Are you going to 'update' your A+?

Webmaster

CompTIA certifications are for life, which means you do not need to recertify your A+ by passing. You or your employer for example, may feel different about it. Whether it's just for fun, or you want to study the new exam objectives to stay current with the current or latest technologies, or as a resume enhancer, we'd like to know if you are going to 'update' your A+ to the 2006 objectives.

Please do not answer the poll if you currently do not hold an A+ certification or plan to finish the 2003 A+.

Also, feel free to reply and let us know why or why not.

panik

I won't be re-certifying my A+.

I feel that it's an entry level certification, and as I'm already working in IT there are better uses that I can out my time, effort and money into to improve my qualifications.

theseman

No, unless an employer forces me! lol

Orion82698

Not I

My company doesn't care, and I like the posters above consider it entry level, and I'm already way past the A+ stuff where I'm at now... although, I do find myself playing with mother boards at home still.

Plantwiz

Nope.

Think of the exam similar to a college (University) education. When I completed my Accounting Degree, I will hold that degree the rest of my life regardless if the University changes the curriculum or not.

Same thing here. So no I will not replace any computer certification or re-test for any certification unless it is a requirement of the certificaiton prior to holding it.

FWIW

Also, if I didn't work with this material on a daily basis I may feel differently, but I haven't left the hardware side of things and likely won't be any time soon.

eltoro

Would love to but don't have the time to study for it again. I am currently working on my MCSA.

D-boy

I'm not

Icem@n

Nah i dont think i will be doing over this vert at all what so ever. Bigger and better certs i am after now. hahaha

antonio banderas

I guess I will have to say no. I was a technician in the past, but now I work as a Systems Analyst. I would rather go towards Microsoft or Cisco Certifications. However, I will go after other CompTIA certification including Convergence+ and HTI+ (but this will be it for CompTIA).

I feel that they should stregthen the Network+. I mean why have a networking exam without subnetting questions...

saddlebags

Im working on my N+ now and have so far not been able to find any kind of IT job with the A+, so after my N+ I might do it to give me an edge over a few people. It might not do anything but its worth a go.

uke

I voted "no".

Main reason, spending $158 per exam times 2 exams comes to $316, which I can't justify spending to "refresh" a perfectly goot certification. Now if my employer paid for it up front and required me to take it, then I guess I'd do it.

Smallguy

I won't be taking it unless forced to basically because I don't feel I needed it in the first place but I got it as it is sort of a "requirement" for almost any positionin IT to get your foot in the door.

also I think it's just a money maker so I hope that comptia doesn't get many people to re-cert or persue the different tracks.

kujayhawk93

No, there are bigger fish to fry now.

johnnyg5646

I feel that it's an entry level certification, and as I'm already working in IT there are better uses that I can out my time, effort and money into to improve my qualifications.

AGREED!!

unless my employer says something to me about it (which I know they won't). I'm done with A+ for life. I dont even think i'd retake it if they did away with the whole, "certified for life" thing they currently have.

jojopramos

NO, as Comptia said that if youre an A+ cert, its foreever. thats it....If you want to know the new technology, just go to the computer store or buy A+ upgrade book and study it. I will just focus on Microsoft, Cisco and CWNA

Vogon Poet

No. Just wouldn't be worth the time and money right now.
However, might be worth reading the new technology information in 6-7 years from now. Whether I would then recertify then, depends on how much time I have to commit to it.

Slowhand

I have no plans to update my A+ certification, especially since it is a lifetime certification. The reason is the same one I gave to the president of the networking club at my college, when he was complaining that you can only retake classes two times, and there "is no other way to keep updated": Once an A+, always an A+.

