A+ Certification. Looking for advice.

FenFox

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 20, 2016
Messages
292
Wasn't really sure where else to post this topic.

I'm wondering if anyone has any good Ebook/Audiobook (study resource) recommendations for A+ material?

And beyond A+, do you guys have any other relevant material recommendations?
 
Best becareful with A+. Generally there are 2 types of shops. "Those that cant get a job on merit, get certified", for these shops A+ is a red flag. The other shops are "A+ is the bare min, now go make the coffee", these shops want A+ just to start so they can weed out the people they need to train to use a screw driver.

The best advise someone gave me was to get the job, then get certs. This shows continuing education. Plus now that its not the 1990's, you have to get recertified every few years.
 
Best becareful with A+. Generally there are 2 types of shops. "Those that cant get a job on merit, get certified", for these shops A+ is a red flag. The other shops are "A+ is the bare min, now go make the coffee", these shops want A+ just to start so they can weed out the people they need to train to use a screw driver.

The best advise someone gave me was to get the job, then get certs. This shows continuing education. Plus now that its not the 1990's, you have to get recertified every few years.


Hard to "get the job" if one of the entry level requirements is a certification I don't have. How do you get around that?

I don't mean to sound rude, but I don't fully follow your post.
There was only one shop that would hire without A+ and they said they just issue you a test as part of the interview and if you pass you get the job.
Not really sure how having A+ is seen as a bad thing?

If A+ sucks, then can you recommend a course or courses worth taking?
 
In my experince, A+ is not really a great certificate but it can be used to weed out ppl
its kinda like a bottom line thing. if they have a+ at least they are not total morons. but someone without A+ can still be multiple times better than someone with it.

The reason I got my A+ myself was that none of my education papers really transfer to the states when I moved here. And its hard to get validate my resume since all the prior work places was in a country with the most ugly language ever.
So to get some kind of minimum validation of my skill I took my A+
To update it I took my networks+ 3 years later

now I'm currently looking into getting security+ but mostly because I got my boss to pay for it.


In short A+ is not a carrier maker. Its a bottom line verification.
 
The suite of Comptia Certs looks good for a helpdesk or entry IT type position to get your foot in the door without other real world IT experiences. I’d say pursue them. Read the Comptia books, go to a bootcamp class if necessary. Mike Meyers passport books are good reads. I took my security + cert years ago, and thought his passport book was very helpful. I even kept it around for a reference and loaned it to people for a few years. Perhaps the newest revisions are good as well.

https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Certification-Passport-220-901-Certficiation/dp/1259589609


Comptia
Security +, Network +, A+ All good base certs
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I did mike meyers paid video class for networks+ didn't really give me anything that professor messer didn't for free.
 
Are jobs/careers in IT even worthwhile to pursue anymore? It has seemed that so many IT positions are shipped overseas - India/Philippines etc. Obviously stores need sales agents and computer technicians but beyond that, what are the chances that most people are going to be doing much more than that?
 
Are jobs/careers in IT even worthwhile to pursue anymore? It has seemed that so many IT positions are shipped overseas - India/Philippines etc. Obviously stores need sales agents and computer technicians but beyond that, what are the chances that most people are going to be doing much more than that?

Its a very broad brush. If you flip it around, more things are connecting to the internet/network, not less. "code monkeys" can be replaced, remote management can be replaced, general pc repair is dead. ATM repair, gas pump repair, "the guy that installs the internet after an acquisition of a 10 person site", are in high demand. Even the local car washes around here are looking for people to plug network cables in and flash firmware updates. AKA if you can work from home your days are numbers, but if they give you your own van and a travel card, you are doing good.

But as others have alluded to, certs with no job history are at worst a red flag, and at best "the entrance exam". Its the same with passing the certified electronic technician(CET) exam.
 
#10
what is the Certified Electronics technician exam ?
maybe I should just google but i just opened a chocloe milk bottle and dove into a kala... kela... hot dog in a bread thingy. at my remote desktop server managament job
 
Are jobs/careers in IT even worthwhile to pursue anymore? It has seemed that so many IT positions are shipped overseas - India/Philippines etc. Obviously stores need sales agents and computer technicians but beyond that, what are the chances that most people are going to be doing much more than that?
Yes. It’s still a strong career choice. Specifically within IT, Audit and Information Security are very strong and typically will need boots on the ground in any company, boots that will not be able to be completely outsourced.
 
