Commander Data

I'm with bilbus. I just posted the same thing on another thread.

If you can't afford to take classes to get certs, then you need study materials and a way to do this hands on. Getting the study materials is easy, anything you could ever want in less than 24 hours. But how do you PRACTICE it? You virtualize.

Hard disk space is cheap. Set up VMWare and Virtual PC. It takes less than 10 minutes to create a new VM without reading a single direction. You point to the iso of an OS cd and VOILA you install whatever OS you want, and when in that OS you can configure anything, install SQL, IIS, Sharepoint etc.

You'll never make money playing with PCs. If you want a career in IT, then you need to be able to do something for a company that's in demand. This is the typical post for the type of work I do, found on craigslist. Any System Admin or System Engineer job will look like this. My resume reflects this type of work and it is very very competitive. As you can see, you will need some combination of MS and Cisco certs to be balanced and proficient.


Top Technical skills (MUST Have): • 5+ years of WINDOWS 2000/2003 System Administration exp • 2+ yrs exp System Center Operations Manager 2007 (SCOM 2007); may be combined with Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM 2005) exp • 2+ yrs in-depth exp/knowledge in virtualization technology - VMware; planning & implementing (how many virtual services/size/duties) • 2+ yrs exp in Storage Area Networks (SAN) Storage – EMC Storage Networks • CommVault exp a plus - Backup experience

Responsibilities:
•Implementation, daily operation & administration, of anti-virus, backup, security patches, and troubleshooting of all Windows servers, SQL servers, and the EMC storage area network
•Continuously improve service: cost, quality, and performance
•Daily operations, design, and support of a virtualized server environment, including server builds and development environment scheduling
•Daily operations and configuration of the keyboard, mouse, video (KVM) switching infrastructure
•Support resolution of Level 3 service tickets, as needed, in a timely manner
•Provide project support in the timely completion of Network Services projects, milestone dates, commitments, deliverables, etc.
•Provide hands-on configuration, installation, maintenance, and backup of all servers and system data
•Provide technical leadership as related to Windows Servers, SQL, and EMC environments
•Provide technical oversight to client’s vendors and consultants, as needed
•Assist in the development of Information Technology policies and procedures
•Adhere to Information Technology policies and procedures
•Will require after-hours work on-site 2 times/month during IT maintenance (Thursdays 8pm to 1am). Flex hours will be available Thursdays and Fridays (maintain 40hrs/wk)
•Other duties and tasks, as assigned

Qualifications:
•5+ years of relevant IT experience in WINDOWS 2000/2003, and SQL servers
•Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required
•MCSE strongly desired
•In-depth knowledge of Windows server, Active Directory, DNS, etc.
•Strong knowledge of System Center Operations Manager 2007 (SCOM 2007), Microsoft Systems Management Server, and backup systems
•Experience with software and hardware virtualization
•The ability to work on, facilitate, and support multiple projects and real-time support issues
•In-depth knowledge of Microsoft desktop and server operating systems
•In-depth knowledge of Microsoft suite of applications
•Strong interpersonal, customer relationship, and customer support skills