MTA or A+ ?

Bartoon0

I am considering getting an MTA certification, but not sure if its worth it vs an A+, I see more employers are asking for an A+ rather than an MTA, does the A+ just hold more weight?

Truely,
Bartoon0

Jon_Cisco

If you are not already working in IT then I would suggest A+. It has a better chance of getting you in the door.

MTA is a nice option if you want to get a little better experience with a specific area of microsoft. You will probably have to sell employers on the MTA since it is not as well recognized.

Good Luck!

krokodilo

Depends on your level of knowledge and commitment. the A+ is a behemoth for beginner certs as there are two exams which cover a great deal of content and they expire after a few years, whereas the MTA's are single exam certifications, largely based around a single concept and never expire.

MTA's set the ground work for higher up certs and are certainly worthwhile doing to at the very least to gain a basic grounding in the subject matter, which can be helpful.

The Networking Fundamentals MTA, I have heard, is said to be very much the same as the CompTIA Network+ in content, and I personally see no reason not to do them, especially if you like baby steps like me.

Just because employers ask or don't ask for certain certs doesn't make them important. Many industry experts will tell you not to even bother with the A+ other will admit it is worthless but commend it for at least giving you a foundation to learn on. Others will herald it as a must have, but these are largely educators and HR/recruitment types, who have no idea of industry requirements.

tl;dr Most certs are worthwhile as you gain knowledge in doing them. MTA's are great intros. A+ is not the holy grail! #YOLO