Alternative to A+

Pratt2

Similar to a number of other people on this board I am currently transitioning to the IT field.

From what I've read my best shot at breaking in is with a "help desk" type role. Every post I see for these positions requires "A+ certification or comparable experience." Since I don't have the experience I need the cert but the thought of dropping $300 to basically certify that my brain works isn't terribly appealing.

Are there any certs I could pursue as an A+ replacement that either aren't as basic or aren't so expensive?

Excellent1

Pratt2 wrote: »

Similar to a number of other people on this board I am currently transitioning to the IT field.

From what I've read my best shot at breaking in is with a "help desk" type role. Every post I see for these positions requires "A+ certification or comparable experience." Since I don't have the experience I need the cert but the thought of dropping $300 to basically certify that my brain works isn't terribly appealing.

Are there any certs I could pursue as an A+ replacement that either aren't as basic or aren't so expensive?

To be brutally honest, the A+ is your best bet on breaking into the help desk field. It's been around long enough that it's sort of the gold standard that is looked for by HR personnel for these kinds of positions. I don't know of any other cert that is roughly equivalent, but others may.

My advice would be to find the best discount deal you can on vouchers and get your A+.

Mike-Mike

have you taken any A+ practice exams? prior to studying A+ i thought I would breeze through it, but I found I learned a lot from the Sybex kit. A lot of people on this board seem to turn up their nose at A+, but at the same time 90% of the time someone posts "how can I break into IT?" or "Where do I start?" everyone recommends A+...

no offense to the OP, but i love my A+ cert, I feel way better about it than I do my ITIL V3 Foundations cert

Pratt2

I'm just going from what I've read about the exam on this forum. What kinda rubs me the wrong way is that A+ is the most expensive entry cert and also, from what I've read, the most basic. I feel as though we're being taken advantage of. I did do one free online practice exam and scored something like 73%. But that was right after I passed Net+. Not good enough to pass, but my only experience is from messing with my own pc and reading overclocking forums.

Repo Man

The MS Client exam for XP will probably help you at just as much getting a help desk job as A+ would. You'd probably need A+ for an entry level deskside support job though.

Bl8ckr0uter

Repo Man wrote: »

You could go for a MS Client exam.

Agreed. A+ would be good if the job it a gov job or one that follows 8570 stuff but if not, go for the MCITP:EDT or MCTS or something.

sthompson86

One of my teachers does ETA certifications which is more of a electronics cert, but he says it is like A+... In my opinion as allready mentioned the A+ cert is the industry standard.

billyr

If you were UK based I'd say, ditch the A+ and concentrate on a desktop support cert instead such as the MCDST or newer MCITP track.

N2IT

Microsoft desktop support certifications would be cool. XP or Windows 7. That would take the place of A+ IMO. They are both on along the same lines. A+ is more broad and generic and obviously Microsoft would be more specific to their technologies.

steve13ad

You could check these out, they might be a little too entry level.

Microsoft Technology Associate

or

CompTIA Strata Certificates

Chris:/*

Mike-Mike wrote: »

have you taken any A+ practice exams? prior to studying A+ i thought I would breeze through it, but I found I learned a lot from the Sybex kit. A lot of people on this board seem to turn up their nose at A+, but at the same time 90% of the time someone posts "how can I break into IT?" or "Where do I start?" everyone recommends A+...

no offense to the OP, but i love my A+ cert, I feel way better about it than I do my ITIL V3 Foundations cert

Unfortunately many techs turn their nose up at the cert and a large number of them could really benefit from it. Entry level does not mean it is not important it provides great foundational knowledge. I often see many techs miss basic stuff that is covered in A+ but at the same time scoff at earning it.
That being said it is a gateway certification, you are not special for earning it but it is an assumed first step.

white96gt

It is important to understand the concepts that the A+ tests, but you don't need to actually get the certificate. If your a student I would jump on the student deal from Microsoft. 55% off the test as well as a free retake. Getting a couple Microsoft client certificates can help a lot with getting a help desk job.

Priston

Having the A+ will help you get more responses from your resume. I've had A+ knowledge for years now. At first I thought it was a waste of time to get certified, but until a few months ago I realized if I don't have work experience in the IT field i'm going to need to get certified(licensed) to give me that competive edge against everyone else in the job market.

Of course now that I am A+ and Net+ certified it's decemeber and not much hiring is going on during these holidays.

erpadmin

Mike-Mike wrote: »

have you taken any A+ practice exams? prior to studying A+ i thought I would breeze through it, but I found I learned a lot from the Sybex kit. A lot of people on this board seem to turn up their nose at A+, but at the same time 90% of the time someone posts "how can I break into IT?" or "Where do I start?" everyone recommends A+...

no offense to the OP, but i love my A+ cert, I feel way better about it than I do my ITIL V3 Foundations cert

Chris:/* wrote: »

Unfortunately many techs turn their nose up at the cert and a large number of them could really benefit from it. Entry level does not mean it is not important it provides great foundational knowledge. I often see many techs miss basic stuff that is covered in A+ but at the same time scoff at earning it.
That being said it is a gateway certification, you are not special for earning it but it is an assumed first step.

