new guy here

chevy454

hey guys im new to the fourm and i recently gained interest in the IT field and i came here to get a little bit of help on which certs to get,after reading i see the A+ is the foundation for IT i dont know to much about all the certs but i want to do something thats 50% hands on and 50% behind the desk if i can what certs do i need if i decided to go that route? and how is the pay?

UnixGuy

Welcome to the forums


I think it's a good idea that you get A+ & Net+ then start looking for a job. Depends on your background in IT. If you develop interest in networking, go for CCNA which has hands on.

Just look for a job to get experience, and from there you can start certifying

chevy454

oh ok will i need a degree of some sort also? i heard a few people saw you will need a 2 year,4 year, or 5 year/

murdatapes

chevy454 wrote: »

oh ok will i need a degree of some sort also? i heard a few people saw you will need a 2 year,4 year, or 5 year/

Not necessarily. Degree will always give you some sort of edge when applying for a job. I am doing my A.A.S right now, but I got into this I.T. game through my certs. I started off with A+ and Network+, which knocked the door down for me, and continued from there. If you can do a combo of degree and certs, that would be great. If you can't do both right now, start on your A+ and Network+.

qwertyiop

Thats true. I started working on my degree and wasnt able to complete it, but I got a internship and from that I gained enougth experience to get a job as a network admin.

chevy454

thankx i really appreciate you guys for that my last question is how good is train signal A+ test prep? and mike myers?

murdatapes

Never used it before, wanted to try it out a couple of months ago. It looks pretty good though. Mike Myers Passport? If you are talking about the Passport book, they are pretty good as well. Some people say, not enough info. I think other wise.

brown9

I agree with Unixguy, A+ and Network+ are always a good starting point. Why? Because, those certs give you the fundamentals that you will need to get started in IT. Get the A+ first because it covers basic computer knowledge and repair skills.

You could also go for CCENT in place of the N+, that way you'd be half way to CCNA, just be careful becuase cisco tests have a higher difficulty level.

I used mike myers to pass A+ in 2004, I really liked his writing style, I can't comment on the material for the latest generation of A+

BigTex71

I, too, really enjoy the writing style of Mike Meyers. His A+ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Sixth Edition is highly recommended. He also has Network+ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Third Edition which is another great resource for the N+. I used those for my studying.

chevy454

well i just bought mike myers all in one book today, but will a degree from a tech school count as experience or not?

networker050184

chevy454 wrote: »

well i just bought mike myers all in one book today, but will a degree from a tech school count as experience or not?

No degree counts as experience. Experience is actually working in the field, not studying it.

You can see if you can try to get some kind of internship through the school, but you might not have too much luck if you go to a small tech school.

chevy454

oh ok where i live the only places that have information technology is tech schools and LSU but i dont think i can afford to go there and the three universities have Computer Science

BigLou

chevy454 wrote: »

hey guys im new to the fourm and i recently gained interest in the IT field and i came here to get a little bit of help on which certs to get,after reading i see the A+ is the foundation for IT i dont know to much about all the certs but i want to do something thats 50% hands on and 50% behind the desk if i can what certs do i need if i decided to go that route? and how is the pay?

I guess you should start with the A+ since thats the foundation. After that, what really interests you? Networking, server, security? You'll figure it out as you go. Right now you should get your hands dirty in everything and see what you truly like.

chevy454

i went school searching today but i only had time to check out one school and that was Remington college and the recruiter told me the tuition was 39k thats about how much it costs for ITT also huh? then another of the head guys in the administration office said that the credits might or might not be able to get transferred to another school....what you guys think about that? does that sounds fishy or what? and what is the difference in Associate of Science, General Science Associate of Science, and Business Technology Associate of Applied Science the recruiter didnt want get into detail about she was mainly talking about how they are a platinum member with Microsoft and how i will be able to get 6 certs with them...my concern now is wondering do employers look at degrees from Regional accredited schools differently?