Azure or 0365?
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I'll ask again, what do YOU want to do? That will determine which path you will want to take. Both will work, in different ways. What kind of jobs do you want to look for next? Both options are equally fine, but are different disciplines, with some overlap in some areas. Both will help with the other, but personal taste will come in to play.
Click the headers for Microsoft's breakdown of what's in each skill listed below.
MS-900: Microsoft 365 Fundamentals AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Describe cloud concepts (10-15%) Describe cloud concepts (20-25%) Describe core Microsoft 365 services and concepts (30-35%) Describe core Azure services (15-20%) Explain security, compliance, privacy, and trust in Microsoft 365 (30-35%) Describe core solutions and management tools on Azure (10-15%) Describe Microsoft 365 pricing and support (20-25%) Describe general security and network security features (10-15%) Describe identity, governance, privacy, and compliance features (20-25%) Describe Azure cost management and Service Level Agreements (10-15%) -
Obs is right, what interest you will make the biggest difference. Both are valid career paths.
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I was told by multiple people that cloud is the future and that's the best place to put your money -
I would have to agree- I'm leaning more towards Azure / Cloud computing and learning more about databases.. ( i have no idea if they are connected - Like I said, In the past, I'm an idiot about a lot of things) -
@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
I was told by multiple people that cloud is the future and that's the best place to put your money
You tend to get a lot of this "told by people". But never by people who are credible in any way. "The cloud is the future" is one of those totally BS statements that has never been said by anyone who actually knows what the cloud is. First of all "the cloud" means the Internet, not cloud. Second, "cloud computing" was the "future" in 2002, it's way, way, way past the point of being the future, it's now a tried and true component of the ecosystem that has long since passed from any credibility as a hot buzzword.
No one who says "the cloud is the future" is someone you should be talking to, at all, about this stuff. This is the kind of stuff we mock, constantly, as "end users repeating words they heard somewhere trying to sound smart." Cloud computing is critical, it's brilliant, it's been around a LONG time, it's a stable part of the ecosystem, it's not replacing anything it's just complimenting in a very organic way.
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@scottalanmiller said in Azure or 0365?:
@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
I was told by multiple people that cloud is the future and that's the best place to put your money
You tend to get a lot of this "told by people". But never by people who are credible in any way. "The cloud is the future" is one of those totally BS statements that has never been said by anyone who actually knows what the cloud is. First of all "the cloud" means the Internet, not cloud. Second, "cloud computing" was the "future" in 2002, it's way, way, way past the point of being the future, it's now a tried and true component of the ecosystem that has long since passed from any credibility as a hot buzzword.
No one who says "the cloud is the future" is someone you should be talking to, at all, about this stuff. This is the kind of stuff we mock, constantly, as "end users repeating words they heard somewhere trying to sound smart." Cloud computing is critical, it's brilliant, it's been around a LONG time, it's a stable part of the ecosystem, it's not replacing anything it's just complimenting in a very organic way.
@Obsolesce said in Azure or 0365?:
Do you want to steer your career towards the future and work with cloud technologies at a larger place and easily break $100k, or stay supporting small business with their onprem hardware and AD?
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@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
I was told by multiple people that cloud is the future and that's the best place to put your money -
I would have to agree- I'm leaning more towards Azure / Cloud computing and learning more about databases.. ( i have no idea if they are connected - Like I said, In the past, I'm an idiot about a lot of things)Well, if you plan on being at your current role for ~6 more months, you can do both well in that time frame. You could certainly get a free trial at one of the good online training centers and check the content of them bout out.
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@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
I would have to agree- I'm leaning more towards Azure / Cloud computing and learning more about databases.. ( i have no idea if they are connected - Like I said, In the past, I'm an idiot about a lot of things)
Databases are databases, an application. They are not cloud or not-cloud. Cloud computing is an architectural approach that doesn't really apply in that context.
Right now, I'd say what you need most are the basics, not a focus on anything. Yes, learning what databases are is very critical. As is learning what cloud is. But those are things we'd expect you to know long before focusing on anything. I think what you are feeling with a lot of the things that you are trying to tackle is a lack of the fundamentals. If you learn Cloud Computing deeply (and a cert on Azure is unlikely to even teach you the basics), you are going to struggle if you don't have the broad context that it fits into. If you don't know what cloud is exactly, and already know that you are passionate about it, then rule it out, there's no way it's for you. At least not yet.
