Should I got for a Linux or Microsoft certification?

Question

I have no IT experience beside playing with Office03.
I wish I could become an administrator.
I am giving myself 1 year to accomplish this goal.
My boyfriend told me that go for UNIX?? But why??

Answer 1

My experience is that if you can do UNIX/Linux administration picking up MS Windows is a fairly simple on the job skill to pick up. Of course given that I started with a DEC Ultrix background might indicate some bias on my part.

Think about the type of employer you are looking to work for. If you want to work for a small IT shop supporting a non-IT focused business model, going with MS Windows certification may make more sense. Smaller shops tend to rely on the fact that getting a MS administrator is a bit easier and cheaper (although not always true on the $$ part). If you want to work for a strictly IT related company, you probably need to think about where in the company you want to support them. At the desktop, you'll probably find more Microsoft systems (although Linux is making some headway, just not very quickly). If you want the datacenter, you'll likely find a combination of UNIX (Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, BSD, etc...), Linux (RedHat, Suse, etc...), and Microsoft.

On another note, if your only IT experience is playing with Office 2003, you might be in for a surprise with system administration. You might want to see if you can find some online position descriptions to see the general requirements. Messing with an application can be a starting point to being an administrator but they aren't necessarily very similar.

Answer 2

If you only want your certification you should do the Microsoft one, cause you will be able to ask more money. Its a commercial product after all. Linux you should do, if you are really interrested in computers and networks, not for the money.