The CompTIA A+ training program covers four areas of training; you're qualified as an A+ achiever when you've passed the test for half of them. For th...
The CompTIA A+ training program covers four areas of training; you're qualified as an A+ achiever when you've passed the test for half of them. For this reason,
the majority of training establishments only have two of the courses on their syllabus. You'll find that it's necessary to have the information on each subject as industry will be looking for the skills and knowledge of all four areas. You don't have to take all four exams, however we'd advise that you at least have a working knowledge of every area.
A+ certification without additional courses will allow you to mend and maintain stand-alone PC's and MAC's; ones which are usually not part of a network - which is for the most part the home market. Should you fancy yourself as the person who works in a multi-faceted environment - supporting, fixing and maintaining networks, build on A+ with Network+, or consider an MCSA or MCSE with Microsoft in order to have a deeper understanding of how networks work.
Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always proper direct-access 24x7 support via professional mentors and instructors. It's an all too common story to find providers that only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later (but not weekends usually). Find a good quality service with proper support available at any time of the day or night (even if it's early hours on Sunday morning!) You'll need direct access to tutors, and not a call-centre that will take messages so you're constantly waiting for a call-back during office hours.
We recommend that you search for colleges that use several support centres across multiple time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to enable simple one-stop access and round-the-clock access, when it's convenient for you, with no fuss. Never compromise with the quality of your support. Many IT hopefuls who drop-out or fail, just need the right support system.
Don't get hung-up, like so many people do, on the training process. You're not training for the sake of training; you should be geared towards the actual job at the end of it. You need to remain focused on where you want to go. It's unfortunate, but a large percentage of students commence training that sounds great from the marketing materials, but which provides a job that doesn't fulfil at all. Try talking to typical college graduates for a real eye-opener.
It's essential to keep your focus on what it is you're trying to achieve, and then build your training requirements around that - don't do it the other way round. Stay on target and study for a career that will keep you happy for many years. Always seek guidance and advice from a skilled advisor, even if you have to pay a small fee - it's much safer and cheaper to find out at the beginning if something is going to suit and interest you, rather than realise after 2 years that the job you've chosen is not for you and have wasted years of effort.
The perhaps intimidating chore of landing your first IT job is often made easier because some trainers offer a Job Placement Assistance facility. Having said that, occasionally there is more emphasis than is necessary on this service, as it's really not that difficult for a well trained and motivated person to land work in this industry - as employers are keen to find appropriately skilled employees.
Get your CV updated straight-away though (advice can be sought on this via your provider). Don't procrastinate and leave it until you've graduated or passed any exams. It's not unusual to find that you will be offered your initial job whilst you're still studying (sometimes when you've only just got going). If your CV doesn't say what you're learning - or it's not getting in front of interviewers, then you're not even going to be known about! If you don't want to travel too far to work, then you'll probably find that an independent and specialised local employment service might be of more use than a centralised service, for they're going to know what's available near you.
A good number of people, it would appear, conscientiously work through their course materials (sometimes for years), and then just stop instead of looking for their first job. Sell yourself... Work hard to get yourself known. Don't expect a job to just fall into your lap.
Can job security really exist anywhere now? In the UK for instance, where industry can change its mind on a day-to-day basis, we'd question whether it does. But a quickly growing market-place, with a constant demand for staff (because of a massive shortfall of fully trained people), opens the possibility of proper job security.
Using the IT sector as an example, the 2006 e-Skills analysis brought to light massive skills shortages across the UK of around 26 percent. Therefore, for every 4 jobs that exist throughout the computer industry, businesses are only able to locate enough qualified individuals for three of the four. Achieving the appropriate commercial IT qualification is therefore a quick route to a long-term as well as satisfying living. In actuality, acquiring professional IT skills as you progress through the years to come is very likely the best choice of careers you could make.