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@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
@scottalanmiller said in Azure or 0365?:
@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
I was told by multiple people that cloud is the future and that's the best place to put your money
You tend to get a lot of this "told by people". But never by people who are credible in any way. "The cloud is the future" is one of those totally BS statements that has never been said by anyone who actually knows what the cloud is. First of all "the cloud" means the Internet, not cloud. Second, "cloud computing" was the "future" in 2002, it's way, way, way past the point of being the future, it's now a tried and true component of the ecosystem that has long since passed from any credibility as a hot buzzword.
No one who says "the cloud is the future" is someone you should be talking to, at all, about this stuff. This is the kind of stuff we mock, constantly, as "end users repeating words they heard somewhere trying to sound smart." Cloud computing is critical, it's brilliant, it's been around a LONG time, it's a stable part of the ecosystem, it's not replacing anything it's just complimenting in a very organic way.
@Obsolesce said in Azure or 0365?:
Do you want to steer your career towards the future and work with cloud technologies at a larger place and easily break $100k, or stay supporting small business with their onprem hardware and AD?
He means YOUR future, a future of IT work. Where you work now, there's not a single person who could get employed at a serious IT shop. None. None of them know the tech, none of them do ethical business. That's not your future, is what he's saying.
He's giving you a bigger picture.... look towards enterprise tech, and avoid dead end crap that has no place in most businesses. On prem AD has been a niche for a very long time, and one that doesn't apply to places like... your customers today.
It's that what you do today is just implementing a script, written by monkeys with no IT oversight. Move to IT. It's not cloud vs. SMB on prem AD. It's modern, real IT work vs. something no self respecting business would act like.
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@scottalanmiller said in Azure or 0365?:
@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
I would have to agree- I'm leaning more towards Azure / Cloud computing and learning more about databases.. ( i have no idea if they are connected - Like I said, In the past, I'm an idiot about a lot of things)
Databases are databases, an application. They are not cloud or not-cloud. Cloud computing is an architectural approach that doesn't really apply in that context.
Right now, I'd say what you need most are the basics, not a focus on anything. Yes, learning what databases are is very critical. As is learning what cloud is. But those are things we'd expect you to know long before focusing on anything. I think what you are feeling with a lot of the things that you are trying to tackle is a lack of the fundamentals. If you learn Cloud Computing deeply (and a cert on Azure is unlikely to even teach you the basics), you are going to struggle if you don't have the broad context that it fits into. If you don't know what cloud is exactly, and already know that you are passionate about it, then rule it out, there's no way it's for you. At least not yet.
This is interesting - so - what are the basics? Is that the purpose of the thread of IT topics you posted the other day?
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@scottalanmiller said in Azure or 0365?:
@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
@scottalanmiller said in Azure or 0365?:
@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
I was told by multiple people that cloud is the future and that's the best place to put your money
You tend to get a lot of this "told by people". But never by people who are credible in any way. "The cloud is the future" is one of those totally BS statements that has never been said by anyone who actually knows what the cloud is. First of all "the cloud" means the Internet, not cloud. Second, "cloud computing" was the "future" in 2002, it's way, way, way past the point of being the future, it's now a tried and true component of the ecosystem that has long since passed from any credibility as a hot buzzword.
No one who says "the cloud is the future" is someone you should be talking to, at all, about this stuff. This is the kind of stuff we mock, constantly, as "end users repeating words they heard somewhere trying to sound smart." Cloud computing is critical, it's brilliant, it's been around a LONG time, it's a stable part of the ecosystem, it's not replacing anything it's just complimenting in a very organic way.
@Obsolesce said in Azure or 0365?:
Do you want to steer your career towards the future and work with cloud technologies at a larger place and easily break $100k, or stay supporting small business with their onprem hardware and AD?
He means YOUR future, a future of IT work. Where you work now, there's not a single person who could get employed at a serious IT shop. None. None of them know the tech, none of them do ethical business. That's not your future, is what he's saying.
He's giving you a bigger picture.... look towards enterprise tech, and avoid dead end crap that has no place in most businesses. On prem AD has been a niche for a very long time, and one that doesn't apply to places like... your customers today.
It's that what you do today is just implementing a script, written by monkeys with no IT oversight. Move to IT. It's not cloud vs. SMB on prem AD. It's modern, real IT work vs. something no self respecting business would act like.
that makes a lot more sense that what I thought he was saying.
