New IT Need help

do.tgiang

Hi. I still stuck in nowhere to get a job. And I really want to do something to get a good job. I used to study IT before but for some reason I can not finish my college degree. I wanna study and get some certification by myself. Can you guys help me to let me know which one I should get that is not require BS or College degree? I'm studying CompTIA A+ now and plan to take the test at the end of next month. If I pass, which one should I go with. Thank you so much!

Skynet9

First of all, None of these certs require college degree...
Second, if you are tight on budget, I suggest you go for sec+ followed by CCNA. That doesn't mean you should not study A+ and N+ books, you should, just don't waste that much money on comptia.

White Wizard

I'm not sure why everyone recommends/ thinks CompTIA certs are either a good starting point or will get you a job.

Most people that have been in IT for awhile know CompTIA certs are a joke compared to others. Certifications validate knowledge and show you prepared for that particular subject. Not that you necessarily can solve problems, implement what you learned, or know what you are doing.

We need more information. What do you know and do not know about IT? Not a single certification that I know of in IT requires a college degree. What field of IT do you want to work in or enjoy? Without more information, I will not recommend throwing away $900.00 on a set of CompTIA certs.

ypark

I know many people who has already advanced in their field or who have a degree in IT do not value CompTIA certs, but let's face it. On your resume, you do not have a degree. You do not have any IT related work experience. You probably want a cert or two to put on your resume for that entry level IT job. Security+ and CCNA do not have much of a practical application toward an entry level IT role and you are definitely not landing a network role or security role with just those certs and no degree/work experience. You would want troubleshooting skills, basic hardware/software knowledge, client/server OS install and configuration and some basic networking to make your self marketable.
No one wants to stay at entry-level forever but you have to start somewhere and CompTIA certs will help you land that first job, especially for someone in do.tgiang's situation; no degree, no work experience. Also, don't forget the fact that he has already taken classes in IT, which means it won't be too difficult to get that A+ and Net+.

@do.tgiang: Whichever course you choose though, stick to it and get it done. I have been in your situation and everything starts to fall into place once you land that entry level job, as long as you keep trying and learning.

Phileeeeeeep651

I agree with ypark, without any practical experience Security+ and CCNA probably wouldn't really help too much.

In my opinion, A+ followed by Network+ would be a great starting point to grasping the concepts you will need to gain that entry level position. Finish your A+, start applying for entry level jobs, and once your in find out what it is that YOU want to do in IT, then gain experience and certify from there!

do.tgiang

Thank you guys so so much. I still try to applying for entry level jobs. I know that A+ is not really hard to get it, and with me it is really waste my money. But I think if I got A+, it would be better than nothing. I used to study A+ and CCNA for awhile (4 years ago). I like to go with networking.
I just got the phone interview from Comcast tomorrow. I applied for technical support and installer. I was searching and preparing a lot of questions they might ask. But I still really nervous. This is the first time I got the phone interview. Do you guys have any advice for me?

ypark

Congrats on getting that phone interview!

What usually worked for me is to go back to that job posting. Note the required/recommended skills and job responsibilities. List the topics then go from there. Make sure your basic fundamental knowledge is strong, it your case I think would be networking and cabling, then prepare for some questions that are industry specific.

Good luck on the phone interview. I hope you get it!

RHEL

Actually, I've noticed that many federal openings and defense contractor jobs specifically list sec+ (or ability to obtain it) as a requirement.