to Pin 1 on one side is connected to Pin 1 on the other, the wire connected to Pin 2 on one side is connected to Pin 2 on the other, and so forth.

It's very common to connect two switches to allow them to send data over that connection, and the connection between two switches is called a trunk. You'll learn all about the particulars of trunking in your CCNA studies, but the first thing we have to do is make sure we have the correct cable!

To allow two switches to communicate with each other, a special cable type is needed. Regular straight-through cables will not allow two switches to form a trunk.

What we need is a crossover cable. The wire connected to Pin 1 on one side will no longer be connected to Pin 1 on the other, as it was in a straight-through cable.Four wires will "cross over" in a crossover cable:

Local Pin 1 crosses over to Remote Pin 3
Local Pin 2 crosses over to Remote Pin 6
Local Pin 3 crosses over to Remote Pin 1
Local Pin 6 crosses over to Remote Pin 2

Two cables down, one to go! To connect that laptop directly to a switch, we've got to be careful of two things:
Using the right cableConnecting the right cable to the right port on the switch. The cable we need is a rollover cable. All eight wires in the cable will "roll over" to another pin at the remote end, with the wire on Pin 1 at one end rolling over to Pin 8 at the other end, the wire on Pin 2 at one end rolling over to Pin 7 at the remote end, and so forth.

You may also need an adapter for your rollover cable, since one end of the cable is a DB-9 connector, and few if any of today's laptops have such a port. You probably do have USB ports on your laptop, and you can get an adapter that allows you to connect a rollover cable to your laptop's USB port from just about any cable dealer.

As for the connection to the switch, you need to make sure you connect the RJ-45 connector on the other end of the rollover cable to the Console port of the switch.

With the proper combination of rollover, straightthrough, and crossover cables, you're on your way to total network connectivity - and on the way to passing your Cisco CCENT and CCNA exams, too!

WHY YOU SHOULD GET A MICROSOFT CERTIFICATE


Several certificates are available in the world today that accredit your qualifications and skills. The Microsoft certificate, provided by the Microsoft Organization is one such certificate. Here, we will discuss about how to get a Microsoft certificate, and also what the certificate is all about. This will also, let you know, why Microsoft certificates are so popular, and in demand.

Before discussing about how to get Microsoft certificate, you must understand what the certificate is about. The certificate is basically a kind of diploma that proves to employers that a person has the much-needed special skills. This certification can be easily obtained by anyone who decides to gain knowledge in Microsoft programs, and the skills required to operate them properly.

Having this certificate signifies having a multitude of opportunities opening up for you with many different companies and different fields. Also, there are several different methods by which one can get the Microsoft certificate.

So how does one get a Microsoft certificate? You can get a Microsoft certificate by following these simple measures:

(1) Research the certificate that you want to get. Also, don't forget to find out about the different resources and study material which is necessary for the certificate.

(2) You do have to study a lot. Adequate preparation is more than necessary to pass the examination. However, in case, you do not pass, you do have the option of trying again. Also, there is no specific limit to the number of times you can try passing the certification exam which means you can try as many times as you want.

(3) Remember to schedule your examination. To register, you can call either Virtual university Enterprises or Sylvan Prometric . You will require the name of the exam, the date on which it has to be taken , and the payment method. Most of the Microsoft examinations cost about $100.

Two forms of identification are usually necessary to be able to sit for the exams. This includes photo id. These identification cards need to be presented upon your arrival at the test center.

After the formalities have been successfully completed, there is not much left to do, except to take the test. After you have taken your test, you need to wait for the results. Microsoft usually provides notification of your certification status within a time period of two to six weeks. If you have passed, you will receive a welcome package through mail which will include your certificate, and also a few goodies.

Once you have obtained Microsoft certificate, all you have to do is update your resume. To get Microsoft certificate is one of the wisest decisions you can make. Not only will this officially certify your skills and knowhow, but also open up a plethora of opportunities for you. And won't that be great?
 
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