Hello, I've been reading this forum quite awhile and found some interesting reads. My question is concerning Community Colleges and their Certificate Programs. For instance, my local community college next to Texas A&M has a one year certificate program for a "Certified Network Administrator". Another is a one semester "Certified Data Entry Operator". Now I know these certificates are definitely not as effective in the IT industry as say a MCSE/MCSA, etc... Would these certificate programs provide any room for even an entry level job? I'm actually enrolled on a degree program for CTIS at the moment, but with only 5 more classes this semester, I can apply for the "Network Administrator" certificate...Just being a community college certificate, would this certification be frowned upon by potential employers?, or would it add to my chances of actually getting my foot in the door to a beginner level IT/Networking job/career? I've never had an IT job and it is my dream to do so, I am very confused as to which route to go for certifications when it comes to having a chance of success in the IT/networking industry...I would really hate to of wasted precious time with this certificate for Network Administration when I could've been focused on something more worth while. However, I do plan on enrolling in Cisco courses this upcoming semester as well. Thats another thing with this community college also. When you complete Cisco 1,2,3,4 & "Computer Math". You are certified as a "Cisco Academy Graduate", but ofcourse the CCNA does not come with the completion of the certificate program...Are these courses worth pursuing? Or are they merely a waste of time when I should be focusing on something else?

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I would say yes, they are worth your time.
The only thing I would point out/recommend is something it sounds like you are thinking about too.
These are not the certs themselves, just programs from the college. Those will look good to employers from your area, but probably won't matter much to those outside of your region.
They will definitely be good resourses for passing your exams, with both textbook material and hands-on experience.
You could get both of those from other resources, like free online tutorials and practice exams. And hands-on from personal (buy them at garages sales and from classifieds just to play with, tear down, rebuild), friend, and family computers.
So I guess I would weigh the cost of those classes against the benefit of learning in a classroom environment. Pick whichever of those is most important and go from there.

Good luck with everything!

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