I have decide to take A+ test around end of september

Ryan9764

Here is the let down. There this tech school in Kansas City called Centriq. They have multiple programs which help you get your certs. Well anyways I taking the System and Security admin program, which is 6 months long. At the end of 6 months, if you study hard and focus, I should come out with my: Comptia A+, MTA Networking, CCENT, and Security+. You get unlimited attempts until you pass each test but I going to study hard and pass on my first time. Anyways, I start in August, first 2 month is nothing but A+ classes. So I decided at the first self study break, I going take my A+. Oh yeah, the VA is paying for my school. So every thing is pretty much free for me. Hopefully this school help me kick off my IT career.

davec8080

Ryan9764 wrote: »

Here is the let down. There this tech school in Kansas City called Centriq. They have multiple programs which help you get your certs. Well anyways I taking the System and Security admin program, which is 6 months long. At the end of 6 months, if you study hard and focus, I should come out with my: Comptia A+, MTA Networking, CCENT, and Security+. You get unlimited attempts until you pass each test but I going to study hard and pass on my first time. Anyways, I start in August, first 2 month is nothing but A+ classes. So I decided at the first self study break, I going take my A+. Oh yeah, the VA is paying for my school. So every thing is pretty much free for me. Hopefully this school help me kick off my IT career.

If your resume has 4 IT certs on it, ZERO IT experience and no formal IT education (besides the boot camp that got you the certs...), then I can tell you exactly how your resume' will look to a IT hiring manager...

He/She will see a blank piece of paper with just your name and phone number on it.

G.O.A.T

davec8080 wrote: »

If your resume has 4 IT certs on it, ZERO IT experience and no formal IT education (besides the boot camp that got you the certs...), then I can tell you exactly how your resume' will look to a IT hiring manager...

He/She will see a blank piece of paper with just your name and phone number on it.

Well he will most likely be applying for helpdesk roles.. I think you're wrong, I got my first break with no experience and 1 cert (an MTA). We all gotta start somewhere.. we arent born with IT experience it takes someone to take a chance on you.

davec8080

G.O.A.T wrote: »

Well he will most likely be applying for helpdesk roles.. I think you're wrong, I got my first break with no experience and 1 cert (an MTA). We all gotta start somewhere.. we arent born with IT experience it takes someone to take a chance on you.

I think you got lucky, goat. Although it is a catch-22 situation, the average IT hiring manager is looking for experience, even if the position is clearly entry level. SOME employers are willing to accept significant college degrees instead of experience. NO employers are willing to hire somebody with just certs, however. You got lucky,

Pseudonym

davec8080 wrote: »

I think you got lucky, goat. Although it is a catch-22 situation, the average IT hiring manager is looking for experience, even if the position is clearly entry level. SOME employers are willing to accept significant college degrees instead of experience. NO employers are willing to hire somebody with just certs, however. You got lucky,

This is shockingly bad advice.

OP. Good luck with your certs.

davec8080

Skyliinez92 wrote: »

I agree with Pseudonum. You can't justify that every employer will turn you down for not having certs or experience. Everywhere is different.

I always believe that if you work hard, no matter what background or qualifications/experience you have at the time, you will get what you want if you work hard at it. I got a Sysadmin role with just my A+ and an IT apprenticeship level 3 diploma behind me. I thought I was under-qualified as I had just entered the IT field, but I sold myself in the interview and my employer was very impressed. Since then I've been doing additional certs to better myself and keep moving forward.

Ryan, set yourself a goal. Lay out your career path and the certs you want to do, and do them in your own time. If you want to change careers, really show off what you can do in the interview and show that you are determined and hard working. Hey, some places might not take you on, because they might require additional certs or experience, but don't get knocked down by it. If you really want that job, get the extra certs, or keep looking for another job until you're happy. You will get what you want in the end.

I'm sure most readers of this forum (the ones with any IT experience anyway) have noticed that there is a wide-spread MYTH (and it is just a MYTH, unfortunately) that all you need to crack a high-paying job working on computers is a A+ certification...or a Security+ certification, for that matter. Those who know better know that IT jobs are fading fast. Even entry-level requires (pretty much) a 4-year relevant degree. If you have the certs on top of that, you might have an edge in landing the interview.

I will grant that there are a few people out there who beat the odds and land an entry level job with no education and no experience and just a cert or three to show that they might have memorized a few port numbers for a few hours at one point in their lives...

But to state or even imply that this is likely to happen, is doing a dis-service to all readers of this forum who are seriously looking to enter the IT field. Do not give these wanna-be IT newbies false hope. If you want an IT career, it starts with education. You don't get education from CompTIA, btw.

davec8080

Skyliinez92 wrote: »

My first cert WAS the A+, and it started off my education in IT. It might be an entry-level cert, but for people starting off in IT it gives them the basic understanding of IT and desktop support that is needed in any working environment. From there they can continue their education with more advanced certs after if they choose to. Don't knock people down by saying what they are doing is pointless. To me it sounds like you hit a wall in your life and need somewhere to vent your frustration.

