Considering CompTIA A Plus Retraining Uncovered
There are a total of 4 specialist training sectors in the overall A+ programme, of which you'll need certification in two subjects to gain A+ competency. But restricting yourself to two of the specialised areas is likely to leave your knowledge base somewhat light. At least learn about all four - for greater confidence in the world of work.
As well as being taught about building and fixing computers, trainees involved in this training will be taught how to work in antistatic conditions, along with remote access, fault finding and diagnostics.
If you would like to be someone who works in a multi-faceted environment - in network support, add Network+ to your CompTIA A+, or alternatively look at doing an MCSA or MCSE with Microsoft as you'll need a more advanced experience of the way networks work.
Consider the points below very carefully if you've been persuaded that the sales ploy of 'guaranteeing' exams sounds like a benefit to the student:
Everybody's aware that they're ultimately paying for it - obviously it has already in the overall price charged by the college. It's certainly not free - and it's insulting that we're supposed to think it is!
It's everybody's ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Entering examinations one by one and paying for them just before taking them puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt - you put the effort in and are mindful of the investment you've made.
Don't you think it's more sensible to hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the time, not to pay the fees marked up by the training company, and to do it locally - instead of the remote centre that's convenient only to the trainer?
Why tie up your cash (or borrow more than you need) for examination fees when you didn't need to? A lot of profit is made because training colleges are getting money in early for exam fees - and then cashing in when they're not all taken.
You should fully understand that re-takes with organisations with an 'Exam Guarantee' are tightly controlled. They will insist that you take pre-tests first until you've proven that you're likely to pass.
Due to typical VUE and Prometric tests coming in at approximately 112 pounds in Great Britain, it makes sense to pay as you go. Why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra at the beginning of your training? Commitment, effort and practice with quality exam preparation systems are the factors that really get you through.
Finding your first job in the industry sometimes feels easier to handle if you're offered a Job Placement Assistance service. It can happen though that too much is made of this feature, because it's relatively easy for any motivated and trained individual to secure work in the IT environment - as employers are keen to find appropriately skilled employees.
You would ideally have advice and support about your CV and interviews though; and we'd recommend everyone to work on polishing up their CV the day they start training - don't procrastinate and leave it until you've graduated or passed any exams.
Various junior support jobs have been offered to trainees who're still on their course and have yet to take their exams. This will at the very least get your CV into the 'possible' pile and not the 'no' pile.
Most often, a specialist locally based employment service (who will, of course, be keen to place you to receive their commission) is going to give you a better service than a centralised training company's service. It also stands to reason that they'll know the area and local employers better.
A big frustration for a number of course providers is how hard trainees are prepared to study to get qualified, but how ill-prepared they are to market themselves for the job they've acquired skills for. Get out there and hustle - you might find it's fun.
We need to make this very clear: Always get full 24x7 instructor and mentor support. Later, you'll kick yourself if you don't.
You'll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and phone support is often to a call-centre who will just take down the issue and email it over to their technical team - who'll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, when it's convenient to them. This isn't a lot of good if you're lost and confused and only have a specific time you can study.
The very best training providers have many support offices across multiple time-zones. An online system provides an interactive interface to link them all seamlessly, no matter what time you login, there is always help at hand, avoiding all the delays and problems.
Find an educator that cares. Because only live 24x7 support truly delivers for technical programs.
Commercial qualifications are now, without a doubt, already replacing the traditional routes into IT - why then has this come about?
With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs increasing year on year, and the IT sector's general opinion that accreditation-based training often has more relevance in the commercial field, we have seen a big surge in Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe accredited training paths that create knowledgeable employees at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time.
Vendor training works through focusing on the particular skills that are needed (alongside an appropriate level of background knowledge,) rather than spending months and years on the background 'padding' that academic courses can get bogged down in - to pad out the syllabus.
The bottom line is: Authorised IT qualifications tell an employer precisely what skills you have - everything they need to know is in the title: for example, I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003'. Consequently companies can look at their needs and what certifications are needed for the job.
As well as being taught about building and fixing computers, trainees involved in this training will be taught how to work in antistatic conditions, along with remote access, fault finding and diagnostics.
If you would like to be someone who works in a multi-faceted environment - in network support, add Network+ to your CompTIA A+, or alternatively look at doing an MCSA or MCSE with Microsoft as you'll need a more advanced experience of the way networks work.
Consider the points below very carefully if you've been persuaded that the sales ploy of 'guaranteeing' exams sounds like a benefit to the student:
Everybody's aware that they're ultimately paying for it - obviously it has already in the overall price charged by the college. It's certainly not free - and it's insulting that we're supposed to think it is!
It's everybody's ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Entering examinations one by one and paying for them just before taking them puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt - you put the effort in and are mindful of the investment you've made.
Don't you think it's more sensible to hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the time, not to pay the fees marked up by the training company, and to do it locally - instead of the remote centre that's convenient only to the trainer?
Why tie up your cash (or borrow more than you need) for examination fees when you didn't need to? A lot of profit is made because training colleges are getting money in early for exam fees - and then cashing in when they're not all taken.
You should fully understand that re-takes with organisations with an 'Exam Guarantee' are tightly controlled. They will insist that you take pre-tests first until you've proven that you're likely to pass.
Due to typical VUE and Prometric tests coming in at approximately 112 pounds in Great Britain, it makes sense to pay as you go. Why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra at the beginning of your training? Commitment, effort and practice with quality exam preparation systems are the factors that really get you through.
Finding your first job in the industry sometimes feels easier to handle if you're offered a Job Placement Assistance service. It can happen though that too much is made of this feature, because it's relatively easy for any motivated and trained individual to secure work in the IT environment - as employers are keen to find appropriately skilled employees.
You would ideally have advice and support about your CV and interviews though; and we'd recommend everyone to work on polishing up their CV the day they start training - don't procrastinate and leave it until you've graduated or passed any exams.
Various junior support jobs have been offered to trainees who're still on their course and have yet to take their exams. This will at the very least get your CV into the 'possible' pile and not the 'no' pile.
Most often, a specialist locally based employment service (who will, of course, be keen to place you to receive their commission) is going to give you a better service than a centralised training company's service. It also stands to reason that they'll know the area and local employers better.
A big frustration for a number of course providers is how hard trainees are prepared to study to get qualified, but how ill-prepared they are to market themselves for the job they've acquired skills for. Get out there and hustle - you might find it's fun.
We need to make this very clear: Always get full 24x7 instructor and mentor support. Later, you'll kick yourself if you don't.
You'll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and phone support is often to a call-centre who will just take down the issue and email it over to their technical team - who'll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, when it's convenient to them. This isn't a lot of good if you're lost and confused and only have a specific time you can study.
The very best training providers have many support offices across multiple time-zones. An online system provides an interactive interface to link them all seamlessly, no matter what time you login, there is always help at hand, avoiding all the delays and problems.
Find an educator that cares. Because only live 24x7 support truly delivers for technical programs.
Commercial qualifications are now, without a doubt, already replacing the traditional routes into IT - why then has this come about?
With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs increasing year on year, and the IT sector's general opinion that accreditation-based training often has more relevance in the commercial field, we have seen a big surge in Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe accredited training paths that create knowledgeable employees at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time.
Vendor training works through focusing on the particular skills that are needed (alongside an appropriate level of background knowledge,) rather than spending months and years on the background 'padding' that academic courses can get bogged down in - to pad out the syllabus.
The bottom line is: Authorised IT qualifications tell an employer precisely what skills you have - everything they need to know is in the title: for example, I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003'. Consequently companies can look at their needs and what certifications are needed for the job.
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