@felgallAug 16.2005 — #I have had several people contacted me about setting up networks at home to study for MCSE where their questions indicate that they don't have even the basic knowledge required for any sort of certification. Had they started with the A+ and Network+ certifications then they would have known enough to get started on studying for the more advanced Microsoft ones.
I suggest that anyone wanting to get sertified for IT support start with A+ then network+ and once they have those they will then be better placed to decide which certification (if any) to go for next. If they decide to go for a top level Microsoft certification such as MCSE then they will already know enough to at least set up their own network to start studying for that certification without having to ask for help with basic questions.
@invertedpandaAug 16.2005 — #Definately start with the A+ and/or Network+ certs, but keep in mind that later on down the road your employers might pay for you to get better certs (yes, they do that), such as Cisco related certs.
@Stephen_PhilbinAug 16.2005 — #Some sort of microsoft certification would definitely be recognised, but beware of the vast number of completely worthless "certifications" that are offered on the web. There's lots of folks out there just itching to grant you "qualifications" for a price, that no employer would either recognise nor value.