So here I sit, with Univeristy education, but no real “qualifications” to land a job working with computers. Other than almost 20 years of tinkering and just figuring stuff out by trial and error, no real formal training to speak of. This, for some reason, isn’t acceptable to employers.
So I figure to get to an interview, I’d increase my chances by being able to at least include a certification or two. Hence, the idea of dropping the coin and taking the test. Depending on the practice tests I’ve seen, I could either schedule it for Friday and be done with it, or spend the $1500 for the course. But the choice of those two are not what I’m wondering about.
Is it worth it to get the certification? It seems to be an industry standard, and it’s pretty broad in scope for a starting point. But is it worth it to get that, then move on to MS certification? Or just skip A+ and work on other certificates?
As a bonus, what other certifications would be good ones to look into? I love the hardware side of computers. Networking is of great interest, but I will need training to be masterful. Coding would be right up my alley, but designing websites/being creative is not in my ADD style. Any ideas on things to look into that I may not be aware of?
The A+ is of little value but the **MSCE ** will help a lot with many IT departments from what I have seen. I do not like the **MSCE ** course and I think the certification is overrated but it definitely helps on a resume and is the magic acronym that will get your resume handed off from HR to an IT director.
The A+ certification may or may not be worth much on its own, but it can’t hurt you in combination with other certificates. You may want to look at your local community college and see what kind of certification programs they have–this is a great way to see what all else is out there. It’s worth figuring out what you want to do as early on as you can so that you have a focus to your efforts.
Don’t bother with the A+, unless you’re interested in fixing PCs and cleaning up spyware for the rest of your life. I find it gets really old really fast, myself, and it really doesn’t pay much better than twelve bucks an hour.
If you’re interested in networking, get a CCNA. The study materials should set you back a couple of hundred, and the test is about $125.
Combine it with a either an MCSE or one of the RedHat or LPI certs, and you’ll do fine in corporate IT. If you can get in the door.
Your best bet is probably to get hired as the IT guy at a small company, and get them to pay for the certs. After a couple of years, start testing the waters at larger organizations.
I’m at the latter stage right now, though I’m getting a BS instead of certifications. If none of the interviews pan out, I’ll probably get the CCNA before I try again.