I'd like to thank Reddit for directing me here!!!

S.Boloney

I've been pretty down in the **** here lately after having gotten laid off from a warehouse i was working at and making a decent sum. I was intimidated by going to college but not out of fear of classwork, but of the debt and length of time.

I'm a very computer literate person. I'm not extremely advanced but I love computers and have always been able to troubleshoot my pc problems by myself and some reading on the internet. I would love to start learning about the PC/IT industry with these great study materials and practice exams but I really don't even know where to start learning???

Where would a person with a firm grasp on PC's even start? I know maybe this is vague or you all might need some more input so I'll be back very soon to address any questions and read your comments!

thanks for helping!!!

Devilsbane

CompTIA A+ is where most of us get our starts. A little spendy, but it gets some critical knowledge down that will come up again and again. Plus a lot of entry level jobs will hire just with that and a good interview.

Good luck, and welcome to TE.

S.Boloney

Devilsbane wrote: »

CompTIA A+ is where most of us get our starts. A little spendy, but it gets some critical knowledge down that will come up again and again. Plus a lot of entry level jobs will hire just with that and a good interview.

Good luck, and welcome to TE.

What does CompTIA stand for? Is there anywhere I can find a glossary for the terms I read on here and don't recognize?

so I notice under the CompTIA tab to the left there are tech notes and practice exams for

• [SIZE=-1]CompTIA A+ Core[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]CompTIA A+ OS[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]CompTIA i-Net+[/SIZE]

• [SIZE=-1]CompTIA Network+[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]CompTIA Security+[/SIZE]
• [SIZE=-1]CompTIA Linux+[/SIZE]

I'm assuming these are all each individual certifications based on different aspects for CompTIA but is there some kind of umbrella certification for being certified in all of it. You mentioned starting with A+, would I be wrong to assume that includes both A+ Core and A+ OS.

I was thinking of studying each tech note, practicing what I can on my computer and making sure I learn each exam objective inside and out. Am I taking the wrong approach or does that sound like a solid plan?

Devilsbane

Computing Technology Industry Association, but everyone refers to it as CompTIA.

Also, the iNet+ was retired years ago and is no longer an option. And no, no umbrella certification. A+, Net+, Sec+ are often refered to as the CompTIA triad or CompTIA triple threat. But never on a resume or anything.

Easy boy, take one at a time. Start with one of the A+ exams and then move to the next. Once you have passed both parts, you are A+ certified.

rogue2shadow

Welcome to TE!

CompTIA is an IT certification distributor/vendor. Just about all the certifications they offer at the current moment are entry level. The notes you listed are great supplements; check around the different forum subsections for great information on study methods and questions people have regarding job direction.

The one thing I advice you to stay away from are test ****. If you are using website training material make sure to check CertGuard | IT Certification Exam Security & Integrity to make sure the material you are using is not considered a **** (basically people go to test centers, memorize questions, and post them).