A Few questions?

sasuke30290

I'm a newbie and right now well I think and I'm currently working at Bestbuy Geeksquad. I'm trying to get my A+,MCP,MCSA,and MCSE after that I'll go for more. Well here are the Questions

1. Can I get some good study Tip and how to retain the information. P.S Not good at taking notes and Brain just goes to other place when I'm reading.

2. I just brought a few books about A+ I was wondering if the CompTIA A+ 2006 In Depth which came with the Video CD and Flash Cards is a Good Source or do need the Mike Meyers or Seybex Books. Haven't Read anything yet just used the flash cards and did the testing enjine

3. Has anybody heard of the Microsoft ComputerTraining School.
1. Was it hard?
2. Did you understand the material?
3. Did you get all of your certifications?

4. Should I read all of it The A+ Book is about 1200 ^ pages.

Plantwiz

sasuke30290 wrote:

I'm a newbie and right now well I think and I'm currently working at Bestbuy Geeksquad. I'm trying to get my A+,MCP,MCSA,and MCSE after that I'll go for more. Well here are the Questions

1. Can I get some good study Tip and how to retain the information. P.S Not good at taking notes and Brain just goes to other place when I'm reading.

2. I just brought a few books about A+ I was wondering if the CompTIA A+ 2006 In Depth which came with the Video CD and Flash Cards is a Good Source or do need the Mike Meyers or Seybex Books. Haven't Read anything yet just used the flash cards and did the testing enjine

3. Has anybody heard of the Microsoft ComputerTraining School.
1. Was it hard?
2. Did you understand the material?
3. Did you get all of your certifications?

4. Should I read all of it The A+ Book is about 1200 ^ pages.

You are serious about working in the field correct?

If so, Welcome to the site.

Second, as you will like find out/or hopefully already heard....nothing worth having comes easily.

Your post is a bit confusing...You have a job or you think you have a job?

Next this is a bit puzzling:

I'm trying to get my A+,MCP,MCSA,and MCSE after that I'll go for more.

One step at a time grasshopper. What is your true goal? What career path do you want? There isn't benefit to merely 'collecting' certs to have them....and you don't need them 'all' to be successful...so decided what aspects of IT are of interest and train and accept positions that keep moving you in the correct path.

Many times cert tracks have more to do with what your employer needs/wants vs. what you want....again, what goals do you have besides collecting certs? (perhaps that's not your intent to collect certs...just reading what you wrote).

1. Study tips? There are SEVERAL posts already on the site. Search for them.
Basically, you will want to download the objectives. Meyers and Sybex books are the best recommended books for A+...and NOTHING beats experience. Again, if you want to retain the material...you need to 'do it'.

And not be be rude, but if you cannot teach yourself how to take notes and learn by reading you'll have a short career in IT. There are study centers (like Sylvan) where you can work with disabilities. Your school counselor should have resources to assist you through this so that you can function....but the excuse won't cut it. You've identified the problem....work on it.


2. If your plan (again reading your comment above) is to prepare by using practice test/flash cards alone.... consider another career path as it doesn't sound like IT is really where your heart is.
- experience
- Download the objectives
- practice

**

3. Won't help you with the A+ exam. A+ is from CompTIA


4.

4. Should I read all of it The A+ Book is about 1200 ^ pages.

You're not renewing my confidence with 'geeksquad'

Really, if a 1200 page book is a concern....then I'm not really sure what to recommend for you...every career I know involves reading to some level if you truly have a problem with 'reading'...there are people who help teach dyslexia patients and other learning disorders...it's not a crutch...get whatever assistance you need and learn to work with this. If it's merely an excuse then learn behavior to not use this excuse.

I'm not belittling you, as a professional I don't understand this trend of declaration of 'unable to take exams' etc... that seems to be vogue. Back in my day, students sought tutors to stay up-to-speed on scholastic work. If that carries onto your professional life....so it does, but it's not an excuse. We all have different ways to learn things...no one way better then another...just need to do what it takes to get you to the level playing field. If a student wasn't able to get up to speed they failed...oh the shock today where NO ONE FAILS.....EVER! There was a time a student just repeated the course or grade-level and life moved on. Maybe humiliating...not sure why...but everyone learns things differently...as an adult it's your responsibility to know what works for you....get the tools and make it happen.

For certifications:

Goal - desire for a particular area of expertise
Experience
Objectives for each cert (one at a time)
3rd Party Study material (usually books...Meyers for CompTIA; Sybex both CompTIA and MS exams and MS Press books for of course MS...visit the other forum on CCNA on this site for their recommendations).
Test Lab - not as sub for experience but another tool that works in conjunction with your training prep and prep for future positions.

Out of curiosity....how is it you are working for Best Buy without being A+ certified? That was a requirement at one point....at least in this area it is/was.

royal

Well, Plantwiz pretty much said everything I'm thinking. If you're going into IT, and you're worried about one 1200 page book, then... I think in the last year I've read about 15 600-800 page books in addition to quite a few white papers. Even after all that, I still feel like a newbie, which I am. So what's my point? No, it's not to brag about how much I've read. Most people on these forums read a lot, because that's what you have to do to succeed in IT. You really need to be serious and understand that if you're going into IT, you will have to do A TON of reading, a ton of labs, and enjoy it!

Personally, I would recommend continuing working at Geek Squad and go to college if you're old enough. After college, you can focus on your certifications. If you're still in high school, then I would read up on the A+ or see if your parents can send you to an A+ class. Even in an A+ class, you won't be getting a lot of hands-on. Yes, you will get some, but most of it will be auditory learning.

impelse

After all they said, this is my two cents:

It is difficult to re-educate yourself, you said that it is difficult for you read and take notes, so to begin you can go to a college and sign in for a training A+ (just the beginning) to receive class, that will be your first step (or you can buy cbt to watch the videos many times until you understand the topics). After you receive the classes or after you watch the videos you can go and read the material, because you already are familiar with the information will be more easy to read it.

You need to create passion for IT career, think what you want to do as a goal, short goals and long goals, dream it with that and try to get the shorts goals first.

Defines your motivations to be in this field, some times it is difficult but after you learn is more easy.

Raul

sasuke30290

Plantwiz

Sorry for all the jumble up questions.

The best way I can put it I have low confidence.

Bestbuy was easy I took a Test covering Hardware,OS,Networking made a 810. I forgot I just got the job. Bestbuy was my choice because u didn't need a certification just pass their test and your in and everybody will help and train you.

When I meant I Think I'm meaning am I a newbie in computers.

I'm in school for A+ and the other certifications. The A+ course hasn't started yet and I'm starting to have doubts

I'm not quite sure if I can understand there alot of information.

I'm not a reader I work better on hands on training.

Here my plan 18 yrs old now.

6 Month at Computer Training School MCP,MCSA,MCSE
6 to 9 for the College to get my A+
Finishing all of it I'll be 19 then I'll go to college for IT Security and so on

The most problem I'm having is will I retain it and pass the test on the 1st Try.

Sie

Is your first langauge english?
Please dont take this as a offensive comment

Its ok if it isnt but my thoughts were that if it is you should start looking there, as others have suggested above there are lots of places and people you can got support from to build these skills and to build you confidence up.

Once you get that you'll find you will want to read that 1200 page book and many more!!