I'm looking at a career change...local tech/community college offers MCSA and MCSE prep courses.  Currently, I have a basic understanding of computers with no formal training in that area.
Can I expect to get a decent entry level job with the MCSE certification?
Thanks,
Dan  

Dan,

Without experience the MCSE cert is worthless.  Even a little experience helps.  Get your foot in the door of a good company, bust your ass, and work your way up.  It works...  

yes, it helps.

just went on a job interview, and they were dissappointed that i didn't have any certs (just getting out of college).

You need to take the certification test at a testing center...  i.e.  some place/ company/ school, that microsoft authorizes to give the test .

And having real world experiance helps.. "paper msces" are useless and just further worsen the image of networking/IT world.  My opinion....

Quoted: You need to take the certification test at a testing center...  i.e.  some place/ company/ school, that microsoft authorizes to give the test . And having real world experiance helps.. "paper msces" are useless and just further worsen the image of networking/IT world.   My opinion....

Paper MCSE's are also easily torn aport at a good technical job interview. There are several good training courses out there ranging from the boot camp format to a 6 month training plan.

The boot camps basically attempt to cram all the tested knowledge into your head over a  5 day period. They usually run about 4-7K depending on the school and the particular certification you are seeking.

The 6 month format is usually quite expensive but gives you in depth training on the subject matter. I recently checked one out here in our area and found they were charging 23K for the entire program. The price was all inclusive but I couldn't justify that cost based on the fact that I still have about 15K to go on my bachelor's.

The most important thing to consider when choosing any of these courses is the amount of instruction given in relation to actual lab time. Nothing builds your knowledge base like "punching the keys". I highly suggest you sit in on a couple of these classes prior to actually signing up for one. If they will not let you sit in, take your money elsewhere.

You can always take the "old school route" and build your own network then order the books from Bill (Microsoft). Its a hard road, particularly if you don't have good study habits, but it's doable. I will probably be taking this route myself shortly. Just have to wait until I get into a couple of "fluff" classes at school.

In my job (Tech Support for an ISP) we see people with certs all day long. The ones with experiance normally get a job; the ones without had better make a damm good impression becuase otherwise they don't have a chance.

Experiance is KING in the world of support, IMHO...

How do you go about getting your foot in the door? Call center stuff? I am interested in how to get started to gain some experience.

Traditionally, getting in the door has been desktop support call center. Nothing builds knowledge and frustration like supporting desktop users constantly shooting themselves in the foot. Certification will come with experience.