to start off your IT career Comptia A+ or CCNA?

i am having trouble deciding whether to get the A+ certification first or CCNA first .I know it would be a good thing to get both but i am new to the IT and would like an entry level job to start off. Any advice i would really appreciate it

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MCSA:03/08/12/16 MCSE:03s/EA08/Core Infra
CCNA
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Tell me what your goals in IT are? A+ is the desktop side of things, CCNA is the network side. Follow the path that works for you best along your goals.
I am not a huge fan of Comptia, but I see it's perceived value by the employers.
CCENT, although it is the very first entry-level cert for Cisco, is a Cisco cert. When people see that you know a little bit about Cisco and TCP/IP networking, they're far more likely to let you interview than if they only see A+.
That's just my 2c.
Learn to walk before you try running.
Seriously though, it's like others have asked, what do you want to do? Getting an A+ isn't going to help you with a CCNA, but it might help you get your foot in the door for a general IT position.
If that's your worry, definitely go with CCENT or A+ rather than CCNA. Again, I would suggest CCENT because it's much less of an investment, money-wise. Not only that, but until October, you can take the exam a second time for free if you fail.
Networking is a good direction. So do yourself a favor and watch the free videos on Cisco and Network+ on www.vtc.com (if you want to pay for them go ahead too, great site!) and ensure it's something you want.
In that case CCENT is perfect, while you work on that you have to get some volunteer work in at your local library or senior center in computers. Something to talk about at your interview and write on the resume.
Where you working now? Circuit City's Firedog and Geek Squad are a great place to get a little bit of experience if you can't get into a Network Operation Center/Help desk job just yet.
I went for the CCNA as my first certification, and after my first attempt at the exam, I realized I should have worked up to it. It was a grueling exam, Cisco expects you to know alot for an entry level exam. I finally passed the exam on my third try.
But I have heard of stories of people getting fired because they did not understand the basics of hardware and the OS even though they had higher certifications.
Don't get so upset...it's just ones and zeros.
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Then exam 70-270.
UK
Totally agree. Get yourself equipted with the fundamentals and then go for higher certs. Even professionals that have been in IT for a while go for their A+ for the very reason that many employers find value in it.
Just my 2 cents..
Left To Do: EVERYTHING
....and you never will.
Main reasoning. A+ is accepted certification. All computers under warranty in order to be worked on need A+ certified people to repair them.
I think before taking Cisco you should have fundamental down of networking. That is why there is a Network + certification. This is basic networking 101. This will provide a nice bridge into deeper networking like Microsoft, linux, Cisco or security exams.
A+ is most recognized Comptia certification but I believe the others like Network + and Linux and Security + are getting more accepted why posted the 8570.1 DOD directive.
This is huge for people who took the time to do these other considered basic certifications.
I see more and more jobs daily that ask for certifications mentioning Network + with A+ of course others but a few years ago this wasn't necessarily the case.
Now I think the Network + has the recognition it deserves. I also believe that recognition and acceptance is only going to grow.
One final note. If your already working IE: 6 months on routers for a telecom company and all you do is work with Cisco equipment. Do your CCNA or CCENT I suggest the CCNA basically because if you fail the second exam you can retake for free right now. Others have said the same for CCENT but think is a time limit on that.
Good luck and congratulations to all who have achieve or are trying to achieve this certifications:)
Your first post on here is reviving a 10 year old thread huh? Well played
I'm guessing he was researching on Google, found the thread, and wanted to see what worked out best for the OP. Not too likely to get a reply from the OP at this point, but who knows.
To address the reviver, I'd say it just depends on your background and goals. I had a rather extensive background in hardware, and I wanted to focus on networking. So going straight for CCNA made sense to me. It might not work well for someone with little to no computer experience at all.
Once you've learned the fundamentals from that, you can decide if networking is right for you by going with the CCNA or branch out into another IT field
And I realize just now that this is from a thread from 10 years ago
the advice still applies though
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