Hdi?

Mike-Mike

I am 31 and I got laid off, I was a Service Tech for the phone company, so I went back to school. I took a class in HDI/ITIL, and the school will pay for certifications, but not HDI. So I got a 90 on my HDI final, but I have yet to take the cert test. I would have to pay for it out of pocket.

The school will pay for ITIL, A+, Net+, and whatever else I take from there.

Is it worth it for me to pay for the HDI?

[Deleted User]

Do you have any type of IT experience? My personal opinion is that the HDI cert wouldn't help you as much as the other certs you've listed. While it might be good stuff to know it just may not be worth the cost of the exam itself.

eMeS

I don't think that there are many people here that hold HDI certs, so your question is likely falling on deaf ears.

The best information that I can give you is that I work with a number of large customers in various industries. In their service desk areas the HDI certs are generally looked upon favorably.

MS

Devilsbane

eMeS wrote: »

I don't think that there are many people here that hold HDI certs, so your question is likely falling on deaf ears.

I've never heard heard of it. For sure the A+ and Net+ will get you moving in the right direction.

eMeS

Devilsbane wrote: »

For sure the A+ and Net+ will get you moving in the right direction.

I'm not so sure...the problem is that the OP hasn't told us what direction he wants to go. He's talking about very different things that will likely take him in wildly different directions.

MS

Mike-Mike

Devilsbane wrote: »

I've never heard heard of it. For sure the A+ and Net+ will get you moving in the right direction.

I had not either. Their site is HDI | Leading IT Service & Support The school's stance is that the test is un-proctored (is that a word?) and that some employers feel that since you just take it online that you could **** and therefore the HDI cert does not carry any weight. But they still teach the class so I'm not sure why they won't pay for the cert. They say it's important to have that knowledge before you move onto ITIL.

eMeS wrote: »

I'm not so sure...the problem is that the OP hasn't told us what direction he wants to go. He's talking about very different things that will likely take him in wildly different directions.

MS

I was a service tech for the phone company for 9 years. So for the past 5 I was a DSL tech. So I did a lot of phone installation and repair, but I also did minor pc repair, small amounts of networking, setting up wifi etc, nothing major, but I'm not completley new to the IT world.

I like PC repair, but I know it doesn't pay much. I got laid off/took an early retirement. I took out my pension and I am living off that an unemployment for now. But I signed up for school. I already have an associates via online at University of Phoenix in Business. But I don't have any faith in that degree really.

I took an A+ class many years ago, but I never tested for it. So I was looking online to find classes for certifications and I found a college in my town that offers both a certification program and degree program.

I am in my first quarter there, and any IT program must start with HDI/ITIL and then you move on to what you choose.

The school is Sullivan Univeristy: Sullivan University - Home

the current program I am in is here: http://www.sullivan.edu/campusvue/all/docs/08_Sullivan_Catalog.pdf

on page 43, I'm not sure how to link just that specific page

So i'm not sure really what I want to do, I'm kind of starting over at 31, I figure I will get a sampling of multiple different things in college, and maybe I will like one thing better than the other and pursue that one specific interest.

My original point was that I took the HDI class, it seems odd to have learned it not to get a cert in it, but the test is $145. I didn't know if it was worth it or not, i probably will do it anyhow, but I just wanted to see what people on here thought

eMeS

Mike-Mike wrote: »

I had not either. Their site is HDI | Leading IT Service & Support The school's stance is that the test is un-proctored (is that a word?) and that some employers feel that since you just take it online that you could **** and therefore the HDI cert does not carry any weight. But they still teach the class so I'm not sure why they won't pay for the cert.

I was under the impression that their exams were delivered via Prometric....I guess from what you're saying that's not the case.

Mike-Mike wrote: »

They say it's important to have that knowledge before you move onto ITIL.

I completely disagree. Service Desk is only a fraction of what is covered by ITIL.

Mike-Mike wrote: »

I was a service tech for the phone company for 9 years. So for the past 5 I was a DSL tech. So I did a lot of phone installation and repair, but I also did minor pc repair, small amounts of networking, setting up wifi etc, nothing major, but I'm not completley new to the IT world.

I like PC repair, but I know it doesn't pay much. I got laid off/took an early retirement. I took out my pension and I am living off that an unemployment for now. But I signed up for school. I already have an associates via online at University of Phoenix in Business. But I don't have any faith in that degree really.

I took an A+ class many years ago, but I never tested for it. So I was looking online to find classes for certifications and I found a college in my town that offers both a certification program and degree program.

I am in my first quarter there, and any IT program must start with HDI/ITIL and then you move on to what you choose.