#10
what is the Certified Electronics technician exam ?
maybe I should just google but i just opened a chocloe milk bottle and dove into a kala... kela... hot dog in a bread thingy. at my remote desktop server managament job

http://www.iscet.org/certification/exams.html

As for your remote management job, what is "desktop server management" and what got you into the door?

Is this like the shop down the street that we pay to handle the the server rack, and they pop in a remote controlled power switch, a dedicated phone line, and handle all server and connectivity issues? Or is this more of a data center 100+ servers in a room where you have to where a bunny suite to not get killed, and clouds and weather can form?
 
Last edited:
been doing this for 20 years and just now started having issues with not having any certs. everyone is hung up on certs over experience, its a royal pita!
I got the CompTIA ITF cert, was told it was good enough, now its not, so slowly doing the rest for A+. that's seems to be the min to even get a foot in the door anywhere now. and anyone that's knows, knows that A+ is totally BS anyways...
 
A+ is for folks that don't know jack about computers. It IS a joke but just about every tech firm uses it as a baseline for hiring. Last time I took the test in the mid-2000s it literally had questions about hardware and processes that went out of use in the early 1990s. Maybe CompTIA is keeping up with technology these days but that wasn't the case 15 years ago. Anyone that has their hands into it on a daily basis and keeps up with advancements will know more than anyone will ever know with just a certification.
 
A+ is for folks that don't know jack about computers. It IS a joke but just about every tech firm uses it as a baseline for hiring. Last time I took the test in the mid-2000s it literally had questions about hardware and processes that went out of use in the early 1990s. Maybe CompTIA is keeping up with technology these days but that wasn't the case 15 years ago. Anyone that has their hands into it on a daily basis and keeps up with advancements will know more than anyone will ever know with just a certification.
well the "IT fundamentals" part I did was at least 3-4 years out of date...
 
First IT job i applied for was an in person interview. First question they asked what L-A-N stood for. I failed because i hesitated for a few seconds... Like this is an IT job right? Its like interviewing a trucker and asking what the third pushy thing with your foot does.
 
I don't know what half of you guys are smoking but I'm making 6 figures just doing break/fix for pc's and mac work. I actually have too much work!

If you show up on time or before time, don't sugarcoat things, get shit done, and don't try and sell the cheapest shit because its cheap, your gold.

People will pay out the wazoo for quality work.

I have add, dyslexia, and stutter sometimes, yet I don't complain about it.

There is a ton of work out there and I don't have any certs or degrees.

Be your own boss and enjoy! Don't look for a J-O-B!
 
You can make six figures washing cars in the right area...

if you can get $75 an hour for 40 hours a week consistently go for it. I know a few dog groomers that make a dollar a minute. I also know a guy who brags about driving a coal truck along a train at $150 an hour, but he only grosses 30k a year...
 
been doing this for 20 years and just now started having issues with not having any certs. everyone is hung up on certs over experience, its a royal pita!
I got the CompTIA ITF cert, was told it was good enough, now its not, so slowly doing the rest for A+. that's seems to be the min to even get a foot in the door anywhere now. and anyone that's knows, knows that A+ is totally BS anyways...
And this is why IT in this country isn't work crap anymore. The people that actually know stuff can't get a job and morons with a piece of paper do. Oh, and you can get morons with the same piece of paper overseas so the jobs go there.

Meanwhile, fully capable people chat on [H]ardforum. :D

I've found that you can be 10x capable of doing a job, but when competing with 'papers' for even the opportunity to work for someone else, you might be better off just taking your knowledge and building something for yourself. Not everyone can do it as business ownership has its own headaches and necessary skills, but if you can you're usually making 6-figs and have a comfortable life.
 
And this is why IT in this country isn't work crap anymore. The people that actually know stuff can't get a job and morons with a piece of paper do. Oh, and you can get morons with the same piece of paper overseas so the jobs go there.

Meanwhile, fully capable people chat on [H]ardforum. :D

I've found that you can be 10x capable of doing a job, but when competing with 'papers' for even the opportunity to work for someone else, you might be better off just taking your knowledge and building something for yourself. Not everyone can do it as business ownership has its own headaches and necessary skills, but if you can you're usually making 6-figs and have a comfortable life.

