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’re considering being someone who works for a larger company – in network support, build on A+ with Network+, or follow the Microsoft route – MCP’s, MCSA or MCSE in order to have a wider knowledge of how networks work.
A study programme should always lead to a nationally (or globally) recognised qualification at the finale – not a useless ‘in-house’ printed certificate to hang in your hallway.
Unless your qualification is issued by a big-hitter like Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe, then you may discover it won’t be commercially viable – because it won’t give an employer any directly-useable skills.
Get rid of any salesperson that just tells you what course you should do without an in-depth conversation to assess your abilities as well as level of experience. Make sure they can draw from a generous range of products so they’re actually equipped to give you an appropriate solution.
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.
For the most part, a normal student really has no clue in what direction to head in a computing career, let alone which market they should look at getting trained in.
Consequently, without any know-how of the IT market, how are you equipped to know what some particular IT person spends their day doing? How can you possibly choose what training route would be most appropriate for your success.
Ultimately, the right resolution really only appears from a meticulous study across many changing factors:
* Personality factors as well as your interests – what work-oriented areas please or frustrate you.
* What sort of time-frame do you want for the training process?
* Where do you stand on travelling time and locality vs salary?
* 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.
The bottom line is, the best way of understanding everything necessary is by means of a meeting with someone that knows the industry well enough to give you the information required.
One interesting way that training providers make a lot more is via an ‘exam inclusive’ package then giving it ‘Exam Guarantee’ status. It looks impressive, till you look at the facts:
You’re paying for it by some means. One thing’s for sure – it isn’t free – they’ve just worked it into the package price.
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.
With the average price of Pro-metric and VUE tests in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, it makes sense to pay as you go. There’s no sense in throwing away maybe a thousand pounds extra at the start of your studies. Consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.
(C) 2009 – S. Edwards. Go to or .