Get Certified! MCSA
Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator(MCSA)
Rated the hottest certification for 2002 by CertCities.com, Microsoft's Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) has created some excitement in the certification world. Despite the lagging economy, research conducted by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) projected that opportunities in network design and administration in the United States increased more than 10 percent between 2000 and 2001. Microsoft has taken that information and the demand from the marketplace and developed its MCSA credential.
MCSA Requirements
The MCSA credential is designed specifically for those who implement, manage, and troubleshoot Windows 2000-based systems, including Windows .NET Server.
Candidates must pass four exams consisting of one client operating system exam, two networking systems exams, and one elective credit. An MCSA candidate will typically need six months to one year of experience administering client and network operating systems prior to taking the exam. Candidates' experience should be obtained in environments with the following characteristics:
- 200 or more supported users.
- 2 or more physical locations.
- Typical network services and resources, including messaging, database, file and print, proxy server or firewall, Web and intranet, remote access, and client computer management.
- Connectivity needs, including connecting individual offices and users at remote locations to the corporate network and connecting corporate networks to the World Wide Web.
Elective Options
In place of the elective exams offered by Microsoft that apply to the MCSA certification, candidates for MCSA certification can substitute A+, Network+, and Server+ exams from CompTIA. They may substitute the A+ and Server+ exams, as well. "The Microsoft-CompTIA certification relationship is a further broadening of CompTIA's industry-wide initiative to help professionals enter the field of IT with a clear career path ahead of them," said Microsoft's Lutz Ziob. This is great news for the thousands of individuals already certified in A+, Network+, and/or Server+. Many people start out with a CompTIA certification and use it as a bridge to a higher-level, vendor-specific credential and a career in IT. Anyone headed for a career as a network or systems administrator, a network engineer, analyst, or technician who already has CompTIA A+, Network+, or Server+ will want to take a look at MCSA," he added.