Certification leads to role as author, trainer

Page 2 of 2     1 2 

In 1998, Debra earned her first certification, an MCP. By the end of last year, she added an MCSE and MCT. Currently, she writes full time for Syngress Media, along with her husband. Her credits include the Windows 2000 Certification Headstart Study Guide, Configuring Windows 2000 Server Security, Managing Windows 2000 Network Services, and Troubleshooting Windows 2000 TCP/IP.

She is also currently working on a book for Cisco Press to be used in the Cisco Networking Academy program. Debra teaches MCSE certification classes on a contract basis in the Dallas County Community College District's continuing education program and manages several mailing lists and Web sites to assist her students. She has an ongoing contract to maintain the websites and provide network consulting for two small Texas cities. If that weren't enough, she still dabbles in law enforcement training, although not frequently!

By her own admission, Debra is a born test taker. She tends to overstudy her material and chooses to use manuals (Sybex MCSE study guides, Microsoft Press books, and resource kits and other product documentation) and hardware rather than enroll in certification training. She and Tom even set up enterprise networking mockups in their home. This experimentation gives Debra the knowledge she needs to pass certification exams.

Debra's advice to certification hopefuls is to first plan to work where jobs exist. Her home, Dallas, offers plenty of opportunity for certified professionals. However, she warns newly certified IT workers to expect salaries in the $35K range until they prove themselves. Once a certified person establishes a sterling track record, salaries climb to nearly twice that.

Deb Shinder found a new life midway through her working career. To accomplish that, she combined a zeal for computer technology with the joy of learning. She dedicated herself to a year of hard work and study, but she did not perceive this as a negative. Shinder's positive attitude and faith in herself produced success, and the catalyst was certification.