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An Analysis Of CompTIA Tech Support Home-Based Training
Friday, 11 June 2010 07:40 | Written by Jason Kendall
There are four A+ exams and areas of study, but you only have to get your exams in 2 of them for qualification purposes. This is why many educational establishments only offer 2 paths. However, training you in all four will equip you with a far deeper level of understanding of your subject, which you'll come to realise is a Godsend in the working environment.
There are four A+ exams and areas of study, but you only have to get your exams in 2 of them for qualification purposes. This is why many educational establishments only offer 2 paths. However, training you in all four will equip you with a far deeper level of understanding of your subject, which you'll come to realise is a Godsend in the working environment.
Passing the A+ exam without additional courses will mean that you're able to mend and maintain stand alone Macs, computers and laptops; ones that are most often not part of a network - which is for the most part the home market.
You may also want to think about adding Network+ training to your A+ as it will give you the knowledge to work with networks, which is where the bigger salaries are.
A capable and specialised advisor (vs a salesman) will ask questions and seek to comprehend your current experience level and abilities. This is paramount to working out your starting point for training.
Sometimes, the starting point of study for a person experienced in some areas can be massively different to someone without.
For students beginning IT exams and training anew, it can be helpful to break yourself in gently, kicking off with some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first. This is often offered with most accreditation programs.
A ridiculously large number of organisations are all about the certification, and avoid focusing on what it's all actually about - getting yourself a new job or career. Always begin with the end goal - don't get hung-up on the training vehicle.
It's an awful thing, but a large percentage of students start out on programs that sound great from the sales literature, but which gets us a career that is of no interest. Speak to a selection of university graduates for examples.
You need to keep your eye on what you want to achieve, and then build your training requirements around that - don't do it the other way round. Keep on track and ensure that you're training for a job that will keep you happy for many years.
The best advice for students is to chat with an experienced industry professional before they embark on a training program. This helps to ensure it features what is required for the career path that has been chosen.
It only makes sense to consider retraining courses that lead to industry recognised accreditations. There's an endless list of minor schools offering minor 'in-house' certificates which are worthless in the real world.
From an employer's perspective, only the top companies like Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe (for example) really carry any commercial clout. Nothing else will cut the mustard.
Looking around, we find a plethora of jobs and positions available in IT. Finding the particular one in this uncertainty can be very difficult.
Perusing a list of odd-sounding and meaningless job titles is a complete waste of time. Surely, most of us have no idea what our own family members do for a living - so we have no hope of understanding the subtleties of a particular IT career.
Consideration of many points is essential when you want to get to the right answer for you:
* Personalities play a significant part - what gives you a 'kick', and what tasks get you down.
* Is your focus to re-train due to a particular reason - for example, do you aim to work based at home (working for yourself?)?
* Your earning requirements that are important to you?
* With everything that IT encapsulates, it's obvious you'll need to be able to see the differences.
* You should also think long and hard about the amount of time and effort you're going to invest in gaining your certifications.
To cut through the confusing industry jargon, and discover the most viable option for your success, have an informal meeting with an industry expert and advisor; a person that will cover the commercial realities and truth and of course each qualification.
by JasonKendall
There are four A+ exams and areas of study, but you only have to get your exams in 2 of them for qualification purposes. This is why many educational establishments only offer 2 paths. However, training you in all four will equip you with a far deeper level of understanding of your subject, which you'll come to realise is a Godsend in the working environment.
Passing the A+ exam without additional courses will mean that you're able to mend and maintain stand alone Macs, computers and laptops; ones that are most often not part of a network - which is for the most part the home market.
You may also want to think about adding Network+ training to your A+ as it will give you the knowledge to work with networks, which is where the bigger salaries are.
A capable and specialised advisor (vs a salesman) will ask questions and seek to comprehend your current experience level and abilities. This is paramount to working out your starting point for training.
Sometimes, the starting point of study for a person experienced in some areas can be massively different to someone without.
For students beginning IT exams and training anew, it can be helpful to break yourself in gently, kicking off with some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first. This is often offered with most accreditation programs.
A ridiculously large number of organisations are all about the certification, and avoid focusing on what it's all actually about - getting yourself a new job or career. Always begin with the end goal - don't get hung-up on the training vehicle.
It's an awful thing, but a large percentage of students start out on programs that sound great from the sales literature, but which gets us a career that is of no interest. Speak to a selection of university graduates for examples.
You need to keep your eye on what you want to achieve, and then build your training requirements around that - don't do it the other way round. Keep on track and ensure that you're training for a job that will keep you happy for many years.
The best advice for students is to chat with an experienced industry professional before they embark on a training program. This helps to ensure it features what is required for the career path that has been chosen.
It only makes sense to consider retraining courses that lead to industry recognised accreditations. There's an endless list of minor schools offering minor 'in-house' certificates which are worthless in the real world.
From an employer's perspective, only the top companies like Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe (for example) really carry any commercial clout. Nothing else will cut the mustard.
Looking around, we find a plethora of jobs and positions available in IT. Finding the particular one in this uncertainty can be very difficult.
Perusing a list of odd-sounding and meaningless job titles is a complete waste of time. Surely, most of us have no idea what our own family members do for a living - so we have no hope of understanding the subtleties of a particular IT career.
Consideration of many points is essential when you want to get to the right answer for you:
* Personalities play a significant part - what gives you a 'kick', and what tasks get you down.
* Is your focus to re-train due to a particular reason - for example, do you aim to work based at home (working for yourself?)?
* Your earning requirements that are important to you?
* With everything that IT encapsulates, it's obvious you'll need to be able to see the differences.
* You should also think long and hard about the amount of time and effort you're going to invest in gaining your certifications.
To cut through the confusing industry jargon, and discover the most viable option for your success, have an informal meeting with an industry expert and advisor; a person that will cover the commercial realities and truth and of course each qualification.