Something is wrong

manrick777

Hello guys, I don't know if it's me but I feel like there is something wrong, I just passed today my A+ core exam, I have study really hard and passed it, I just started to study the O/S part of A+ today. I really don't feel like I am a technician at all, even if I passed one exam, yes I got some basic knoweldge, but I would not feel confortable to get hired as a tech. Is that normal that I feel like that? Is this will change when I will finished studying the O/S part of A+ ?

Also what will be in the exam objective for the O/S part, I would like to know all the operating system that I will have to learn.

Sincerly
Eric

bellboy

to a degree.

the a+ is an entrance exam. obviously somebody who is a+ certified is going to be considered less-of-a-technician than somebody, say, who has a list of microsoft or cisco certs the length of their arm.

think of certification like decorating, the a+ is the undercoat overwhich the other coats (certs) are laid, or consider it like the glue that holds up the wallpaper

but i disagree with you also. i considered myself a tech once i had completed a+. but i considered myself a junior tech. there is no way i would have thought i could have gotten a job where i was dealing with microsoft operating systems in a corporate environment over a microsoft experienced or certified tech.

there was no body standing outside the door of the test centre waiting to offer me a job when i completed my exam and walked out. it's up to the individual to gain the experience and qualifications to gain employment. the work doesn't stop when you get your a+.

janmike

Don't go by the way that you "feel" about yourself. Look at the facts. You've have gained the knowledge to pass, and there's no reason you won't do the same on OS.

Before I decided to go for certification, I read that one of the best ways to find out if you really want to work in IT is to go for A+. That's what I did. I've recently started my first job as a tech. The people I work for call me a tech and the people that pay me pay me as a tech. Some of the kids that are my lead techs probably "cut their teeth" on a PC, but I have no complaints from them and can do the work that I'm assigned.

If I go by what I still have to learn, my feelings are going to crush my enthusiasm. So, look at what you've learned and know how to do, then build on it. Technology won't stop and wait for you to catch up. Keep up the studies.

As far as OS goes, get yourself as many different OSs that you can find and practice loading them and working with them. I followed the course of study in Meyers's All-In-One Exam Guide for A+ and started with 95(A) and went on through to W2k Pro. That helped a lot on OS exam.

When you pass OS you will be a certified technician, probably just not an experienced technician. Don't let lack of experience prevent you from gaining experience.

Best of luck.

manrick777

Well I guess that you guys are right, but the only thing is that EX: In the book I learned so far, they show me diferent component of a mother board, but they don't show me how to chenge it to another one, or also, you know every mother board have jumpers and cable that connects to them, (not the molex but the one related to the on/off switch) and all those other tiny ones, it was not in my courses, also the scusi hard drive, I know about the termination, the unik ID but they did not showed me how to actually install one, tell me what problems I may encounter. It's all detailes like that I am talking about. But I guess that those ones I will have to learn them down the road.

Also I started the new book for the O/S part of A+ and there is a few things that get me very confused, all the things like config.sys, autoexecute.bat and those things, there seem to be a lot to learn and they confuse me. But I hope I don't make you feel like I am negative and don't want to push, not at all, I just feel lost in a big IT world.

Sorry for my english
Sincerly
Eric

janmike

These questions are the ones that you should ask before taking on a task.
These are the reasons the terms like have manufacturer's documentation available before beginning exist. Unless you constantly work on proprietary systems and learn by doing, you'll always have to ask these questions.

Also the reason pencil and paper are an integral part of the tech's tool kit.
Read, diagram and label. Eventually a lot of it will become second nature.

As for those numerous little connectors on the motherboard, some systems have them labeled right on the connector what they're for. Again, here is where you diagram and label if necessary. New m'boards will have documentation included.

SCSI ID info should be on documentation or on manf. web site.
Problems will happen. Our staging techs tried to install a PCI SCSI card
in a PC yesterday but it wouldn't work in any of the PCI slots, so they have to wait on manufacturer to provide a solution now. These things happen, but you don't always bear all the burden yourself.

So, you're asking the correct questions. If you can get some old PCs to work with at home, that will be good. They don't have to be really new even, just work with them and get used to the processes used in the work.

Continued luck to you as you move ahead!

The_Network_Engineer

Yea really. Its the begining block in a Tech's skills. Sure you will need more certs and classes thats why we are all still here..

so dont worry plus without expernce you wont feel like a tech either even if u Ace all ur certs and courses etc. Trust me i had that feeling but once you start workin the field you will began to feel like it.