The CompTIA A+ training program covers four areas of training; you're thought of as competent at A+ once you've passed your exams for two of the four areas. This is the reason that most training providers only have two of the courses on their syllabus. You'll find that to carry out a job effectively, you'll need the information on each subject as many jobs will ask for an awareness of the whole A+ program. You don't have to qualify in them all, however we'd advise that you at least have a working knowledge of every area.
Qualifying in CompTIA A+ without additional courses will mean that you're able to repair and fix stand-alone PC's and MAC's; ones that are generally not connected to a network - which means the home or small business market.
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.
It's not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees - they always involve paying for the exam fees up-front, when you pay for the rest of your course. Before you get carried away with a course with such a promise, why not look at the following:
Patently it isn't free - you're still paying for it - it's just been wrapped up in the price of the package.
If it's important to you to get a first time pass, then you should avoid exam guarantees and pay when entering exams, focus on it intently and be ready for the task.
Hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you're ready, and hang on to your cash. You'll also be able to choose where to do your exams - so you can choose somewhere closer to home.
A lot of extra profit is netted by a number of companies that get money upfront for exam fees. Many students don't take them for one reason or another but the company keeps the money. Believe it or not, providers exist who rely on that fact - and that's how they increase their profits.
Most companies will insist that you take mock exams first and not allow you to re-take an exam until you've demonstrated an excellent ability to pass - which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.
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.
One useful service offered by some training providers is a Job Placement Assistance program. This is to help you get your first commercial position. The fact of the matter is it isn't a complex operation to land your first job - assuming you're well trained and qualified; the shortage of IT personnel in Britain looks after that.
Whatever you do, avoid waiting until you have completed your exams before updating your CV. As soon as you start studying, list what you're working on and get it out there!
You might not even have passed your first exam when you will be offered your first junior support role; yet this won't be the case unless you've posted your CV on job sites.
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.
Student support is absolutely essential - locate a good company offering 24x7 direct access to instructors, as anything less will not satisfy and will also hamper your progress.
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.
If you fail to get yourself support round-the-clock, you'll quickly find yourself regretting it. It may be that you don't use it throughout the night, but you may need weekends, early mornings or late evenings.
We're regularly asked to explain why traditional academic studies are now falling behind more commercial certificates?
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.
Many degrees, for instance, become confusing because of a great deal of loosely associated study - with much too broad a syllabus. This holds a student back from getting enough specific knowledge about the core essentials.
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.
Qualifying in CompTIA A+ without additional courses will mean that you're able to repair and fix stand-alone PC's and MAC's; ones that are generally not connected to a network - which means the home or small business market.
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.
It's not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees - they always involve paying for the exam fees up-front, when you pay for the rest of your course. Before you get carried away with a course with such a promise, why not look at the following:
Patently it isn't free - you're still paying for it - it's just been wrapped up in the price of the package.
If it's important to you to get a first time pass, then you should avoid exam guarantees and pay when entering exams, focus on it intently and be ready for the task.
Hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you're ready, and hang on to your cash. You'll also be able to choose where to do your exams - so you can choose somewhere closer to home.
A lot of extra profit is netted by a number of companies that get money upfront for exam fees. Many students don't take them for one reason or another but the company keeps the money. Believe it or not, providers exist who rely on that fact - and that's how they increase their profits.
Most companies will insist that you take mock exams first and not allow you to re-take an exam until you've demonstrated an excellent ability to pass - which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.
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.
One useful service offered by some training providers is a Job Placement Assistance program. This is to help you get your first commercial position. The fact of the matter is it isn't a complex operation to land your first job - assuming you're well trained and qualified; the shortage of IT personnel in Britain looks after that.
Whatever you do, avoid waiting until you have completed your exams before updating your CV. As soon as you start studying, list what you're working on and get it out there!
You might not even have passed your first exam when you will be offered your first junior support role; yet this won't be the case unless you've posted your CV on job sites.
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.
Student support is absolutely essential - locate a good company offering 24x7 direct access to instructors, as anything less will not satisfy and will also hamper your progress.
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.
If you fail to get yourself support round-the-clock, you'll quickly find yourself regretting it. It may be that you don't use it throughout the night, but you may need weekends, early mornings or late evenings.
We're regularly asked to explain why traditional academic studies are now falling behind more commercial certificates?
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.
Many degrees, for instance, become confusing because of a great deal of loosely associated study - with much too broad a syllabus. This holds a student back from getting enough specific knowledge about the core essentials.
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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