I will keep it real with the both of you, as well as everyone else: I do thumb my nose at A+. The only reason I got it (and Network+) was because I thought I was going to go for my MCSA/MCSE 2003. When I got a job as an ERP administrator, that dream pretty much died. Mind you, I had gotten my A+ when I was already 7-8 years deep in the IT field, starting as a J.O.A.T. then a Desktop Support Analyst, then a Server Admin, then finally a Server/DBA for the PeopleSoft ERP. Mind you, I still studied for it properly with the Mike Meyers All In One guides...I learned my lesson when I failed by one question the Network+ exam. (One question!) But I'm not expecting to have whatever-whatevered because I have A+/Network+ (and now Security+).

I will say this though...the only positive thing both those certs got me was discounted WGU tuition via their IT scholarship. Other than that, I could have done without it. Much of what I prepped for and studied I already knew. I just wanted to make sure there were no "gotchas", which can happen when one gets cocky...(and as a younger man, I did that a lot!)

Excellent1

erpadmin wrote: »

I will keep it real with the both of you, as well as everyone else: I do thumb my nose at A+.

I'm sure everyone's perception of different certs varies drastically based on where they're at in their careers. I can understand your comment above, given where you're at, professionally.

However, for someone looking to enter the desktop support world, there is nothing but positives in getting this cert. It will help you do the job you're after while helping you land said job at the same time.

Hypntick

To expand on this, A+ really is the entry level cert for support. Sure you could go the MCTS route, but from what I understand from reading through the MS sections on here those are a bit higher than entry level. I see regular failing posts in the MCTS section as opposed to the A+ section. Just might want to take that into consideration.

SteveLord

It is what it is. Take it or take your chances without it.

erpadmin

Excellent1 wrote: »

I'm sure everyone's perception of different certs varies drastically based on where they're at in their careers. I can understand your comment above, given where you're at, professionally.

However, for someone looking to enter the desktop support world, there is nothing but positives in getting this cert. It will help you do the job you're after while helping you land said job at the same time.

Guess what? I don't disagree with that at all. In fact, I will concede that it is harder to get an entry-level job, today, without an A+ than with one.

A+ is a good cert to have, but my original point was that it shouldn't be the end all-be all of one's career. There are many avenues to that desktop support job without an A+, though I would never advise about not getting one, and me thumbing my nose at the cert doesn't constitute that I do advise about earning that cert.

How I learned how to do desktop support work as a PC Hobbyist was to subscribe to PC Novice (I believe it's Smart Computing now). Then I had bought Computer Shopper monthly (when they were super-duper thick) and how I would save pennies and dollars to buy a few Megs of RAM (yes kids, Megabytes.) or a couple hundred megs of HD space (again...MBs... ). I was literally doing A+ work before I turned 18 (as I know a lot of us did). Now, when people want to break into IT, they can just study for the A+ exam. IRQ, jumper settings, etc are pretty much a thing of the past...Plug and Play has really come into it's own.

One alternative to A+ that hasn't been mentioned is the CIW v5 Foundations exam. You have to have A+, Network+, Security+ and a little Project+ knowledge to pass that exam. Now are there employers asking for it? I don't or can't see it, but it is an alternative to A+. It literally tests you on the most basic IT knowledge (plus HTML). Unless you're a WGU student, it's a $150 to take that exam.

ajs1976

When it comes to what certs will help for getting a certain type of job, go to the job search sites and look for the type of job you want to get. What qualifications are they asking for most often?

Turgon

Pratt2 wrote: »

Similar to a number of other people on this board I am currently transitioning to the IT field.

From what I've read my best shot at breaking in is with a "help desk" type role. Every post I see for these positions requires "A+ certification or comparable experience." Since I don't have the experience I need the cert but the thought of dropping $300 to basically certify that my brain works isn't terribly appealing.

Are there any certs I could pursue as an A+ replacement that either aren't as basic or aren't so expensive?

It isn't mandatory to have this certification. You already have N+ so I would leverage that in your job applications. You can say you are working towards the A+ on the CV. A lot of helpdesk work these days is ticket based, some assistance over the phone with cookbooks and some remote tools. If the job gets involved you often manage it out to the next level of escalation. The rules of engagement for escalation vary from place to place. Increasingly today the jobs are time based so you often cant slog away at a problem until it's resolved as your stats get spoiled. Similarly you may be criticised for overstepping your area of responsibility.