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@Dashrender said in Azure or 0365?:
@scottalanmiller said in Azure or 0365?:
@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
I would have to agree- I'm leaning more towards Azure / Cloud computing and learning more about databases.. ( i have no idea if they are connected - Like I said, In the past, I'm an idiot about a lot of things)
Databases are databases, an application. They are not cloud or not-cloud. Cloud computing is an architectural approach that doesn't really apply in that context.
Right now, I'd say what you need most are the basics, not a focus on anything. Yes, learning what databases are is very critical. As is learning what cloud is. But those are things we'd expect you to know long before focusing on anything. I think what you are feeling with a lot of the things that you are trying to tackle is a lack of the fundamentals. If you learn Cloud Computing deeply (and a cert on Azure is unlikely to even teach you the basics), you are going to struggle if you don't have the broad context that it fits into. If you don't know what cloud is exactly, and already know that you are passionate about it, then rule it out, there's no way it's for you. At least not yet.
This is interesting - so - what are the basics? Is that the purpose of the thread of IT topics you posted the other day?
That's a really tough part and something I wish that I could answer. But I know that a lot of this stuff is stuff that I was learning in middle school. Long before getting into the field. Like what databases are and how they work. I'm not saying that other people should have magic access to know these things, but this was decades ago with no Internet. Today, learning what databases are, what the cloud is, etc. these are all really accessible. Sure, lots more misinformation now, too. So the first step is learning to identify good info, that's key to living in the highly connected world. Can use that 1950's pro-business "anyone who can afford to publish is always correct" logic, we have to actually evaluate sources.
I'd LOVE to find a way to write a book or make a guide on "The Fundamentals of IT", I think it is HIGHLY needed. But it's SO broad, I have no idea how to approach it.
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How many times have we had this discussion of you asking what to learn? We go back and forth about it and you never end up choosing either path or leaning anything.
You also aren't new to IT anymore. You should know these concepts by now.
Asking questions and making conversations is great, but shut up and learn also works well. Nobody is going to spoon feed you information. You can go to Udemy like everyone else and buy a course on a subject you want to learn for $15. Go through that course 2 or 3 times then come here and start asking questions.
You'll get better answers when you ask specific questions and have some knowledge on topics.
Not tryjng to be mean at all. It's just time to get out of the high chair and take off the bib.
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@IRJ said in Azure or 0365?:
Not tryjng to be mean at all.
I would be. Seriously. This is way too much work from the community. He should have already learned shit and moved the fuck on.
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The whole point of this was because I was getting multiple opinions about what I should be learning- which is also why "We continue to have this conversation about what I should learn" not to mention I was reading up on something that I thought was interesting - I never once thought that I needed everyone's opinion on what to learn.
That's it, that's why I started the thread - to get it off of the other thread -
so the community could discuss what I should be doing without bothering the other thread.as I saw it as a way to learn more about the industry - but I guess it's Fuck me for not knowing what I want to do and starting a discussion so people could talk about what they were starting to talk about somewhere else, just put it in a consolidated place - It is not my fault that everyone thought this was a "hey I need help figuring out what to learn..." even the OP says :
@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:From Here we see some people have a different opinion, so lets discuss that outside of a public thread -
Currently I'm looking into Azure Fundamentals through Microsoft learn (we're slow in the office at the moment so - Bettering myself.)
@Dashrender suggests looking into 0365 management for SMB
While others (@Obsolesce ) is suggesting Azure is the place to start .Let's discuss.
Nowhere in that did I ask for help figuring it out. I wanted yall to have your conversation so I could see for myself, and make a decision that was right for me.
Also - I'm still extremely new to IT, i have a basic understanding of a lot but nowhere close to where I want to be. I've made it a lot further than i was when I first started
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Cause then, this could bring more people into ML and give them a place to look for themselves and figure out which would be better for them .
cause it's all in one place. and could give someone else a better understanding.Delete the damn thread if it's a problem for people to have a conversation on their opinions of what's the best thing for certain situations.
Everyone kept turning it to me, but that wasn't even close to what was supposed to happen.
Yall were supposed to have a conversation about it - that wasn't on the other thread - that's not what that thread is for.