Processor speeds change, frontside bus speeds change, memory capacities change, but the fundamentals of what you learned do not. There is still a motherboard, CPU(s), memory, storage, input/output, printers, etc. Any good A+ candidate should be able to go out and look at what's new on a site like Newegg, and be up to date as to what new hardware is available, (even if you've been out of the loop for a while). Windows has changed since the first edition of A+, but then the same rules apply. You have to be able to install the OS, troubleshoot the OS, perform basic tasks such as setting up printers, installing software, etc. . . You know what you need the software to do, just go out and look up how it's done at the current time.

In the end, certifications aren't about specifics of each particular type of technology. They are designed to display a particular level of proficiency with those technologies. Once you have that baseline knowledge and experience, you go out and get yourself a good "In A Nutshell" book, if you need to relearn some minute detail(s).

lammiano

I won't be updating my A+ because my employer does not require it.
Believe it or not I took mine in 1993 when it was in Beta with 315 questions!

Overlord1

No, i have A+ and N+ only for my MCSA 2003.

famosbrown

Nope...won't be taking it and in my experience, employers don't care about the year of this certification...it's the fact that you have it.

If I should work for an employer who requests the upgrade, then I would. But in that case, I would expect my employer to pay for the training, exams, and time to fulfill this requirement.

Famos

sthomas

I am not going to update my A+ unless the 220-605 exam is an Apple Hardware/Mac OS exam. I heard that it was going to be but it might just be a rumor. Does anybody know?

Plantwiz

sthomas wrote:

I am not going to update my A+ unless the 220-605 exam is an Apple Hardware/Mac OS exam. I heard that it was going to be but it might just be a rumor. Does anybody know?

I've not heard this. Where did you hear/read it? Or When?

petedude

sthomas wrote:

I am not going to update my A+ unless the 220-605 exam is an Apple Hardware/Mac OS exam. I heard that it was going to be but it might just be a rumor. Does anybody know?

I'd actually consider doing the A+ update if they had a Mac-specific exam. Otherwise, I doubt I'd update unless it became necessary somehow.

sthomas

I've not heard this. Where did you hear/read it? Or When?

I actually read it on another forum a couple of months ago. Someone posted it on examnotes.net I think, of course it may not be true. I was just curious if anyone on this forum heard anything about it. Maybe I will contact CompTIA directly.

dmm37

No, I feel if have years of experience behind it why do it?

kenny831

Will only do it if the boss requires and pays for it.

darreng1973

i did a practice test with prep logic or something similar and scored 80% or so using the new objectives .


the questions seemed similar to the one i remember from my A+ exam

i did my test 2 years ago

Steely

I'm not looking back at A+. Personally, I'm too swamp with CCNA, Security+ and an AA degree. And occasional contract work too.

sekure70

I don't see the need to re-invent the wheel. If you got your A+ in the first place, chances are you did it to become a better qualified IT pro. I think we have all moved past the A+ level and are seeking to attain higher certs as we improve our skillset. Why recertify in a cert that requires no recertification?

Just my $.02

addiktion

I will not be updating my A+.

much like others have said it's a certification that gets your foot in the door. Who needs to show off new A+ 06 skills? A+ is basic dude. The Return of Investment of the A+ is nil.

A+ gets you in a starting position so you can build upon that foundation of knowledge.


IMO:
A+ = PC repair, assembly etc.
Net+ = Tech support, network lacie, etc.
Security+ = Its popular right now because of the 9/11 incident. Everyones worried about their data being phished.
MCSA/MCSE/CCNA/CCNP + any other higher certs = Network Admins, Analysts, Engineers, big wigs, etc.

You also have your specific certs or others that are just icing on the cake.


I obtain certifications for a couple of reasons. 1. to give me an edge over competition in the employers eyes. 2. to increase my knowledge in a specific area. and 3. return of investment. If your not making more dough for your newly obtained knowledge it's not worth it.

Diddycoon

I only took my A+ at the end of last year so I don't feel the need to retake it.

I would imagine the newer exam has alot less focus on older MS-DOS and Windows 95/98 topics now and more focus of Windows 2000/XP which should make it a little easier imo.