I find that hard to believe, but maybe you’re referring to entry-level positions. I interview candidates all the time, and their certs aren’t going to help them if they don’t know their stuff. I do have a reputation as a brutal interviewer, but on the contrary, I think I’m very fair.

While I do have a very good degree, I don’t have any recent major technical certifications but am regarded as an expert in my specialty and make six figures doing it and don’t have the hassle of running my own business to worry about.
 
Why can't the knowledgeable people just get certified?

Im not saying that just the $500 for the fees isnt chump change, but if you are 17-18 in high school and your car cost $500. Or you lost your job, staying at someones house, and want to turn a hobby into a job...

Its like saying why dont all the poor people just get a few grand together for the 90 day programming classes and start making $75k a year.

Then again my company just shit canned all of low level IT so now its IBM powered by watson and china chat, or the elite few who make six figures that turn keep the lights on at the data centers.


Honestly i really feel for highschoolers these days. Gone are the days when they would hire on the fact you are bright and show up clean, and are willing to fork over the few thousand dollars to train you so they can make money off of you. Now every company externalizes skill training.
 
Why can't the knowledgeable people just get certified?
You can, but then you're competing against the paper people too. It's like any industry now where the best people aren't necessarily the ones that get the job.
 
I find that hard to believe, but maybe you’re referring to entry-level positions. I interview candidates all the time, and their certs aren’t going to help them if they don’t know their stuff. I do have a reputation as a brutal interviewer, but on the contrary, I think I’m very fair.

While I do have a very good degree, I don’t have any recent major technical certifications but am regarded as an expert in my specialty and make six figures doing it and don’t have the hassle of running my own business to worry about.
It's for people getting their foot in the door as you know that higher up you can't fake it anymore.

As far as your position, you got in while the getting in was good. Today, there's 100 people training to get your job.
 
Gone are the days when they would hire on the fact you are bright and show up clean, and are willing to fork over the few thousand dollars to train you so they can make money off of you. Now every company externalizes skill training.
Yeah, I feel you here too. Unless you come ready to work with almost everything you need to do the job, most companies aren't willing to invest in employees anymore. And as a company owner, I know exactly why--because someone else gets the return on the investment when they jump ship.
 
guarantee I know more than any of the 19 year old diversity hires that "beat" me. been doing this longer then they've been alive...
Yep, you and me both. And yet, you're not even going to get your foot in the door without your 'papers' showing that you have passed all the tests that you could probably pass with your eyes closed without even studying. :rolleyes:
 
It's for people getting their foot in the door as you know that higher up you can't fake it anymore.

As far as your position, you got in while the getting in was good. Today, there's 100 people training to get your job.

I wish them luck if they think simply getting certifications will be enough to get a job like mine. That is exactly what happened in the 90s and is the primary reason many employers still distrust certifications.

I “got in” in the 90s and made strategic decisions along the way which got me to where I am today. If anything, I was way too conservative and should’ve been more aggressive. At this stage, the big 50 is right around the corner and I’ll be honest - I’m not going to kill myself for a job. Those 100 folks can fight over my job in a few years when I retire. :)
 
Yep, you and me both. And yet, you're not even going to get your foot in the door without your 'papers' showing that you have passed all the tests that you could probably pass with your eyes closed without even studying. :rolleyes:

If you have 20+ years of experience, I don’t think it is lack of certifications costing you jobs. It is more likely 1) Companies being cheap with salary and benefits and 2) Age discrimination (closely aligned with #1 above). It is sad but true that crap like that still happens, and yet we have politicians who want to keep pushing retirement age up. Even if I wanted to work when I was 68, that doesn’t mean companies want to hire me. The disconnect is astonishing.
 
You might want to check out https://www.edx.org/ They have a ton of free courses from the big names like MS, etc. All you do is create an account. If you actually want the cert, you have 90 days to decide that and pay the fee to get certified. For most MS courses, it's $99 or so. GL, and I hope this helps. Working on becoming a full MS Exchange/Messaging/Network Admin myself.

