Certifications

[Cookie]

Anyone got any coming up?

I've just booked my RecoverPoint exam, though it was about time I took advantage of some free time plus free exams.

Now to actually study for it

 

[ChrisR]

Haven't done any for ages now, work just released a couple of new ones for the products I deal with so might get those done when I've got some quiet time (like that'll ever happen!)

 

[cava83]

VCP-DCD is my next one hopefully. Then onto Office365 exams. I'd like to do the Veeam exam, but not available in Australia at the moment. You studied much for the RecoverPoint exam?

 

[Cookie]

Haven't done any for ages now, work just released a couple of new ones for the products I deal with so might get those done when I've got some quiet time (like that'll ever happen!)

As is typical, as soon as I book the exam I get pushed onto 3 projects. Hoping I still have a bit of time to study.. or at least learn the basics. Good thing we can retake as many times as we like.

 

[welshname]

I'm having to start from the beginning. Annoys me that I need pieces of paper but that's the way the world works.

Just finishing off a project at work and then doing
MTA - Database Fundamentals
MCSA - SQL Server 2012
MCSE - Business Intelligence

Will probably do some of the Windows Server ones too seeing as work will pay and pay overtime for studying.

Looking forward to getting them done tbh. Been about 8 years since I was in any sort of education.

 

[ChrisR]

As is typical, as soon as I book the exam I get pushed onto 3 projects. Hoping I still have a bit of time to study.. or at least learn the basics. Good thing we can retake as many times as we like.

Hah always the way, I know last quarter is going to be mental busy for me if sales guys pull their finger out.

Waiting for one of our training providers to run the courses for some customers so I can tag along for free Might be waiting a while though!

Haven't really needed any certs or the like for the last few years and don't need them for the foreseeable, but I'd quite like to get a bit more up to speed with a few bits and that should help.

 

[iain187]

I haven't done any in about 5 years since I joined this company.

It's my own fault, I've just been doing too many projects

I pretty much fully booked through winter but id like to do some next year. Not sure what I want to do though

 

[Cliotoby]

Cisco count?

CCNP Switch and Tshoot will be done by this time next year. Then I decide if I do CCDP or CCNP security. Did my ROUTE a few months back. I have to do them as part of the job I have now

 

[rctempire]

Need my Arse into gear.
Doing prince2 and office 365

 

[Oggy997]

Unbelievable thread bump batman.!

I'm looking to do some certification while I'm off on the sick....

Just finishing off a project at work and then doing
MTA - Database Fundamentals
MCSA - SQL Server 2012

The MTA was retired in 30/06/22, does anyone know what replaced it?
Then is the msca still a good plan to go down?

 

[ChrisR]

Unbelievable thread bump batman.!

I'm looking to do some certification while I'm off on the sick....



The MTA was retired in 30/06/22, does anyone know what replaced it?
Then is the msca still a good plan to go down?

If I was looking to get into a particular path now, assuming MS focused I’d be looking at whatever Azure certs are around for your area.

 

[Oggy997]

If I was looking to get into a particular path now, assuming MS focused I’d be looking at whatever Azure certs are around for your area.

I have no area, I was a warehouse manager for the last decade, then a systems analyst for a year.
The systems analyst was not based on any conventional rdbs.

I just fancy doing something different for a year, I understand sql from being self taught in warehousing, using oracle, sql server and pervasive over the years but not academically qualified.

 

[R3k1355]

I'm all set

 

[Oggy997]

Just enrolled for Azure data Fundamentals, bored to tears after less than an hour

 

[Cookie]

Just enrolled for Azure data Fundamentals, bored to tears after less than an hour

It is a bit dry!

Azure is everywhere though, v useful

Nice threadbump! I did a VCP last year then changed to sales rather than pure technical

 

[djp66]

Just enrolled for Azure data Fundamentals, bored to tears after less than an hour

The fundamental level certs are designed to give a broad but shallow understanding and can be dull especially if you have a decent knowledge of IT like it sounds you do.

They get better as you delve into the next levels. I have about 10 Azure certifications from fundamentals through development and networking to stuff like data science and solution design. So much choice. Happy to share my thoughts if you can narrow down the subject area.

AI Engineering is quite interesting and topical.

 

[Oggy997]

Like I say, I'm not looking to make a career or get too serious with it, just open up a few more doors as I don't really want to manage people any more. That's why I jumped at the chance to be a SA, more so with no experience, the site closed while I was in hospital though...

