I’m trying to help my son get a job in the part of IT he enjoys the most.
He was signed up with Zenos but with changes in rules on student placements comes a long delay in starting the course. If CompTIA A+
certification has real value in the IT job market I’d be only too pleased to fund it and help get his first job.
Anyone have any views on this?

Speaking as someone who has it, I would do the MCITP.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/mcitp.aspx

The A+ is more ‘general’ – I remember having questions on Windows 2000 in the exam (not sure if it’s been updated).

They also test you on PC hardware, again older stuff which you don’t see about these days.

After the MCITP, he can build on this certification with other Microsoft ones.

In conjunction with the above, have a look at the entry level CISCO certification – CCENT

http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/le2/le45/learning_certification_level_home.html

If he’s got a Mac handy, getting even the most basic certification on OSX is a *massive* bonus, with iOS/OSX becoming more popular in the workplace.

I’ve been in IT (network/user support) for about 7yrs now… starting right at the bottom on the telephones, so feel free to shoot any questions my way 🙂

Ali

Ali,

I’m sorry, I didn’t spot your post until today, but thankyou very much for your help!!! I’ll have a good look all that with my son and see if we
can hatch a plan!

Thanks again

Plop

If he does decide to do the A+ route, feel free to drop me a mail. I have a copy of the latest Pearson Press study guide which I reviewed when it was released. Happy to send it on for free.

If he doesn’t want it, I wouldn’t mind borrowing that.

I’ve been toying with doing the A+ for about 20 years, not because it’s any use to me in and of itself but because I suspect I could do it with my eyes shut so it’s basically a free qualification. Might be nice to have a leaf through a guide first so I don’t get any surprises though.

WRT the A+, the follow-on qualifications (Network+ and Server+) are useful things to have, because they’re often listed as alternative prerequisites in the bigger exams. You can use it to skip a Microsoft exam or two, or could at least.

Will give you second refusal Cougar if son of plop doesn’t want it. I wouldn’t want it back as its not really something I need in my job, but was impartially asked to review. Probably should have sat the exam in the end for the sake of it.

I have the CompTIA Convergence+ which is more suited to my field. Never used it to get a job, don’t think it’s on my C.V. But it was a pre-req for another cert.

MrGrim.

I’d be very happy to have the guide. My lad is probably most likely to do the A+ at the moment when looking at course locations. I’ll email my address to you. Happy to PP P&P to you.
Happy to return it to you if he decides on a different course or send on the guide to Cougar after we’ve finished with it too.

Thanks again!

I wouldn’t have thought having it on his CV would hurt.

When I did it it was like a Saturday morning club where people with a bit of interest in computers got together and chatted – it was nice to be around like minded people as none of my mates give a shit about what happens in the whirring box.

As it happens I knew half the syllabus when I started it and still only half when I finished ;0 but I did learn a whole bunch of more interesting & useful things along the way. Only 3 people in a class of about 15 bothered to take the exams as they found what they really wanted to know was outside the syllabus.

Groovy, cheers.

Thinking about it, qualification worth aside, the content of the A+ should give him a very good solid grounding in computing from which to build on. When I’m king, I’m making it mandatory for all support staff.