[plug] [OT] IT Certifications

[Keith Bawden]

On Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 10:41, Tim <weirdit at gmail.com> wrote:
> Ok, so this is slightly On Topic, but probably more Off Topic. Being a
> newly married geek, 5 years out of school, and having worked many
> different jobs in my working life, I'm ready to get some
> qualifications to assist in getting a job. Can anyone suggest which
> certificates would be most useful in the IT world (Cisco, Linux,
> Microsoft C..P etc etc), and the best way to get them in Perth. Tafe?

Hello,

I've never worked in Perth so I'm totally unaware of how things go
there. However, for me when I search for candidates and then interview
any that I find I pay little attention to qualifications.

The ideal candidate for me is one who is a geek, likable, has a sense
of humor, knows when to argue a point and when to go with the flow,
and has great work ethics. All of this rolled into one person is
really hard to find. However, if you find one of these types their
education will often not mean that much. Their passion for technology
will mean they will seek out answers and will research and learn at a
steady pace.

To demonstrate you are this type of person in a resume is difficult.
In an interview it should be much easier. So the crunch point is
winning the interview in the first place. So if having a fat education
section of your resume helps then all is good I suppose.

Final point. I think building a network of gainfully employed geeks is
going to help you out much more than a resume. I was introduced to my
current employer by a couple of friends from the local LUG. So get
along to your local LUG, make some friends, learn some things and
eventually one of them will recommend you to a potential employer :)

Regards, Keith