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Brand New & Seeking Wisdom

F430F430 Registered Users Posts: 2 ■□□□□□□□□□
in A+
Hello everyone and thank you so very much for taking a moment to read my post! :) I have just registered my account and am so excited to get the ball rolling. Please let me know via private message or on here openly if there is anything that I am missing or need to do in order to be set up properly with these forums.

Let me cut right to the chase, I want to learn about computers and get a job relating to the computer field. I am currently in my early/mid 20's and have never really been into technology. I do not understand it very well nor do I seem to "click" with computers or phones or any other stuff like that. My current job is related to cars, and although I am paid to talk and explain things to people, I do not actually sell the vehicles.

I am going to be up front here, I would like to begin getting certified through CompTIA to get some certifications under my belt in order to get into the cyber security and computer science field down the road. Although my strength is in reading people and talking face to face with others, I know that I can "wire" myself to get into the field. It has always been difficult for me to "click" with technology but I know I can do it if I put my mind to it. I think computers and technology is cool. I want to learn how to build my own personal computer someday and learn how to connect everything to each other.

What should I use to study for the A+ certification? I am reading different guides and sources online and am a bit confused. Are there multiple exams, such as 901 and 902 for this certification? Different versions? My goal is to get certified in first A+ and land that first entry level tech job. What do you all recommend I use to study? I am fine buying any guides or watching any videos. Although I am new to computers I am very excited to learn about both the hardware and software and what makes computers and machines tick. Just let me know what you think I should do in order to get the ball rolling on preparing properly for A+ and what needs to be done in order to not just pass it but ACE it in the near future! :)

Thank you all again so very much and please do not hesitate to provide feedback and let me know! I am extremely open minded and am not worried about any "blunt" information or what you all think or feel. Please be honest with me and I will be 100% up front with everyone here.

Love you all! :)
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    NotHackingYouNotHackingYou Member Posts: 1,460 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Hello and welcome to TE and your IT career!

    I'll tackle your questions straight away

    Study Material
    Mike Meyer's study guide is pretty popular. It's one book that covers both exams. http://a.co/hlS60e0
    You may also like a video series like CBT nuggets. Skillsoft also has a good series that walks you though the hardware step by step.

    Versions
    There are multiple versions of the exam, the most current being 901 and 902. The exams focus on different aspects that an A+ tech should know and you must pass both to achieve your certification.

    You may find that entry in cyber security from scratch is a long road. Cyber folks tend to be a little further along in their career after having spent some time as a systems or network admin, or sometimes a developer. Often the admin folks have spent time in help desk first. This isn't always the case.
    When you go the extra mile, there's no traffic.
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    roninkaironinkai Member Posts: 307 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I do recommend you get some help desk / sys admin first. It def pays off if you want to get into cyber. I'm seeing that the cyber people w/o a tech background struggle a bit more, even though they have certs, education. You need to know the fundamentals of computers, and troubleshooting.

    A+ is a decent start, but after that, I'd get a Microsoft cert, Windows 10 maybe. Entry level help desk will be mainly supporting account resets, basic troubleshooting, printers, etc. Maybe during that time, you can start exploring Security+ as a way to move into Cyber. It's a long road, but well worth it.
    浪人 MSISA:WGU
    ICP-FDO ▪ CISSP ▪ ECES ▪ CHFI ▪ CNDA ▪ CEH ▪ MCSA/MCITP ▪ MCTS ▪ S+
    2020 Level Up Goals: (1) DevSecOps Learning Path (2) OSCP
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    F430F430 Registered Users Posts: 2 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Thank you both NotHackingYou and dragonsden so much for your warm welcome and feedback! I greatly appreciate it! I will check out " https://www.amazon.com/dp/125958951X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_qoj3ybG4VWJT4 " and see if I can pick up something used to save a little cash. Let me just make sure I am on the same page though, okay? Take both the A+ 901 exam and the A+ 902 exam then after I have obtained the COMPTIA A+ certification I should probably look into getting certified in Windows 10 or some flavor of Microsoft certification? That sounds great! I will start studying for A+ as soon as I get the book.

    Are there any videos I should be looking at? I have looked at YouTube and a lot of them are a little old. I know that technology is always expanding so I am not sure if I should be watching videos to help me understand if they are several years old. If there is anything specific that I should be looking over besides the book let me know.

    I am so excited to start this journey! Thank you both again so much! I love the positive energy and vibe of these forums already! :)
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