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@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
The whole point of this was because I was getting multiple opinions about what I should be learning- which is also why "We continue to have this conversation about what I should learn" not to mention I was reading up on something that I thought was interesting - I never once thought that I needed everyone's opinion on what to learn.
Not to get dragged into the "what question should be asked" debate. But to address "what you should be learning" I think is this simple...
- You need to do a baseline / survey of IT and know enough about all the real areas to understand what you like or are interested in.
- Look at what jobs won't exist in the future (e.g. DBA is essentially gone already and is diminishing, pretty much no career in that.) Not which ones will be hot, ignore that. But rule out ones that have no future at all.
- Taking #1 as a list, ruling out items from #2 as having no possibility path forward, you then have the list of what to learn. Start at the top. Do what you like. That's how you make yourself happy, and by being happy you succeed.
This is a question that is answered inside yourself, asking if an IaaS/PaaS or SaaS career from Microsoft is right for you is unanswerable because both are valid, and extremely specific, career paths that are nothing alike. Either, both, neither. Only you can tell us.
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@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
Also - I'm still extremely new to IT, i have a basic understanding of a lot but nowhere close to where I want to be. I've made it a lot further than i was when I first started
Sort of. But not really. It might feel that way because so many of us have been around a long time. So compared to a Jared or a Dashrender, yeah, you're a freaking noob dude! The difference is measured in decades (damn old fogeys, go back to your own lawns!!) But if you look at just your own career timeline, you've been on ML for over four years. Almost 4.5, I think. And you were in IT before that. Maybe not a year, but something. And, presumably, you were learning IT stuff before that.
Now everyone's path is different. And don't read into any comparison too much. But you should be aware that people build entire careers in less time. Nothing wrong with taking it slow, but you have to accept that you are several years past the point of considering yourself a newbie. Your hears of experience put you at mid-career level, not beginner.
Example: CompTIA considers the material on the Net+ to be a "minimum baseline" that anyone in any arena of IT should have after just two years. And that's for the absolutely lowest end jobs. Anyone with any real training should have the Net+ corpus under their belt before applying to their first job. Maybe not the cert, who cares about that, but understanding what's on it. That's two years, you are more like five.
At five years, you could easily be holding down a dozen certs, have moved up to a senior role, and be bringing down six figures. In big Fortune 100, midlevel people are generally starting in their later 20s, like 25-28 years old. And most people start IT late, like at 22. So that's 4-6 years of experience often.
There's nothing wrong with being where you are. And there are good reasons why you are moving slowly. But you aren't climbing the ladder at a regular pace. Going purely by your access to resources and time in the industry, you easily could be looking for senior gigs and not blinking at commanding good salaries with loads of benefits with lots of mobility.
Being stuck in one town, taking care of a kid, having to pay the bills month to month... we get it, it holds you back a LOT. But it doesn't stop you having a home lab, reading books, watching YouTube, etc.
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@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
Cause then, this could bring more people into ML and give them a place to look for themselves and figure out which would be better for them .
cause it's all in one place. and could give someone else a better understanding.Yup, it's a good discussion to have, even if the result is "this isn't the right question to ask." That's great, so what IS the right question to ask?
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@scottalanmiller said in Azure or 0365?:
@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
Cause then, this could bring more people into ML and give them a place to look for themselves and figure out which would be better for them .cause it's all in one place. and could give someone else a better understanding.
Yup, it's a good discussion to have, even if the result is "this isn't the right question to ask." That's great, so what IS the right question to ask?
If you don't have a strong foundation in IT, is it easier to learn Microsoft 365 or Azure in a way that you can show your experience in a way to pursue a career in IT?
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@flaxking said in Azure or 0365?:
@scottalanmiller said in Azure or 0365?:
@WrCombs said in Azure or 0365?:
Cause then, this could bring more people into ML and give them a place to look for themselves and figure out which would be better for them .cause it's all in one place. and could give someone else a better understanding.
Yup, it's a good discussion to have, even if the result is "this isn't the right question to ask." That's great, so what IS the right question to ask?
If you don't have a strong foundation in IT, is it easier to learn Microsoft 365 or Azure in a way that you can show your experience in a way to pursue a career in IT?
I'd say probably Microsoft 365. A certification is probably the easiest way to show experience in this situation and while Azure Fundamentals is accessible, I'd say it's value is low, and Azure Admin Assoc assumes a lot of base IT knowledge.
