What kind of jobs can I get with an A+ cert?

TechBoy22

Hey all, I was curious....I'm going for my A+ cert to start my journey into eventually becomming a network engineer. I would like to one day obtain my CCNA/CCSP. The class is only for 6 weeks. What kind of jobs can I get with this certification while in the meantime I continue to further my knowledge to obtain more certifications? Any Ideas will help as I am in a real up and down type of job. I would like to start working on my career as soon as possible.

learningtofly22

Great to start with A+. You can get an entry level job w/ this cert, don't be disappointed b/c the hours will be long and the pay low if you don't have experience. Try to find the biggest company you can; they will likely have more equipment, and more IT personnel. The advantage of this is threefold:

1. More "stuff" to be learned.
2. More experienced IT personnel to show you the ropes, an invaluable thing to have.
3. More IT personnel at a company means (statistically) slightly higher turnover, meaning that you could get promoted more quickly as people leave.

TechBoy22

Sounds great...What kind of companies should I try and look for? Where could I find these entry level jobs and should I apply now even though I don't have my cert yet?

jryantech

TechBoy22 wrote:

Sounds great...What kind of companies should I try and look for? Where could I find these entry level jobs and should I apply now even though I don't have my cert yet?

I was on your same boat.

If your not getting your cert for another month or two I would try and make up a resume that looks good and send it out in the mean time. But when your one week away wait till you have the cert to apply for jobs so you don't have to re-apply with the cert on your resume.

I would recommend trying to get a sales job at a Best Buy if your into sales. They can transfer you to Geek Squad once you get your A+. I did Firedog Tech at Circuit City and boy was it lame. I heard much better things about Geek Squad.

Use Craigslist, Careerbuilder, Indeed and Monster to search for those entry level jobs under "IT".

Good luck

LarryDaMan

jryantech wrote:

I did Firedog Tech at Circuit City and boy was it lame. I heard much better things about Geek Squad.

What would be the difference? Same type of store. Same services.

If you could stand the financial hit for a while, take an internship! If you are willing to work for free for 8-12 weeks or whatever: you will gain experience, be able to make networking contacts with people, and many times if you do a great job... they will move you into a full time position.

My wife works in HR and fresh out of college and after an internship, she was pulling down a very nice salary with the State Department.

Work your butt off, don't complain. Shake hands. Collect business cards, e-mail addresses, meet as many people as you can. Do more than you need to, gain experience with several different things. This is a very proven path to success, actually many many successful people at one time have held internships.

It is all about who you know and then what you can do... in that order.

hypnotoad

Avoid the Geek Squad. Those guys don't know anything. They pop in an "MRI" disc and run the "Ludicrisly Automated Spyware Eradication Resource (LASER)" and when that doesn't get rid of a problem, they tell you you need a new HD and if you can't find your CDs, to buy a new copy of Windows Vista.

They aren't geeks in any sense of the word.

rfult001

So I'm not the only one who has had that experience?

Apply at a local college. They are notorious for hiring newbies and you can get your hands into all sorts of stuff.

Megadeth4168

hypnotoad wrote:

Avoid the Geek Squad. Those guys don't know anything. They pop in an "MRI" disc and run the "Ludicrisly Automated Spyware Eradication Resource (LASER)" and when that doesn't get rid of a problem, they tell you you need a new HD and if you can't find your CDs, to buy a new copy of Windows Vista.

They aren't geeks in any sense of the word.

Now, now... Let's not generalize! My best friend is on Geek Squad (but is looking to get out of it) and he knows his stuff. Although I think you could safely say, that most of the people who work for geek squad fit your description.

AmpdChaos

rfult001 wrote:

Apply at a local college. They are notorious for hiring newbies and you can get your hands into all sorts of stuff.

+1 and usually they are cool about teaching you stuff and if you break stuff, in my case, they just sweep it under the rugs