The school is Sullivan Univeristy: Sullivan University - Home

the current program I am in is here: http://www.sullivan.edu/campusvue/all/docs/08_Sullivan_Catalog.pdf

on page 43, I'm not sure how to link just that specific page

So i'm not sure really what I want to do, I'm kind of starting over at 31, I figure I will get a sampling of multiple different things in college, and maybe I will like one thing better than the other and pursue that one specific interest.

My original point was that I took the HDI class, it seems odd to have learned it not to get a cert in it, but the test is $145. I didn't know if it was worth it or not, i probably will do it anyhow, but I just wanted to see what people on here thought

I have no idea what that school is or whether it's respected or not. You've said you like repair work, but the pay isn't there for you. IMO, that eliminates A+, because that's the type of job that people with that cert tend to go for.

Best advice that I can give you is that you probably need to decide what you want to do, and then develop some plans around achieving that goal.

MS

[Deleted User]

eMeS wrote: »

I was under the impression that their exams were delivered via Prometric....I guess from what you're saying that's not the case.



I completely disagree. Service Desk is only a fraction of what is covered by ITIL.



I have no idea what that school is or whether it's respected or not. You've said you like repair work, but the pay isn't there for you. IMO, that eliminates A+, because that's the type of job that people with that cert tend to go for.

Best advice that I can give you is that you probably need to decide what you want to do, and then develop some plans around achieving that goal.

MS

I'm curious, how much weight would the HDI cert hold? I spoke without knowing much of anything about the cert. I believe there was a thread on it previously that mentioned it was pretty much an entry level help desk cert. Would this certification hold more weight for this guy than the A+ considering he has "help desk" experience? I think that if you are trying to get out of a Help Desk/Service Desk role then try to find a company that is hiring someone in desktop support. You may have to overcome some obstacles at first but I think you could succeed in that kind of role and then work towards either Cisco or MS. I'll be honest, I don't really know much about the ITIL certifications and what kind of opportunities those present right now but they may be worth pursuing also. Basically, it comes down to what you want to do in the end.

eMeS

xmalachi wrote: »

I'm curious, how much weight would the HDI cert hold? I spoke without knowing much of anything about the cert. I believe there was a thread on it previously that mentioned it was pretty much an entry level help desk cert. Would this certification hold more weight for this guy than the A+ considering he has "help desk" experience?

I don't hold any of their certs so for me their value is exactly $0. But also consider that I'm not interested in working on or near any type of service desk. I think that anyone pursuing HDI certs would likely have that type of work as a near-term goal.

As I said, I work with numerous large customers in various industries, and I have seen that they often value various levels of HDI certification in their Service Desk areas, and they often send their people to HDI training. It is often a criterion that determines whether one person gets hired over another for those types of jobs.

HDI offers several levels of certifications, beyond even the entry-level ones. There's a pretty big industry around it actually, and most major cities have local interest groups that focus on HDI stuff.

MS

David1111

I am completely agree with you.

Devilsbane wrote: »

I've never heard heard of it. For sure the A+ and Net+ will get you moving in the right direction.

Devilsbane

eMeS wrote: »

I was under the impression that their exams were delivered via Prometric....I guess from what you're saying that's not the case.



I completely disagree. Service Desk is only a fraction of what is covered by ITIL.



I have no idea what that school is or whether it's respected or not. You've said you like repair work, but the pay isn't there for you. IMO, that eliminates A+, because that's the type of job that people with that cert tend to go for.

Best advice that I can give you is that you probably need to decide what you want to do, and then develop some plans around achieving that goal.

MS

Many help desk jobs ask for A+. Even though they likely won't be touching any hardware, the knowledge can be used to troubleshoot issues. Also, the A+ puts a large focus on customer services and that is critical for any help desk position. Net+ won't do much for a helpdesk position, but it is good foundational knowledge and should help you move out of that help desk role when you are ready to move on.

N2IT

Devilsbane wrote: »

Many help desk jobs ask for A+. Even though they likely won't be touching any hardware, the knowledge can be used to troubleshoot issues. Also, the A+ puts a large focus on customer services and that is critical for any help desk position. Net+ won't do much for a helpdesk position, but it is good foundational knowledge and should help you move out of that help desk role when you are ready to move on.

Agree A+ is really all you need to land a help desk job. That and some decent looks (nice suit), and a good verbal and written skills. More verbal, but written would come into play for your cover letter, resume and thank you letter.

Mike-Mike

thanks for the tips!

Local-IT-Dude

i have also heard good things about the A+

several of my friends used theirs to leverage their way into a job. I'm working on mine now