Should I go to a tech school or should I study the Mike Meyers exams?

php111

Hey, should I go to a tech school in my area or should I buy and study the Mike Meyers exams for the A+ certificates and take the exams without going to a tech school?

So, which would be the best option between going to a tech school and do not bother with the videos? Or go for the videos and do not bother with the tech schools?

tmtex

If money isn't an issue the school wont hurt but it's still a waste. Although I went to a class for all the pluses it was free to me plus I have a lot of experience. Myself and another experienced guy was in the class. I passed both right away, he didn't. It consisted of a guy reading a book to us while everyone played on the internet. If your totally new with no experience at all it might benefit you as you will have some labs. Lab example is putting memory in, replacing a power supply etc.. If you have a PC that you can take apart and access to youtube your all set.

Everyone says its a entry level test and easy. I didn't think so. In this class it was mainly ex military that never touched a PC other then using email. They were totally lost.

Example of a Question: XXXXXX pick the best 2 answers out of 4. 3 will work but what is the BEST 2. A lot of that

Danielm7

There are different variables here. "Tech school" could mean anything. Do they want 10K to study for the A+? If so, that's just silly. Is it a local community college with a reasonably priced program and good labs and you don't have any experience? If so that might be worthwhile. Can you go to a properly accredited school for the same price? If so that's likely the better option as a degree won't expire in a few years.

Plantwiz

CompTIA, Microsoft, Cisco, etc.. have exams. Mike Meyers doesn't have 'exams'. He is an author (and occasional visitor to this board) who helps folks prepare for certification exams, in particular the A+ and Net+ (but he has other exam prep topic material).

Do you wish to attend a school and earn a degree? Or as asked above, are you merely looking to attend a very expensive training school that will cost far more than what you could have invested in a few textbooks, setting aside dedicated time to study, setting up your own lab (as needed) and scheduling and taking your exams? If you are looking into a degree (say a community college or even online like WGU) than I'd lean toward earning the degree. If anything else, I would invest a few hundred into quality textbooks, download the free objectives from the vendor and put some effort into studying.

The CompTIA exams are geared toward a candidate WITH experience. A point many folks seem to skip in lieu of attempting to take and pass the exams. You will find your studies more successful IF you have some experience. The exams are easy, but one does need to prepare for them. The objectives provide you an outline of the content and definitions the candidate should know prior to the exam. It is possible to research all the definitions and concepts listed on the objects on your own. However, for the cost of the texts, I'd opt for Meyers and/or the Sybex text to facilitate studying (I like two sources so I planned to buy both when I was preparing).

What type of experience do you have working with A+ hardware components, software and Networks? Bootcamps or for-profit tech schools are typically not the solution for the CompTIA certs (i.e. poor investment). Some of your higher certs such as Cisco and some of your MS certs it may be beneficial to work in a classroom situation because you will face scenarios and can troubleshoot with others or seek out more specific help. The CompTIA certifications are heavy on vocabulary and simple concepts that are best concurred with self-study for most folks (repetition). Unless one's learning style requires someone speaking the material first (teacher/student) than I would personally skip a 'class' for A+, NET+ and SEC+.

YMMV

thomas_

I think using the money that you were going to spend on a tech school to build your own pc is a better use of your money.

tedjames

I took Mike Meyers' online A+ training through Udemy and learned a lot. It was never my intention to pursue the A+ certification. I really just wanted the knowledge so I could work on my family's PCs rather than pay someone. What's great about Mike's course is that he actually shows you computer parts and talks about how they function. No slides. No reading. He uses real life examples to make his points. It's like he's in the room talking directly to you. Best $10 I ever spent. There's still a lot I don't know, but his course gave me the confidence to work on my PC. I've taken that knowledge and further explored computer hardware.

If you're good with self-learning, I would suggest skipping tech school (unless someone else is paying for it) and take an online course similar to Mike's followed some YouTube (Eli the Computer Guy is great) and Professor Messer videos. Maybe look into building a PC yourself for some hands-on learning.