Should I take the time to go for the A+ certificate

sharpy56

Hi All,

I have been under the impression I had the A+ certification although have recently found out I never passed the exam.

So, this leaves me asking a couple of questions:

1. Is it worth while to go back and obtain this certificate?
2. Will this look good to go along side my Security + (Already in the middle of studying for this certificate)?

I am just unsure on how this exam is viewed in the communities and just want to make sure that this is something worth working towards, as I don't really need the extra piece of paper as there are other exams to also focus on.

Regards,
Bob

p@r0tuXus

While I spent enough time in the field and workforce with IT, I never got any certifications until a couple years ago. I started very slow with that too. My understanding is the A+ is still respected, but it won't necessarily pull down a big job for you. It shows a broad range of knowledge with IT technology in a shallow range of depth. Not to make that sound trivial, actually I'm cramming for it right now because I never got it. I can say, even with my experience, it's kind of cool to go over all the new material and learning details about things I hadn't yet learned or kept up with. I think the price on this cert should come down and the difficulty should go up, personally. It's entry level but the cost shouldn't be the barrier, it's difficulty should be. Just my opinion - and yes, that's coming from someone who hasn't taken the exam, just reading material and video courses.

PCTechLinc

In my opinion it's nice to have, but if you're not feeling the ~$400 it takes to pass both exams, it's understandable. I think all techs should have A+ Net+ Security as a foundation, but I wouldn't look down on an applicant that has other qualified certs and missing A+. However, there are companies and positions that require A+ to have the job. If I were in your position, I wouldn't bother until it became necessary. I would focus on more difficult certs. My two cents.

NetworkNewb

sharpy56 wrote: »

I have been under the impression I had the A+ certification although have recently found out I never passed the exam.

How does that happen? The only people I would recommend the A+ to is: 1) Someone who is looking for there first job in IT or 2) Just got their first job in IT and doesn't have a solid knowledge foundation yet

Verities

Its not worth getting A+ unless you are new to IT, are working with hands on repairs of workstations, or you're on level 1 help desk. If you're already established in IT, then there's no reason to go backwards in terms of certifications; you already understand how computers work and basic troubleshooting steps.

sharpy56

Hi Portotuxus,

Thank you for taking the time to reply -- I think I will be leaving this exam at this stage and will come back to it in the near future if I require it.

sharpy56

Thank you PCTech,

Makes sense on this and I think this is what I will do as it makes it a bit more manageable with all of the certificates to go after these days.

swamprat

If you're not new to IT, I'd agree that it's not worth going back and getting.

That being said, I would recommend that you ensure to scrub profile here, resume, etc, so you aren't claiming a certification that you don't actually have.

AndersonSmith

Here's my thought about the A+ exam and whether it's worth it or not:

The A+ certification is worthwhile to pursue, especially for those newer to the IT field because it lays a lot of the groundwork and provides many of the fundamentals that will be beneficial to learn to get started in the industry. It also will help to prepare you for some higher-level exams. I agree with others that it won't likely help you to land a "big job" if you only have this certification but it should help you to get your foot in the door if you're proactive enough.

I've heard from some people that it's not even worth getting anymore because "everyone has it" but in my opinion the fact that "everyone has it" makes it all the more necessary to obtain. If you're applying for a job and you're pretty well evenly matched with other candidates but the other candidates have the A+ certification and you're the only one who doesn't you may not be considered simply for that reason. Of course, if you already possess a stronger certification it may make no difference anyway, it will just depend on what kind of career in IT you're going for.

The fact that you're not new to the IT field does make somewhat of a difference as to whether or not you need to "go back and get it" because a lot of times experience will still trump certifications, but it really just depends on what the company you're applying for wants. I've seen candidates with 10+ years of experience and little to no certifications get passed over for jobs in favor of candidates who have little to no experience but have a resume packed full of certifications. I've always been of the mind that an extra certification on your resume, whether you have relatively little experience or a ton of experience is never a bad thing!

Really though, I think A+ is still worthwhile. Some people may disagree with me and that's ok, but I wanted to offer my 2 cents as someone who has several years of IT experience and has been responsible for hiring employees. Good luck!