Don't Fret About MCSA Cost - Think Of It As Investment
If you are an IT professional or are wanting to work in the exciting and lucrative field of information technology, then no doubt, you've already looked into becoming Microsoft certified. There are many different levels of Microsoft certification and different advantages and differing costs to earning these credentials. The way you go about earning your MCSA (Microsoft Certified System Administrator) or MCSE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer) will ultimately determine what it will cost to earn your certification. However, no matter how you look at the MCSA cost, you need to consider it as an investment that will pay you back in the way of a better job and higher wages.
For example, a recent scan of some "help-wanted" ads resulted in some listings for IT professionals and computer techs. At the low-end were employers seeking "computer technicians" or "network technicians." These jobs paid an annual salary around $45,000/year. However, the listings that required a minimum education of MCSA or MCSE had starting salaries around $55,000-$65,000/year. This higher starting salary more than offsets the cost of attaining your MCSA certification. The cost of getting an MCSA or MCSE shouldn't ever be a factor! You will make more money in one year than the cost of your certification.
You have several choices to obtaining your MCSA. If you are smart enough, you could just take the four exams that are required, and if you pass them all, you will only have the cost of the four MCSA exams. These exams are around $125 each so your MCSA cost would only be around $500. However, most people need to either study for the exams or attend school to be able to pass the exams.
Technical School or College You can attend a technical school and earn your MCSA in several months. Or you could attend college and go for your Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology and pass your tests along the way. This is probably the longest way to achieve your certification and the most expensive, but you will be well prepared.
Online Study There are companies that offer self-paced online study course that help prepare you for your MCSA. The cost for these is rather low but your time commitment is very high. You must be well-disciplined and must be able to learn abstract concepts without the help of an instructor. These courses are great for people who work full-time but can spend their free time learning online and taking practice tests. With these courses, you could earn your MCSA in a couple of weeks and your MCSA cost will be quite low. However, the percentage of people who actually complete all the required training and take and pass their exams is fairly low. Self Study Self study to prepare for the MCSA certification exams is very similar to online study in that you must be well-disciplined and must be able to read thousands of pages of text. In a self-study scenario, you buy all the course books for the MCSA exams and you read and study them. You must be able to schedule the time to do this and spend the time studying the concepts in the book. You must also be able to spend time on your computer to practice the principles you are learning in the book. The MCSA cost for self study can be quite low, especially if you buy all the course materials used on the internet. But, just like online study, most people fail in this attempt at certification since the time requirements are so high and most people are not disciplined enough to stick with it.
MCSA Boot Camp The MCSA boot camp is the best of all scenarios and that is why they are so popular. The cost to attend a boot camp is higher than online study but lower than attending a technical school or college. And unlike a school or college, boot camps typically last only about two weeks. So you can attend a boot camp in 2 weeks and have your MCSA or MCSE certification. The MCSA cost associated with boot camp is high but the time commitment is short. Keep in mind that while the time commitment is short that during those 2 weeks, the time commitment on those days will be extremely high and the schooling will be intense. Many people drop out simply because they can't handle 12-16 hour days for two entire weeks.
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