Do I need A+? Looks like it

Hello everyone I've been browsing the forums for a while and decided to register as this has been one of the best sites I have came across there is a genuine interest to help each other here and an encouragement to learn. I started in the computer repair business around 1998 and have considered to take the A+ for about 6 years and never got around to really taking it serious. Over the past couple years I have seen a decline of business and decided to go hunt a job. A friend of mine told me about an computer tech job with the local school system so off I went and applied for the job.I was really disappointed to find out I was passed over and the guy they hired had less than a year of experience but he had an A+ cert. I started reading the All in One by Mike Myers and will set a test date soon.

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dynamik

I'm sorry to hear about that, but I'm sure other opportunities will present themselves for you soon.

Good luck and welcome to the forums!

TravR1

I probably would have hired you with experience over the kid with the A+. The certs set you apart from everyone else with limited experience, but I think 10 years of experience goes further than the A+

morpheous

I feel for you bro,thats the way of the IT world my friend,i have fellow class mates in the technical institute i attend that have a A+ and mcp 70-270 certs and have no clue what the hell they are doing.

They are newbies,entry level at best and all they have learned is how to pass the test,not how to troubleshoot,fix,diagnos a PC,i feel sorry for them when they go out into the IT industry and get called apon to perform the duties that their certs reflect and they fumble about,then 3 months after they are hired,they are fired for not being up to the standards they are expected.

I have over 10 years experience behind my certs,so i have a foundation to stand apon,so i am confident going to a job interview.

Those fakers will be exposed for the fakes they are and be ousted from the IT industry.

scheistermeister

Welcome to the forums!

A+ is something I have thought of on and off for years. I started preparing for it when I was 15ish. Thing is back then it was looked upon as a joke test so I never got around to taking it. Not to mention the fact of the cost and being young.

Looking back on it I probably should have. The same has happened to me as well even though I have years of experience with that kind of stuff and other certs. Main thing I have heard when I have talked to recruiters is, "But this position REQUIRES an A+ certification." To which my response has always been, "I have the experience and the knowledge. Hire me and I will prove it, pay for the cert and I will get it or hire me and I will get it within a couple of days." To which they respond, "Well they want someone who already has it." To which I reply, "Well, BYE!"

ken.perez.8541

I think that A+ is a great certification for anyone in the IT industry. It provides a foundation of PC basics for anyone, regardless of the direction that they want to go. I do agree that 10 years of experience is by far more important than the certification, but they never hurt to have, and think of how much more valuable you will be with 10 years experience and the A+ certification. Good luck on your exam!!!

LarryDaMan

ken.perez.8541 wrote:

I think that A+ is a great certification for anyone in the IT industry. It provides a foundation of PC basics for anyone, regardless of the direction that they want to go.

You may be a little biased since you have the A+ IT Technician, A+ Depot Technician, A+ Remote Support Technician.... perhaps not as impressive as a triple CCIE, but maybe just as rare.

You're right for a different reason and it's because people know about the A+. If you're young or just getting into IT, it will set you apart because even recruiters and HR people know about the A+.

I told one of our senior executives that I would be out for a while at a CISSP bootcamp and she said, "What is the CISSP?"... I bet she knows what the A+ is.