In total, there are 4 A+ examinations and study sections, but your only requirement is to get certified in 2 to be thought of as qualified. Because of this, a great number of colleges restrict their course to just 2 areas. But allowing you to learn about all 4 options will give you a far greater perspective of your subject, which you’ll find vital in the working environment.
When you embark on the A+ training course you’ll be taught how to build, fix, repair and work in antistatic conditions. You’ll also cover fault finding and diagnostics, through both hands-on and remote access.
If you feel it appropriate to add Network+ training, you will additionally be able to assist with or manage networks of computers, giving you the facility to command a higher salary.
Ensure all your accreditations are current and what employers are looking for – don’t bother with studies which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque.
To an employer, only the top companies such as Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco (for instance) will get you short-listed. Nothing else will cut the mustard.
Talk to a professional consultant and we’d be amazed if they couldn’t provide you with many horror stories of students who’ve been conned by dodgy salespeople. Make sure you deal with a skilled professional who asks lots of questions to uncover the best thing for you – not for their paycheque! You need to find the very best place to start for you.
With some live experience or some accreditation, your starting-point of learning is different from a beginner.
If this is going to be your first effort at studying for an IT examination then you may want to begin with some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first.
Considering the amount of options that are available, it’s not really surprising that nearly all trainees don’t really understand the best career path they will follow.
What is our likelihood of grasping what is involved in a particular job when it’s an alien environment to us? Most likely we don’t know someone who does that actual job anyway.
Generally, the way to deal with this quandary properly lies in a deep talk over some important points:
* What hobbies you’re involved with in your spare-time – these can define what areas you’ll get the most enjoyment out of.
* Do you hope to accomplish a specific aspiration – for instance, working from home in the near future?
* How highly do you rate salary – is an increase your main motivator, or does job satisfaction rate further up on the scale of your priorities?
* Because there are so many ways to train in computing – you’ll need to get a solid grounding on what differentiates them.
* Having a good look at how much time and effort that you’re going to put into it.
For the average person, sifting through all these ideas requires a good chat with an experienced pro that has direct industry experience. And we don’t just mean the certifications – you also need to understand the commercial expectations and needs of the market as well.
Including exams upfront and offering an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is common for a good many training companies. Consider the facts:
Patently it’s not free – you are paying for it – the price has simply been included in the whole thing.
The honest truth is that when trainees fund their relevant examinations, one by one, they will be much more likely to get through on the first attempt – as they are conscious of the cost and will therefore apply themselves appropriately.
Why should you pay your training course provider at the start of the course for exam fees? Find the best deal you can at the time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance – and do it in a local testing centre – rather than possibly hours away from your area.
Big margins are secured by a number of companies that get money for exam fees in advance. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons but the company keeps the money. Believe it or not, there are training companies who rely on that fact – as that’s how they make a lot of their profit.
Many training companies will require you to sit pre-tests and prohibit you from re-taking an exam until you’ve demonstrated an excellent ability to pass – making an ‘exam guarantee’ just about worthless.
Spending hundreds or even thousands extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is remiss – when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really guarantee success.
(C) 2009 S. Edwards. Browse around a-course.co.uk or IT Certification.
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