Cisco/mcse/edcl qualifications

nerd93

Hi Folks

I have just been made redundant from my office administration job & I am thinking of changing career & to go into I.T.

I have got some I.T packages experience such as Excel & Word, but I was looking at doing other qualifications sch as CISCO, MCSE, or EDCL.

Can anyone please explain the merits of each qualification and which qualification is best in the long term with regards to job prospects. If I do decide to study for one of them, would I be eligible for a grant?

Finally, I don't want to be in a situation where I spend money completing one of the above qualifications only to find out that it is not much in demand by employers.

Thanks in advance for your response.

shappers82

I completed all three a few years back. Cost a bit to do, and was hard work. Cisco is worth it as the rates of pay are very good, but experience is very hard to get. You would have to be prepared to do a year or two doing first or second line support before you start reaping the rewards of doing these courses.
ECDL is very easy to complete, and MCSE is not too bad, but can be difficult in places. Cisco is very difficult, and you would benefit from having your own lab, which doesnt come cheap. Make sure that you look into where and how you study for these. Somewhere that offers work placements would be ideal.

I would recomend that you start with the MCSE and move in to CISCO. I dont think doing the ECDL is worth it if you have a good knowledge of Office products.