Sign in
Microsoft.com
 
Microsoft
 
 
 

locked
Career change - sales to IT RRS feed

 > 

  • Question

  • Question
    Sign in to vote
    0
    Sign in to vote
    I have long wanted to pursue a career in the IT world from a non-sales aspect and I am ready to start the process to getting there.  I currently do business development for Microsoft so I understand licensing and the products but don't have a deep technical understanding of how active directory works, what's really going on technically when it comes to Hyper-V or what the 5 roles in Exchange do exactly.  I am planning to work towards an MCITP: Virtualization Administrator and since I don't have any experience I thought the best place to start might be to purchase an HP Server (B/C I get discounts w/ HP) to have something for hands on work, use the MS study guides readily available on Amazon and then try to pass a test.  Any thoughts on this path?  I'm trying to avoid spending $10-$12K w/ a training center to get certified.  I realize this path might take a little longer but I think the benefit will be a better understanding of how to actually perform the work.  I work with someone who is a technical wiz and can clue me in to things that may not be so obvious w/o some instruction.  Any thoughts or other things I should consider?
    Wednesday, June 1, 2011 1:26 AM

Answers

  • Question
    Sign in to vote
    2
    Sign in to vote

    Just a few items to assist with your career change :-)

    Microsoft e-Learning has the following for about $100: Collection 6319: Configuring Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 - https://www.microsoftelearning.com/eLearning/offerDetail.aspx?offerPriceId=228779

    I've found some of the SQL Server e-Learning to be good and I;ve also found some to be crap :-)

    There are also quite a few webcasts to watch http://www.microsoft.com/events/series/windowsserver2008.aspx

     

    Jeff Wharton
    MSysDev (C.Sturt), MDbDsgnMgt (C.Sturt) MCT, MCPD, MCITP, MCDBA
    Blog: Mr. Wharty's Ramblings
    Please mark solved if I've answered your question, vote for it as helpful to help other user's find a solution quicker
    • Proposed as answer by Paul Hite Wednesday, June 1, 2011 3:30 AM
    • Marked as answer by Gadgetech Thursday, June 2, 2011 12:44 AM
    Wednesday, June 1, 2011 1:47 AM
  • Question
    Sign in to vote
    2
    Sign in to vote

    Best of luck on the transition! I think Hyper-V is a great place to start ... there are several certifications out there (I'm thinking 70-652 or 659) that are pretty high-level and can get you started in the certification area fairly easy. Don't get me wrong, you may need to study and run the labs, but in my opinion they aren't nearly as hard as setting out on the MCSE track. 

    I second Jeff's suggestion also ... Microsoft has some pretty reasonably priced eLearnings that include labs, or you can take advantage of the virtual labs on Microsoft's web site: http://www.microsoft.com/events/vlabs/default.mspx


    • Proposed as answer by Paul Hite Wednesday, June 1, 2011 3:30 AM
    • Edited by Paul Hite Wednesday, June 1, 2011 3:30 AM typo
    • Marked as answer by Gadgetech Thursday, June 2, 2011 12:44 AM
    Wednesday, June 1, 2011 3:27 AM

All replies

  • Question
    Sign in to vote
    2
    Sign in to vote

    Just a few items to assist with your career change :-)

    Microsoft e-Learning has the following for about $100: Collection 6319: Configuring Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 - https://www.microsoftelearning.com/eLearning/offerDetail.aspx?offerPriceId=228779

    I've found some of the SQL Server e-Learning to be good and I;ve also found some to be crap :-)

    There are also quite a few webcasts to watch http://www.microsoft.com/events/series/windowsserver2008.aspx

     

    Jeff Wharton
    MSysDev (C.Sturt), MDbDsgnMgt (C.Sturt) MCT, MCPD, MCITP, MCDBA
    Blog: Mr. Wharty's Ramblings
    Please mark solved if I've answered your question, vote for it as helpful to help other user's find a solution quicker
    • Proposed as answer by Paul Hite Wednesday, June 1, 2011 3:30 AM
    • Marked as answer by Gadgetech Thursday, June 2, 2011 12:44 AM
    Wednesday, June 1, 2011 1:47 AM
  • Question
    Sign in to vote
    0
    Sign in to vote

    That's good info, thank you. When I see something stating a person needs to have 1.5 years working w/ X (such as desktop virt), is that baloney or is it just being over stated to maintain some type of integrity of the exam?

     

    Here's an excerpt of what I'm referencing:

    "Audience Profile

    Candidates for this exam should have more than one and a half years of experience as virtualization administrators working with desktop virtualization technologies such as Windows Virtual PC, MED-V, Windows XP Mode for Windows 7, App-V, Remote Desktop Services, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), Windows Server 2008 R2 environments, and Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2. Additionally, candidates have experience with server virtualization products and technologies, including Hyper-V, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2, Windows PowerShell 2.0, and System Center Configuration Manager."

    Wednesday, June 1, 2011 2:22 AM
  • Question
    Sign in to vote
    1
    Sign in to vote

    When I see something stating a person needs to have 1.5 years working w/ X (such as desktop virt), is that baloney or is it just being over stated to maintain some type of integrity of the exam?

     


    It really depends on the individual.

    I've know people to pass exams with 3 months experience and I've seen some people fail exams with over 2 yrs experience.

    Jeff Wharton
    MSysDev (C.Sturt), MDbDsgnMgt (C.Sturt) MCT, MCPD, MCITP, MCDBA
    Blog: Mr. Wharty's Ramblings
    Please mark solved if I've answered your question, vote for it as helpful to help other user's find a solution quicker
    Wednesday, June 1, 2011 2:36 AM
  • Question
    Sign in to vote
    2
    Sign in to vote

    Best of luck on the transition! I think Hyper-V is a great place to start ... there are several certifications out there (I'm thinking 70-652 or 659) that are pretty high-level and can get you started in the certification area fairly easy. Don't get me wrong, you may need to study and run the labs, but in my opinion they aren't nearly as hard as setting out on the MCSE track. 

    I second Jeff's suggestion also ... Microsoft has some pretty reasonably priced eLearnings that include labs, or you can take advantage of the virtual labs on Microsoft's web site: http://www.microsoft.com/events/vlabs/default.mspx


    • Proposed as answer by Paul Hite Wednesday, June 1, 2011 3:30 AM
    • Edited by Paul Hite Wednesday, June 1, 2011 3:30 AM typo
    • Marked as answer by Gadgetech Thursday, June 2, 2011 12:44 AM
    Wednesday, June 1, 2011 3:27 AM