You also failed to list what certs you have earned. I'm curious.

OK ...I think we could agree that if you get certs for free, then they are worth obtaining. If you are going to pay out of pocket for study material and exams though? You might as well use that money to play the slot machines...

My own cert status is ummm...complcated. But hold your smart remarks. Many years ago I was electronics engineer who obtained A+ status because I wanted to. It was a fun thing for me to do, at the time. Since then, my career has gone parallel o the point where I ended up working Senior Network Admin for one of the largest employers in the world. But I was always too busy doing the job to think about getting certified to do the job.

Now I am Systems Admin for a contract where the customer demands A+ and Security+. So I obtained those two, and it did nothing for my resume. Oh, and got network+ also, just to be thorough. But my experience is what gets me hired.

Like most real professionals...if you truly gots the skillz, then the certs are redundant. Unless you are really terrible at writing your resume', that is...

Pseudonym

I got my first IT job(desktop support) with an A+, and 6 months unpaid experience in a PC repair shop. I am 100% sure I would've gotten a helpdesk job even without the 6 months work experience.

Pseudonym

Skyliinez92 wrote: »

I don't doubt your experience one bit, and you sound like you've spent quite some time in the IT field. Funnily enough you sound just like my old boss. He always claimed certifications are pointless, and it's all down to experience at the end of the day. Funny though how he hired me before I had any experience at all...

This might have been the case many years ago (I wouldn't know) but times are changing now and more and more businesses require certs. If you have certs AND experience then your pretty good to go, but nowadays certs are required to land you the job. And the reason why many people go for the A+: HR. HR is the first barrier to pass and, unless you have your A+, you may not get the job, even if you had 2 MCSEs, a CCNP and an RHCSA (although I could be over exaggerating here).

At the end of the day, gaining certifications is an achievement for any individual. It gives you a warm feeling knowing that months of hard studying earned you that pass. It's not a waste of money and gives you more of a chance landing that job or pay rise. I understand you may have different views or experience, but please don't knock peoples confidence down. Everyone has a plan, and it's their choice to do what they want. If you don't believe in certs, that's fair enough, but I think you came to the wrong site.

Ryan, stick to your plan and do what you need to do to get that job. Good luck.

Yeah, this is spot on.

davec8080 wrote: »

I'm sure most readers of this forum (the ones with any IT experience anyway) have noticed that there is a wide-spread MYTH (and it is just a MYTH, unfortunately) that all you need to crack a high-paying job working on computers is a A+ certification...or a Security+ certification, for that matter. Those who know better know that IT jobs are fading fast. Even entry-level requires (pretty much) a 4-year relevant degree. If you have the certs on top of that, you might have an edge in landing the interview.

I will grant that there are a few people out there who beat the odds and land an entry level job with no education and no experience and just a cert or three to show that they might have memorized a few port numbers for a few hours at one point in their lives...

But to state or even imply that this is likely to happen, is doing a dis-service to all readers of this forum who are seriously looking to enter the IT field. Do not give these wanna-be IT newbies false hope. If you want an IT career, it starts with education. You don't get education from CompTIA, btw.

I think it's absolutely absurd to assume that you know about the hiring practices of every single company in the world. Working for a large multinational is very different to working for a small or medium sized company. My manager has zero formal education or certifcations, and it was actually his preference to hire someone with less formal education.

davec8080

Pseudonym wrote: »

Yeah, this is spot on.



I think it's absolutely absurd to assume that you know about the hiring practices of every single company in the world. Working for a large multinational is very different to working for a small or medium sized company. My manager has zero formal education or certifcations, and it was actually his preference to hire someone with less formal education.

Your manager is smart. It's never a good idea to hire somebody significantly more qualified than you are. Unless you are HOPING that individual might replace you soon...

It is true I do not know the hiring practices of every company on the planet. But (not just in this forum) I read every day in many thousands of public forums...
BS to the effect of, "if you want a good, high-paying IT job, all you have to do is get an A+ and employers will beat a path to your door..."

NOTHING could be farther from the truth. You might get lucky to leverage a low-level cert like A+ or Security+ (yes, even that is low level) to get your foot in the door of an entry-level position somewhere. But if you do, then you are the EXCEPTION....and your experience just happens to reinforce (somewhat) the myth that CompTIA is the not-so-secret back door entry to a good IT career.

What people thinking about going into IT need to hear is NOT encouragement to seek A+ or any other CompTIA cert. What they need to hear is that it starts with formal education. And as I've said before, you don't get an education from CompTIA...