Juice Report

Training for your CompTIA A+ covers four specialised areas – you’ll need exam certification in just two sectors to reach the level of A+ competent. For this reason, most training providers simply provide 2 of the training options. Our opinion is this is selling you short – of course you can gain accreditation, but knowing about the others will set you apart in the workplace, where you’ll need to know about all of them. So that’s why you require information in all four areas.

As well as learning about the ins and outs of building and maintaining computers, trainees on an A+ training course will be taught how to work in antistatic conditions, as well as diagnostics, fault-finding and remote access.

If your ambition is being responsible for networks of computers, add the very comprehensive CompTIA Network+ to your A+ course. This qualification will mean you can apply for more interesting jobs. Other ones that might be interesting to you are the route to networking via Microsoft, in the form of MCP’s, MCSA or the full MCSE.

A subtle way that colleges make more money is through up-front charges for exams then giving it ‘Exam Guarantee’ status. It looks like a good deal, but let’s just examine it more closely:

Everyone knows they’re still being charged for it – it’s quite obvious to see that it’s been added into the overall price charged by the course provider. It’s certainly not free (although some people will believe anything the marketing companies think up these days!)

Those who take exams one at a time, funding them as they go are far more likely to pass first time. They’re conscious of what they’ve paid and take the necessary steps to be up to the task.

Do your exams at a local pro-metric testing centre and find the best deal for you at the time.

Huge profits are netted by some training companies that take the exam money up-front. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons and so they pocket the rest. Amazingly, there are companies around who depend on students not taking their exams – and that’s how they increase their profits.

In addition to this, ‘Exam Guarantees’ often aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. The majority of companies will not pay again for an exam until you’ve completely satisfied them that you’re ready this time.

Spending hundreds or even thousands extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is foolish – when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.

A question; why might we choose commercial certification instead of traditional academic qualifications obtained from schools, colleges or universities?

Industry now recognises that to cover the necessary commercial skill-sets, official accreditation from the likes of Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe is far more effective and specialised – for much less time and money.

They do this through concentrating on the particular skills that are needed (along with a relevant amount of related knowledge,) instead of covering masses of the background non-specific minutiae that computer Science Degrees are prone to get tied up in (because the syllabus is so wide).

Just as the old advertisement said: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. All an employer has to do is know what areas need to be serviced, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. That way they can be sure they’re interviewing applicants who can do the job.

Finding your first job in the industry sometimes feels easier to handle if you’re supported with a Job Placement Assistance service. Don’t get overly impressed with this service – it isn’t unusual for training companies to overplay it. Ultimately, the massive skills shortage in this country is why employers will be interested in you.

Bring your CV up to date as soon as possible however (advice and support for this should come from your course provider). Don’t put it off until you’ve graduated or passed any exams.

You might not even have taken your exams when you will be offered your first junior support job; yet this isn’t going to happen unless your CV is with employers.

If you’d like to get employment in your home town, then it’s quite likely that a specialist independent regional recruitment consultant or service could serve you better than a national service, for they are much more inclined to be familiar with what’s available near you.

A constant frustration for some training course providers is how much students are prepared to work to get qualified, but how ill-prepared they are to market themselves for the job they’ve studied for. Don’t give up when the best is yet to come.

At times individuals don’t understand what IT is doing for all of us. It’s stimulating, innovative, and means you’re working on technology affecting everyones lives in the 21st century.

We’re barely beginning to comprehend what this change will mean to us. How we communicate and interact with everyone around us will be inordinately affected by technology and the web.

Should receiving a good salary be high on your goal sheet, then you’ll welcome the news that the regular income for IT employees in general is noticeably more than salaries in the rest of the economy.

With the IT marketplace emerging at an unprecedented rate, it’s likely that demand for certified IT specialists will flourish for a good while yet.

Written by Scott Edwards. Try acertification.co.uk or This Site.