Is it worth getting an A+ Certificate?

[imported_Cooch]

Originally posted by: JCE10
So what "certs" do you guys recommend?

That depends entirely what area of IT you're trying to get into. There is no certification that covers everything. Mostly these days they're all geared towards a particular specialty/ IT position.

 

[imported_Cooch]

Originally posted by: TechnoPro
I am surprised that people have such low opinions of the A+.

I took it earlier this year and it's a POS. CompTIA can kiss my butt for all I care. The test was god-awful.

As for the comments the test is "behind the times". That's simply wrong. On the Core test I took, it had some questions related to the latest wireless protocol, the FSB on current Athlon XP CPUs, and other current technology questions.

 

[cisco911]

The a+ is a decent cert, and it is pretty easy to obtain. Any of you guys that think it is a worthless cert need to go take the test cold turkey and post your scores. Sure its not a ccna or anything but it was not ment to be. It is touted as an entry level cert. The a+ combined with net + is a decent combo for someone starting out and looking for an advantage over other people when applying for entry level jobs. I have mine (REQUIRED BY EMPLOYER) so in my case it was to my advantage to have it.

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: cisco911
The a+ is a decent cert, and it is pretty easy to obtain. Any of you guys that think it is a worthless cert need to go take the test cold turkey and post your scores. Sure its not a ccna or anything but it was not ment to be. It is touted as an entry level cert. The a+ combined with net + is a decent combo for someone starting out and looking for an advantage over other people when applying for entry level jobs. I have mine (REQUIRED BY EMPLOYER) so in my case it was to my advantage to have it.

This is true. A lot of companies are looking for A+ certified people. They don't want to take chances. Just because someone can build a PC doesnt mean they know everything about it. The A+ test has changed several times since it first came out. I dont know the recent exam but when I first saw it at one of my old jobs about 8-9 years ago a lot of "seasoned" techs failed. The best desktop person we had at the time failed it! Twice even. Of course, the test had a lot of old legacy stuff that beleive it or not still comes into play today even with XP. I still use norton commander (old dos version) on XP as there are thing that it can do that XP cant. So dont poo-poo A+, there are a lot of IT guys out there who cannot use edlin or create a bat file at a dos command prompt.

 

[Regs]

Any cert wont mean much without a degree or years of past experience.

 

[Gothgar]

a lot of tech jobs actually require the A+...

If you end up working for a big corporation, like me, all they have is Dell Hardware, and Dell won't let you work on thier hardware, under warranty, unless you have A+. Also, before you can get your Dell certs you have to be A+

A+ is definitly worth it, and if you get A+ first, then CCNA, it will not look like you are one of those paper CCNAs, because it will actually put something behind it.

Also, if you are planing on hitting up M$ certs at all, A+ with Network+ counts as an elective...

 

[ITPaladin]

I'm an IT student going onto my second quarter Oct 20th at a vocational college.

They encourage starting on our A+ first.

My main instructor has said that students have whined about...awwww WHY do we have to learn all this old DOS stuff. NObody uses it anymore....

Then they get a job later and call him telling him, guess what.....I work at the DMV / Prison and they use DOS.

One former student got a job at a prison where they had a computer lab for the prisoners. He said all the computers were DOS which makes it harder for them to do anything they shouldn't be doing.

 

[KpocAlypse]

BlvdKing said it best, real world work beats any Cert. Certs mearly complement.

A few random, blurbs.

1.Now, that being said, if the employer requires the Cert, well, guess what, no matter how easy it is, you still have to get it.

2. Its lifetime, it never expires. (CompTIA)

3. Have you ever heard of someone that got refused from a job because they had a A+ cert? Prolly not, so it won't exactly hurt.

4. Most entry level jobs, the guy doing the hiring person might not know the difference between RD-ram and Serial ATA, so it might just seperate you from the guy that didn't get it because he thought it was worthless. "Well you both have degrees, some experence, but HEY! this guy has a cert in something!" Remember the reason that your getting hired is that they need help figuring out how to work the workplace desktops, so that being said, A+ might seem like rocket science to your local HR boys.

5. Go ask the same question in a Industrial Management forum or an HR forum, and you will prolly get a different answer..

6. Old stuff can get you more cash. Now this isn't always true, but of the few that i knew from my high school that got jobs outside of college. The one that got paid the most.


Plays with a new thing called COBOL for a living.. Y? No one else knew it that, entry level, that applied.

EDIT: Added rant 6, per inspiration from bdomin

 

[FinalFantasy]

Go get your damned degree.


Worry about certs. later


.

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: FinalFantasy
Go get your damned degree.


Worry about certs. later


.

True, if you are confident in you abilities then the A+ cert should be easy. Plus its fairly cheap so do it.

 

[Bovinicus]

It is a place to start. Don't bother to pay for classes. Just buy yourself a study guide or book on it Borders, or just search around for practice tests online and simply pay the cost of the test. If you need to get your foot in the door, then it could help.

 

[BlvdKing]

Bovinicus is right, an up-to-date A+ textbook + workbook from a book store and a little of your own PC experience is all you need. I know people who have taken a $2000 class (A+ test not included) and it was helpful. That kind of initial investment is not needed for the A+ though.

Don't waste more time or money on the cert than you have to. If you utilize the certification right by combining it with your own work/personal experience, then it will be worth a hundred times more than what you paid for it.

