College Graduate Advice

Laughin9m4n

Hello Members of Tech Exams.net,
I just graduated college with a bachelors degree in Computer Engineering Technology (too broad) and I want to focus my career on IT while keeping the engineering on the side. I was wondering if I have a bachelors degree is it still worth it to take the A+? or should I just move on? I was supposed to take it a while back but was worried I didn't study enough and kinda started slacking. My friend (he has way more work experience then me) who has the A+ says it is not worth it but I still think it will help me prove my knowledge and get my foot in the door. I only have two years experience as a technical support intern in a school (it got really mundane and redundant after 6 mo) and some side jobs. I really don't know what I want to be yet IT career wise but I know I don't want to waste any more time learning outdated information or stuff that the industry will probably never use again. Any thoughts and opinions would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Laughin9M4N
Also anyone used this site?
2 VUE CompTIA A+ Exam Test Vouchers CompTIA Bundle

ipconfig.all

Comptia stuff is what most people study to get their foots in the door because Comptia stuff are entry level stuff that will give you a good understandings of the fundamentals stuff in I.T. A+ is good if you want to be a Tech it will teach you how to break/Fix PCs etc. Expereince is what is important in I.T so try and get some work experience.

dancreaney

I'd say the A+ is valuable. It's a great foundation to build your knowledge on. It's readily dismissed as being 'too basic' but I find it hard to take a person seriously who wants to be a good tech but can't be bothered starting at the beginning. Even if you have a few years of experience, it never hurts to brush up on the fundamentals.

It's well documented that the I.T. industry moves fast. Technologies do change but not so fast that makes these tests irrelevant. What the A+ tries to do, is to get you thinking like a tech in the field. And of course it shows potential employers you, A. have the commitment to finish something you started and B. know what your talking about.

I would say two years helpdesk experience and the A+ should at least get you interviews for 1st line support work. Then you can try and figure out what you want to do from there.

I used this site for CompTIA discount vouchers: http://www.totalsem.com/vouchers.php

veritas_libertas

Welcome to TE!

The first question to ask is what path do you want to take? Network Infrastructure: Cisco, Juniper, etc. or are you more interested Servers: Linux, Unix, Windows, etc. These will help you define what kind of certifications you want pursue. The CompTIA certs are not a waste of time, but the R.O.I. is just not that great. As was stated earlier, they can help you get your first job but I think with BS already it might not help that much.

earweed

+1 Your BS will get your foot in the door. Unless you already know what you're planning to do down the road you could probably hold off on getting certs and work on getting a job in IT. After you have seen other people in jobs that you want to be in you'll have a beter idea of what certs to study for.

Devilsbane

Certifications and college are similar but different.

You could have a masters or doctorate, and A+ is still going to say something about you. Certs can only help you, and some companies will have a firm stance that if you don't have A+ you don't get hired. Although they will usually still hire you with the condition that you get certified in 60-90 days.

The benefit for you is thay they pay for it. The disadvantage is that if you, without A+, are against Joe Schmo, who has A+, and otherwise you are evenly matched. The company might just pick him so that they don't have to pay for you. Double edged sword.

Even if you have all of the knowledge for A+, my advice is still get it. Sure it costs some money, but I believe it is worth it. I know many people on this forum will disagree, and they are equally right. Whichever tests you take depends on where you want to go, and none of us can tell you that.

Laughin9m4n

Thanks for the info guys for sure I wanted to take the A+ and Network+ within the next 6 weeks (too early?), especially since it is going to start expiring soon. I just had some doubts about where to start. Veritas I heard taking the CISCO route may include more traveling so I might go in that direction. And dancreaney thanks for the link gonna check it out. The only other thing I hate is that most job search engines want at least two years of corporate experience.

ALfromSTL

I graduated with a BS in management information systems from a pretty good school and no company would look twice at my resume even for an entry level position without A) at least SOME experience or the A+ certification. I went ahead and got certified A+ just to get my resume past HR, and within a month, I got a hit. I am now getting at least two new calls a month for jobs and am about ready to start work for a defense contractor.

Point is, although you just spent 4 years in school working your ass off for a bachelor's degree, sometimes you need something like an entry level cert to put your resume above the 30 other people who also have a BS applying for the same position.

My advice is to use the degree as a base to build on. Start working on certs (get the A+ out of the way first), then go to job fairs in the area and talk to EVERYONE, if nothing else just for information on hiring trends (what entry level jobs they usually hire for, etc). Then get business cards and email each contact at least once a month so they remember you. The job I was hired for was not even posted yet when I was called by my contact. Persistence does pay off.