[RerRoktoido]

I was full blown MCSE certified, MCSA, and a few others like CCNA, CCDA, and a couple more, what kind of pay would someone like that get ? 40-60k ? maybe more ?

edit : well, lets forget CCIE for now....seems like that might be too hard to get... I might try to get it one day, but def not right now...

[Skete]

IF you can find a job. I would say 50K.

MCSE is a dime a dozen now.

[jPNy2BP5]

IF you can find a job. I would say 50K.

MCSE is a dime a dozen now.

Certs are great, but don't have the same push they had a few years back. They do mean something and can mean the difference between getting an interview or not, but experience is by far number one. I went the route of a degree instead of certs and I think it paid off. From the interviews I had, the employers seemed to care more about college education and actual work experience than about certs.

EDIT: I should probably add that the type of job also has an impact. If you want to be a network admin for a company, certs probably aren't a big deal. If you want to be a contractor in engineer networks for telcos and cable companies, certs along with a degree are going to matter. Experience in this area won't matter so much because if you have the education the employer will train.

[RerRoktoido]

IF you can find a job. I would say 50K.

MCSE is a dime a dozen now.

lets say that and a couple more microsoft certs, in addition to a couple of cisco ones, like ccna/ccda and a couple more that ill look into possibly ccie (this last one dont take into consideration...maybe like 10 years down the road...I already know this one would be 6 figures easy....)

[gregmcal]

Hey, look at my certs in my sig... NOW!!!

For me, it has led to raises and a somewhat of a bidding war when I was almost going to leave. I am next going for CCNA (ICND1 + ICND2). As someone else mentioned, certs aren't a guarantee of a job offer or salary. Companies really do look at educational background, and most importantly your job experience. It means nothing if you have certifications but no job experience. You gotta have both, and that is when the certs come in handy! They won't hurt you, and they may or may not help you. I personally think it's worth the investment to get certifications, especially if your company pays for it.

I can tell you that a person with my certifications and experience (5 years in IT) can pretty much make over $65k (low ballpark number) here in the Bay Area. I was thinking of going for a Linux systems admin job for a medium size business early in January that was starting at $75k, but did not apply for it. I like my current position and the company that I work for so I'll stick around for awhile until they lay me off

[Skete]

...so I'll stick around for awhile until they lay me off

That about sums it up.

That is exactly the reason I am in grad school for engineering and NOT a professional IT. These jobs are sourcing out like crazy.

Only the best of the best will remained employed here. The rest will be stuck "consulting"

[gregmcal]

I work in the public sector so I *think* my job is a little more secure than others. We've already got funding for the next few years and the government has not cut our fundings (yet). What sucks is that my place goes by seniority. So the old dude who banked in on I.T. in the 90's and doesn't keep up with technology and is waiting for his pension and is making about $100k/year gets to stick around, while the younger n00bs like me will most likely get laid off first if it were to happen, despite my efforts to keep learning. I'm doing whatever I can to try to secure my job for at least another 35 years. Yes, you read that right - 35 more years!!!!