In total, there are 4 A+ examinations and specialised sectors, but you only have to get certified in 2 to be thought of as qualified. For this reason,...
In total,
there are 4 A+ examinations and specialised sectors, but you only have to get certified in 2 to be thought of as qualified. For this reason, many educational establishments restrict their course to just 2 areas. However, training you in all four will equip you with a far greater perspective of it all, which you'll find a Godsend in professional employment.
CompTIA A+ training programs cover fault-finding and diagnostics - both through hands-on and remote access, as well as learning to build, repair and fix and working in antistatic conditions. If you would like to be the person who works for a larger company - supporting, fixing and maintaining networks, build on A+ with Network+, or consider an MCSA or MCSE with Microsoft in order to have a more advanced experience of the way networks operate.
Finding your first job in the industry is often made easier if you're offered a Job Placement Assistance program. With the growing skills shortage in this country today, it's not too important to place too much emphasis on this feature however. It's not as difficult as you may be led to believe to find employment once you're well trained and qualified.
However, what is relevant is to have help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews though; additionally, we would recommend all students to get their CV updated the day they start training - don't procrastinate and leave it until you've qualified. Quite frequently, you will get your initial position while you're still a student (occasionally right at the beginning). If your CV doesn't show your latest training profile (and it hasn't been posted on jobsites) then you aren't even in the running! The most reliable organisations to help you land that job are most often specialised and independent recruitment consultants. Because they get paid commission to place you, they'll work that much harder to get a result.
Certainly make sure you don't put hundreds of hours of effort into your studies, and then just stop and leave it up to everyone else to sort out your employment. Take responsibility for yourself and get on with the job. Put as much energy and enthusiasm into finding your new role as you did to get trained.
How the program is actually delivered to you can often be overlooked. How is the courseware broken down? What is the order and do you have a say in when you'll get each part? Typically, you'll join a programme taking 1-3 years and get sent one module each time you pass an exam. It seems to make sense on one level, but consider these issues: What if for some reason you don't get to the end of every single exam? And what if the order provided doesn't meet your requirements? Without any fault on your part, you may go a little slower and consequently not get all your materials.
To be in the best situation you would have all the training materials posted to you immediately; the entire thing! Thus avoiding any future problems that could impede your progress.
Ask a expert consultant and we'd be amazed if they couldn't provide you with many horror stories of students who've been sold completely the wrong course for them. Ensure you only ever work with a skilled advisor who asks lots of questions to discover the most appropriate thing for you - not for their pay-packet! It's very important to locate the very best place to start for you. Where you have a strong background, or even a touch of commercial experience (some certifications gained previously perhaps?) then it could be that your starting point will vary from a student that is completely new to the industry. Starting with a foundation course first is often the best way to get into your IT studies, but depends on your skill level.
Many people don't catch on to what information technology is about. It's electrifying, revolutionary, and means you're working on technology that will impact the whole world for generations to come. Technology, computers and interaction through the internet will noticeably affect our lifestyles over the coming years; profoundly so.
Always remember that typical remuneration in the IT industry over Britain as a whole is significantly higher than in the rest of the economy, so you will more than likely earn a lot more once qualified in IT, than you would in most typical jobs. The search for properly certified IT professionals is guaranteed for the significant future, due to the continuous development in this sector and the massive skills gap that remains.