 

[lobadobadingdong]

the A+ and Net+ certifications are padding for your resume. they at least let your future employers know that you are willing to take certification tests, and that you have proven you can at least do entry level tech jobs. I'd still suggest getting a ccna, but you really need a few of actual experiance, before anyone will hire newbie cisco guys.

 

[ELopes580]

I dont bother keeping up on certs anymore for a long time; but could someone tell me what CCNA is?? As for A+, Net+ and other certs; don't bother. I recommend going for an 2 year Assoc. Science degree in some kind of Computer Engineering Technology program. It goes along much better than a bunch of 'certs' that are basically half assed. Where a degree is much more worthy of course.

As for myself, I do have a AS in CET, now I am going for a BS and maybe beyond in Electrical/Computer Engineering; since I am looking to get out of tech work and go into R&D.

 

[L337Llama]

How would it look on a college transcirpt to be A+ certified? Im 16 now and I'm considering getting a book, studying, and taking the test.

 

[Bovinicus]

Originally posted by: L337Llama
How would it look on a college transcirpt to be A+ certified? Im 16 now and I'm considering getting a book, studying, and taking the test.

Very few 16 year olds have an A+ certification. It will look good simply because it is something you did out of your own volition, which shows dedication to a subject you enjoy/are interested in.

 

[MadMan2k]

I'm 15, and I took an A+ preperation class, and another one, at the college last fall, when I was still 14. I got both of the certs, and also took a class about network+ in the spring, and got that one. After I got Net+, I applied for work at a local computer shop, and I work there part-time now, after my physics and C++ classes.

I'm home-schooled, so basically the college classes I take are the main part of my education now, other than studying for a GED.

Yes, I would say the A+ cert is important, it gives you a great background knowledge of those things. IMO no one who works in IT should be without the knowledge, and the cert helps for jobs.

 

[imported_jediknight]

(Because someone asked it) CCNA is entry level Cisco certification (ie. networking).

Getting back to the point: A+ definately will help, depending on the types of jobs you're applying for. Some employers don't even look at a resume unless it has that (most often, the people actually hiring don't know @$@( about tech, and so it's easier to have them look for two letters on a resume than to try to get them to actually assess the candidate's technical abilities).
For some jobs, it won't mean $#@91. But it can't hurt (except your pocketbook for the cost of taking the test ;p )

Addition:I hate how they price everything in the native country's currency (ie. Australian dollars for Australia, etc.) ...
except for Canada. WTF is the price in US dollars??!

 

[ShellGuy]

If you want to be able to get a Job at any large company you want get a CCIE (God CERT). My Ideas are get ur A+, Net+, and at lease a MCP. If nothing else those are the basics. Covers Microsoft OS, Networking and Harware. But i would suggest the classes for MCP if you don't already have a job working with it from the ADMIN standpoint.



Will G.

 

[Akira1224]

There is a lot of negativity here about A+... I guess the people who say it is useless are the people who DON'T have it. I take it that the majority of the boards are just enthusiasts or hobbyists and don't work in the IT world. (Please note I said most not all). Where I live "tech schools in a box" are a dime a dozen and they all push the basics for getting STARTED in the IT field. By basics I mean A+, Net+, MCSE and MCSA. Those are your basic requirements for desktop support at any company worth writing home about. From there if networking is your thing then CISCO is a way to go. Like hardware? Want to work to Velocity Micro (located in Richmond, Va where I live) you BETTER have A+ at least. College degree? Not a bad idea but your certs carry weight in the IT field. That and experience... but here is where the boggle comes in.

Myself. Haven?t finished a college degree but am working in IT and have been for 3+ years. That?s not a long time mind you but my job is secure and I am about to move into out of office desktop support supporting teleworkers for my company. I got lucky to a certain degree, but my certs helped a lot.

Friend of mine 5 years in college for IT degree. Can't find work. No certs, no exp...but 60k in student debt. No one will hire him...maybe staples This is all too common, really anywhere you go.

I guess my whole point to any of this is that certification are what you make of them. If you think it's a waste then don't spend the time or money. For the record if you work for a compTIA certified company you pay A LOT less for vouchers. My company will be paying for my next round of certs because they look good and are a good accredidation tool for your employees.

If anyone wants to take A+, Net+ go for it. Let naysayers be naysayers... in the end if you are doing what you enjoy that?s what?s important.

 

[jose]

"From all the people I talk too, now adays A+ is worthless unless you want to work at Staples. CCNA is much better."

Well, I'd think BestBuy & Circuit City value A+ also...

Regards,
Jose

 

[ShellGuy]

Who ever thinks the MCSE is a Basic cert please raise ur hand. < looks around > .. guess it isn't.. MCSE is a hard cert to obtain esp if you go with Exchange server.


Will G

 

[barnett25]

Im in MCSE prep classes right now, it isn't easy.

BTW, Whoever invented active directory should be drug out into the street and shot.:|

 

[Ryoga]

Active Directory is a joy compared to NT 4 domains.

 

[Maschulo]

If it wasn't for my A+ i wouldn't be working for the goverment..

i get $50K a year been working for 3 years now..

(had to edit this part just in case my boss was reading this... )

so is it worth it getting an A+ HELL YEAH!!!!

show that you have exp... tell them in their faces and show them you know what your talking about.. with out it i would probably still be at TigerDirect.com, making $11.75 an hour.. no way...