Regards,

Silver
 
If you have 20+ years of experience, I don’t think it is lack of certifications costing you jobs. It is more likely 1) Companies being cheap with salary and benefits and 2) Age discrimination (closely aligned with #1 above). It is sad but true that crap like that still happens, and yet we have politicians who want to keep pushing retirement age up. Even if I wanted to work when I was 68, that doesn’t mean companies want to hire me. The disconnect is astonishing.
Yeah, age is a huge thing, especially when it comes with experience (ie will cost company more). Better to hire some fresh graduate and ride them until they know better and leave. If someone sticks around, that's how they get up. In fact, in almost any company if you're able to play the game/your cards right, you can simply move up over time since everyone else is jumping ship every few years.
 
Hard to "get the job" if one of the entry level requirements is a certification I don't have. How do you get around that?

I don't mean to sound rude, but I don't fully follow your post.
There was only one shop that would hire without A+ and they said they just issue you a test as part of the interview and if you pass you get the job.
Not really sure how having A+ is seen as a bad thing?

If A+ sucks, then can you recommend a course or courses worth taking?

It's not that A+ sucks, its just that depending on the job the actual certification may not be necessary even though they say they require it. A+ just shows a core understanding of what parts are what, and how things interconnect. I get around it by putting A+ Trained. If they ask, I state I have completed all training courses and passed the practice tests as well as continue regular refresh training to ensure I stay current. I have held off on paying for the final certification unless an employer requires the final certificate which I can complete promptly upon the commencement of my employment.

So far it has not been an issue. Others will list it as a requirement but if your experience is solid they may overlook it or give you a few months to get it once you're on board.

Looping back to the start, A+ is more used to ensure employers who are hiring entry level don't have to tell people this is a computer, this is a Mac, you plug it in here and turn it on this way for support positions. In field positions it's usually more important as they are physically working on the components but even then it is not super helpful other than maintaining accreditation to folks who may not know any better.

I remember once one of our tech's called in after replacing a hard drive in a client terminal and we needed to run some commands to update a few settings and they asked what DOS was and how they change the IP (someone staged it wrong)... Practical knowledge will beat a piece of paper in the real world, but sometimes you need to hold the paper in order to apply your knowledge.
 
Yeah, I feel you here too. Unless you come ready to work with almost everything you need to do the job, most companies aren't willing to invest in employees anymore. And as a company owner, I know exactly why--because someone else gets the return on the investment when they jump ship.

I guess the goal would be to foster a working environment that employees don't want to jump ship from, then. Unfortunately, many companies don't care about doing that, either.
 
Wow takes me back. Took my A+ back in 1999 (still had VL-Bus as a thing). Didn't do any study for it just sat the two exams and passed. Never bothered with re-certifying, I think that only came about a couple of years back for A+.

If you have been playing around with computers at home and work for a year or two you should be able to pass it.

No harm in it as a qualification.
 
Didn't do any study for it just sat the two exams and passed.

I won't say that some couldn't do this, but most of a CompTIA certification these days is learning how CompTIA describes things and how they ask questions.

I wouldn't want to go in to any of their certification tests cold-turkey, regardless of how well I know the material that they are loosely based on ;)
 
I recently did the A+ study series for a school class and the exams ask things like what is the max number of firewire devices you can daisy chain. What is the max apple certified length of a lightning cable. Another example what is the minimum system requirements for windows 8 and then what are the minimum system requirements for windows 8 in a virtualization scenario. They ask a lot of hard fact questions that a normal IT person if they needed to know it would just look it up, however they want you to memorize useless facts.
 
I recently did the A+ study series for a school class and the exams ask things like what is the max number of firewire devices you can daisy chain. What is the max apple certified length of a lightning cable. Another example what is the minimum system requirements for windows 8 and then what are the minimum system requirements for windows 8 in a virtualization scenario. They ask a lot of hard fact questions that a normal IT person if they needed to know it would just look it up, however they want you to memorize useless facts.

Yup, though understand that A+ and the other entry certifications aren't 'job' certifications as much as they are 'gut checks'. With respect to actually touching hardware there's not much to know- the actual hardware and the basic software changes so fast that anyone, not just someone new, will be needing to look up requirements.
 
which is exactly why we all think a+ is a joke. but nooooo gotta have it now....
 
Back
Top