Taking my 802 tomorrow! Worried about job requirements..

domn425

Hey everyone. I have my 802 exam tomorrow. I feel ready for it, however I'm still a little worried about getting confusing questions. I'm also getting more and more worried about getting a job. I've just turned 19 and I'm about to be CompTIA A+ certified (if I don't pass the first time, I will book another exam for next week or so). I still live with my parents, they have been doubting that I'll be able to land an IT related job as they are very much locked onto the idea that college degrees mean everything. This does cause many arguments, as I don't agree, but sometimes I do give it some thought and it worries me. Many job requirements I see, even for junior positions, require a college degree, A+ and other certs, and about 3 years of experience. Who can possibly have that just to start off? It makes me worried, as I'm here just hoping to find a job with A+ in my hands. I'm planning on doing Security+ and might look into CCNA this year as well. What do you guys think? I do have a positive attitude and have stayed optimistic about all this but now that I'm about to get certified, the worries are coming in.

By the way, any experience I have is not work related. I have fixed computers for relatives many times, I've helped people through Teamviewer. I've used linux, macOS, and windows, I've built my own computers multiple times and have assembled and disassembled laptops more than a few times too. I'm pretty good with HTML and CSS also. However none of that was on the job experience, so for a job it probably doesn't really count.

PCTechLinc

As an IT instructor for students around your age, I can say that degrees, certifications, AND experience are what will lead to success in your professional future. However, you do have to start somewhere. You are on the perfect track right now. Will getting A+ land you a super-awesome job where you don't have to worry about money ever again? Probably not. But it will get you something a little better than minimum-wage, where you can PROVE that you have what it takes to succeed and help a company succeed. A lot of this is rhetoric, but in my years of helping other people get good IT jobs, sometimes you have to do the crappy ones before the awesome one finds its way into your life. Personally, I don't do IT for the money, I do it because it was my life-long dream. I'm still not making the kind of money that some of my former students are, but I'm happy. I have my day IT job, I teach IT classes at night, and I'm finishing my Master's Degree in the next couple months. I wouldn't have it any other way. Don't let other people get you down. If you do what you love, the money will follow. Your positive attitude will be your greatest driver to get you where you want to go. Best of luck with the 802!

Bokeh

While its true that a degree opens more doors than not, don't let that stop you from your dream of getting into IT. Several folks on here have landed jobs with just an A+ and continue to go to school (think WGU).

With an A+, look at any computer stores in your area. Perhaps a mom&pop shop need help. Look at volunteermatch.com and search for IT positions. Maybe you can get some experience that way. Check Craigslist, Dice, Monster, Jobs.com and other places.

After passing your A+ (and we all know you will!) and you wish to look at Security+, get Darril Gibson's book and also watch the videos on Professormesser.com.

Good luck in your IT future!

domn425

Thanks for your replies! I did the exam today and passed with a score of 800 :] very similar result to the first exam in which I got 803.

v1ral

Congrats on the pass!

What is stopping you from getting a degree? Start small and get your associates from a local CC. Even with just an associates it can open many doors that a cert cannot. Ideally an associates + certs is the way to go for most young IT candidates.

danny069

Congrats on the pass! Definitely keep working on getting more certs, once you get that on your resume, someone will give you a chance. From there, you will gain experience. I second what V1ral says about getting at least an Associates Degree from a Community College, then go for your Bachelor's, (they never expire). The combination of experience, certs, and degrees you will attain after a few years is going to be fulfilling and rewarding, open a lot of doors because you will have then met a lot of requirements. The most important thing is how you apply yourself (ambition, motivation, willingness to help others) and how you carry yourself as a person (politeness, courtesy, kindness, honesty, compassion)

domn425

To be honest, I don't really have a good reason for not getting a degree. I feel like in 4 years I could possibly get as far as CCIE, and if I go to college, i'd need to get certifications anyways. They seem to require them whether you've been to college or not. From what I see, whether a person has finished college or not, they all end up getting junior positions and moving up exactly the same way until they're in a job they were aiming for. Though I have noticed that while some people get lucky, some find it difficult to get a job without a college degree. Maybe I'm wrong guys. I will think about getting an associate's degree for now, though I'd prefer to keep going with certifications instead. Some of my friends are doing computer science in college, and I feel like the things they study are just done really slowly and some seem useless for the positions they're aiming for. For example, to be an IT support guy, you don't really need to know how to draw graphs with C++. Thing is, they learn all this stuff, but end up not knowing a whole lot about actual computers themselves from what I'm seeing so far. I liked the CompTIA A+ course as it covered exactly what's needed and no nonsense that won't ever be used in the field. What do you guys think? Am I very wrong to think this way?