Is A+ cert really obsolete??

Hello. I am a high school senior trying to get into tech field as well as prepare for college. I am thinking of studying for and taking A+ cert to find better paying jobs for summer and beyond, but I have heard many stories about how A+ has become obsolete and is no use anymore.

I am sure many readers from this forum are A+ certified and are in the IT field, and I hope you can help me.

My friends recommend MCSE but it seems like a course costing 6G is necessary... is it really requirement to take the course to pass the exam? Can I just study it on my own and pass the exam to get cert?

Is there any other certs you would recommend for well-paid(relatively) jobs in demand? I am interested in all things relating to computer/IT fields but I am horribly lost, and any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Get a Sun Solaris Network Admin. certification. I'm in the process of getting one myself..... It teaches you all about networking and UNIX which are definately in demand....



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That's cool, I'm going into my junior year of college and I'm either want to go into multimedia design or networking. I've completed the specialized track in multimedia and just starting the network track.

Thx for the info.

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Schmitty
EG 278

A+ is good if you want to do tech support or have a help desk type job. MCSE is pretty useless, imho. If you're looking for money ccna and stuff like that is the way to go.

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I don't think the A+ is obsolete at all. No matter where you work, you're probably going to run into some older equipment at one point or another, and it's to your benefit to be able to identify and work with it. You aren't going to make a lot of money from an A+ alone, but it's a good building block for more specialized computer knowledge. Think of it as learning history, you need to know where today's modern technology came from.

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-BR

$> cd pub
$> more beer

Quote:

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Originally posted by SexyBurrito:
Hello. I am a high school senior trying to get into tech field as well as prepare for college. I am thinking of studying for and taking A+ cert to find better paying jobs for summer and beyond, but I have heard many stories about how A+ has become obsolete and is no use anymore.

I am sure many readers from this forum are A+ certified and are in the IT field, and I hope you can help me.

My friends recommend MCSE but it seems like a course costing 6G is necessary... is it really requirement to take the course to pass the exam? Can I just study it on my own and pass the exam to get cert?

Is there any other certs you would recommend for well-paid(relatively) jobs in demand? I am interested in all things relating to computer/IT fields but I am horribly lost, and any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

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The A+ test was really pretty simple, as I recall.

I stayed away from it for a long time, but many people told me that they just felt better when they hired someone who knew at least something about the older stuff.

MCSE, though not as heavy-duty as some of the other certifications, does get you to learn the basics of the most common - though certainly not the best - operating systems in the world, and stresses TCP/IP and basic network architecture enough so that you can understand what is being said when networking is being talked about. I like the NT4 TCP/IP self-help courses better than the W2K ones for learning the basics, but I only had a little experience with W2K.

Get some of the ExamCram, Ace-It,or Microsoft
Exam books and learn enough to consistantly get 95% on the tests, and stay with that, and take the tests.

I took the full set of courses, and found the "instructors" were seldom good teachers, and in my opinion, the courses were worthless. I yelled and screamed, and got my money back, studied as recommended above, and passed.

The new tests are harder, though, and you really do need some experience. Get a set of the new books and just keep going thru them, and see what you need to know more about, and do what has to be done.

IMHO... FWIW... YMMV

-ed-

A+ is DEFINETLY Not obsolete. Employers in my area almost always require A+ Certs along with MCSE, Network+, CCNA etc. It shows that you do know youre stuff when it comes to computers and offers the employer like a two-for-one deal. Instead of having to call in a separate repair tech to fix a hardware problem, you have a guy(or gal) that can do it all.

A+ is not obsolete. And also it is a good way of getting used to some IT exams. After A+ you can move onto MCSE which is without a doubt no obsolete and does come in handy very much. Also it all depends on what you would like to get into. CCNE is great for netowkring. OCP is great for database administration. Then there is also RedHat, Sun. It all depends. The courses can go both ways. It very much so depends on the teachers and also your way of learning. If you can learn very well with someone teaching you, then the courses could help very much. If all you need is to read a book to remember the facts, then thats all you need. Im pretty sure a lot of the courses have hands on stuff for networking such as: having to troubleshoot Cisco routers and find problems and fix on the spot. Reading a book will tell you how to fix that same problem, but its not the same as actually fixing it. someone could read about OCing different motherboards all day long, but when given a mobo they may not have any idea how to actually do it. Research research research what you want to do. Every certification helps somehow. If your being interviewed with a guy who also has A+, its a step up.

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In other words, those shamans maintained, according to don Juan, that any one of us can do away, for a moment,with our system of turning energy inflow into sensory data pertinent to the kind of organism that we are. Turning the inflow of energy into sensory data creates, shamans affirm, a system of interpretation that turns the flowing energy of the universe into the world of everyday life that we know.

A+ is something your going to need to have in just about any computer job, not to mention it is easy to pass and it looks good on a resume. I mean computers are hardware someone has to do it. I work part-time running a network with about 5o pcs and I never would have gotten hired if I had'nt had my A+. You would be surprised how many folks dont know what a IDE channel is. Anyhow this is my opinoin not to mention a reality.

Sonofseattle

Sweet. Thanks for inputs. I think I am gonna go buy A+ cram book as soon as possible and start to study for it. Then I will study toward MCSE over summer, and that should give me solid foundation in which I can get more certs or something.

My next questions is for Seattle area techies....I am from Seattle area too, and is there any specific certs that are in demands around here? It seems like there are tons of different certs and "tracks" and I think it would be wise to study for something I will need around the region.

Again, thank you for all the help.

A+ is very good to have. Also should get an MCSE along the way too. Having both is really nice =)

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Raziel
Senior Editor
TNL - The Next Level
http://www.the-nextlevel.com

What do you think is the most important general certification to have??? I mean that would compliment any other certification even if i didn't do anything in the field of that certification specifically... I go the route of cisco or sun, ets... would it be something like A+ oe MCSE?

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The best way to make the computer go faster is to drop it out a higher window

[This message has been edited by bigdog77s (edited May 24, 2001).]

Ah there sure is
Sonofseattle<-----seattle of course hehe
Anyhow the job market seems like networking has or is going to be taking over I dont really ever see this being not in demand. Heck jobs are hiring people fresh out of school. The pay is not to bad either. I have seen anywhere from 50 to 70k just to start out. Oh that is a CNS. Anyhow I wont disclose what I make just part time but it feeds a family of 4 we own our own house so you tell me if it is good :> )
Another thing is software desighners if you like Math and sitting still for hours on end a programmer is another route to go. I dont like it only because it is repeatative. Now keep in mind being a network specialist you not only maintain a network but you can just about do something different everyday nice change of pace. Anyhow these are my thoughts. If you would like some info on some of the local IT schools in Seattle that I know have a good job success just give me a hollar.

Sonofseattle

do you guys think college is that important or could you get a good job with certifications?


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The best way to make the computer go faster is to drop it out a higher window

[This message has been edited by bigdog77s (edited May 24, 2001).]

Quote:

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Originally posted by bigdog77s:
do you guys think college is that important or could you get a good job with certifications?

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Without some kind of degree or experience they prolly wont even think about hiring someone with only certs.....



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