Pulling £35k+ would be sufficient although that's an approximate 33% drop in salary since 2021., which I think id be able to obtain with just fundamentals in data? If not, what's the next step to getting an analysts role, assuming it pays in that region.
Its a skill I could transfer to Poland, so don't mind pushing a level higher than the minimum either.

I just want to sit on reddit all day and drop tables occasionally

 

[djp66]

Hi, there are a few very specific certs for sys admin/dba type roles but I'm not that familiar with those.

If your interest is in the data side, then I think these two would be great

• AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator - focuses on Azure infrastructure & admin, the mechanisms for deploying and managing resources ( https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/certifications/exams/az-104/ )
• DP-203: Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure - focuses on how to build data solutions ( https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/certifications/exams/dp-203/ )

The second one looks at Azure Data Factory and Azure Synapse a lot, which along with PowerBI are the data movement, analytics and reporting engines that underpin the recently announced Microsoft Fabric which is itself what they are pushing as the their AI framework ( https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-fabric ) so definitiftely the direction I'd recommend.

 

[CrippsCorner]

Funnily enough I'm looking to enrol on an IT OU degree later this year. I think I'm going to struggle; I'm just not used to sitting there and reading/learning any more. At least I found a route to avoid deep mathematics 🤯

 

[Ray Gin]

NERDS!

 

[hopgop1]

What's a good alternative to an MCSA now MS have discontinued it? At my work we're technically hybrid with Azure, but I deal with on-prem stuff majority of the time.
CompTIA server+ worth taking?
Not all that interested in the Azure side of things, or do I really have no choice? Only worked at the one company, so not entirely sure what's standard or if we're far behind the curve IT infrastructure wise and everyone else is in the cloud now (I doubt it?)

 

[Rojer]

What's a good alternative to an MCSA now MS have discontinued it? At my work we're technically hybrid with Azure, but I deal with on-prem stuff majority of the time.
CompTIA server+ worth taking?
Not all that interested in the Azure side of things, or do I really have no choice? Only worked at the one company, so not entirely sure what's standard or if we're far behind the curve IT infrastructure wise and everyone else is in the cloud now (I doubt it?)

You should definitely look into Azure or other platforms like AWS as it's not really the future anymore it's the present. If you want to get a job elsewhere chances are you will run into it in one form or another. Azure is extremely vast so being a specialist in one area of it could be useful if you want to contract etc.

 

[boultonn]

Did the AWS Solutions Architect associate exam a couple of months and it's definitely a good place to start if you're working with AWS or plan to in the future. Good basis to decide if you want to specialise further, or just keep your cloud options open.

 

[rctempire]

Works bought QA learning stuff for it. Its decent. However still like PluralSight better.

 

[ChrisR]

Hoping my new place will give me some motivation to do something again, around Azure security stuffs. Can’t remember last time I did a proper cert.

 

[boultonn]

Hoping my new place will give me some motivation to do something again, around Azure security stuffs. Can’t remember last time I did a proper cert.

What sort of stuff you going to be doing in the Azure security space?
Most of my current role is AWS security

 

[ChrisR]

What sort of stuff you going to be doing in the Azure security space?
Most of my current role is AWS security

I now work for an MSSP who are heavy on the MS stack so Sentinel, Defender suite etc from the MS side.

Rather than configuring/securing Azure environments as such, if that makes sense

 

[Donny_Dog]

Quite busy with multi-cloud designs at the moment. Look at Aviatrix - some of there training stuff is free and a good starter if you're interested in the networking space, specifically. I did their multi cloud associate exam not long back, actually enjoyed it 😅
Quite a bit of VMware on the AWS and Azure, quite interesting too. Integrating that into native tools.
I've not known anyone who has done some McSA/MCSE equivalent exams for a long time.
Jeez, I'm an MCSA in windows 2000... How old am I.

 

[boultonn]

I now work for an MSSP who are heavy on the MS stack so Sentinel, Defender suite etc from the MS side.

Rather than configuring/securing Azure environments as such, if that makes sense

Ah nice, I get ya.
Did some MS Security stuff for a client a while back and most of it was pretty nice to work with when you’re in the ecosystem.

 

[ChrisR]

Ah nice, I get ya.
Did some MS Security stuff for a client a while back and most of it was pretty nice to work with when you’re in the ecosystem.

That always used to be one of the things I’d talk about when I was working with competing products. Sentinel is alright if you’re heavy on the MS stack, are licensed up etc, but if not then it’s not great and works out expensive.

I’ll just ignore that stuff now