If you have any experience of IT in a paid or unpaid capacity get it down on your CV. Similarly if you have customer facing experience or over the phone get it down.

I think the A+ is useful as a HR filter. It is also useful for validating foundation knowhow, although in todays remote support world you most likely will not be pulling things apart and putting them back together these days. Similarly a lot of the hardware/software details covered may not find an outlet in your work i.e IRQ and what have you. There is a tendency these days to despatch engineer, reimage devices or repair by replacement rather than troubleshoot even simple problems. Knowing how to handle issues over the telephone and being handy at resolving minor problems should be enough. For that the A+ is no substitute for dealing with live outlook and laptop issues over the telephone or file and print requests for help from an enduser. It does offer some framework of hardware/software interaction though and everyone should go through some formalised training in that.

Incidently if you are based in the UK I wouldn't get hung up on CompTia certifications at all.

Excellent1

erpadmin wrote: »

A+ is a good cert to have, but my original point was that it shouldn't be the end all-be all of one's career.

How I learned how to do desktop support work as a PC Hobbyist was to subscribe to PC Novice (I believe it's Smart Computing now). Then I had bought Computer Shopper monthly (when they were super-duper thick) and how I would save pennies and dollars to buy a few Megs of RAM (yes kids, Megabytes.) or a couple hundred megs of HD space (again...MBs... ). I was literally doing A+ work before I turned 18 (as I know a lot of us did). Now, when people want to break into IT, they can just study for the A+ exam. IRQ, jumper settings, etc are pretty much a thing of the past...Plug and Play has really come into it's own.

As I said, the position you're at in your career really determines the value of the A+ cert. You, for example, were already in IT with years of experience in the field. Therefore, your perception of it, and its relative value to you in terms of advancement, was minimal.

However, for those such as the OP, and others such as myself that don't have those years of "official" experience to toss on a resume, the A+ certification takes on much more importance. Most of us already have the knowledge. I learned to work on PC's back when the big names were Tandy and Commodore 64 (not that there was a lot you could do to them), back when editing the autoexec.bat and config.sys meant you were some kind of PC ninja .

Unlike yourself, I went on from there without a job title that could be called an IT job, although I continued to build and work on PC's throughout the last 18 years, along with help setting up the IT department and deploy workstations, etc in a small manufacturing environment. Therefore, the A+ cert has much more value to me, professionally, than someone like yourself. Landing any job is about being able to quantify your experience, and certs are one simple way to provide objective evidence of that experience. It's not as good as years spent in an IT position, but it helps open the door to help get that first official job on the resume.

Just my take on it.

N2IT

Excellent1 wrote: »

As I said, the position you're at in your career really determines the value of the A+ cert. You, for example, were already in IT with years of experience in the field. Therefore, your perception of it, and its relative value to you in terms of advancement, was minimal.

However, for those such as the OP, and others such as myself that don't have those years of "official" experience to toss on a resume, the A+ certification takes on much more importance. Most of us already have the knowledge. I learned to work on PC's back when the big names were Tandy and Commodore 64 (not that there was a lot you could do to them), back when editing the autoexec.bat and config.sys meant you were some kind of PC ninja .

Unlike yourself, I went on from there without a job title that could be called an IT job, although I continued to build and work on PC's throughout the last 18 years, along with help setting up the IT department and deploy workstations, etc in a small manufacturing environment. Therefore, the A+ cert has much more value to me, professionally, than someone like yourself. Landing any job is about being able to quantify your experience, and certs are one simple way to provide objective evidence of that experience. It's not as good as years spent in an IT position, but it helps open the door to help get that first official job on the resume.

Just my take on it.

Agreed if there is just one cert to get to get the door open in the states it would be A+. Even if you have experience it's still not a bad idea, but in reality it's best suited for people without PC, Laptop, Printer, etc experience and people brand new to the IT field.

I've decided to do it and I find parts of it completely useless to myself, but can see where a complete noob would defiently benefit from this certification.

Besides the HR goons love this certification. I've seen higher level tech position preferring this certification. It sure can't hurt.

N2IT

Pratt2 wrote: »

I'm just going from what I've read about the exam on this forum. What kinda rubs me the wrong way is that A+ is the most expensive entry cert and also, from what I've read, the most basic. I feel as though we're being taken advantage of. I did do one free online practice exam and scored something like 73%. But that was right after I passed Net+. Not good enough to pass, but my only experience is from messing with my own pc and reading overclocking forums.

Now that maybe be true. I have that same feeling, why is that certification more expensive than the rest and why does it require two exams?

NinjaBoy

Pratt2 wrote: »

...Are there any certs I could pursue as an A+ replacement that either aren't as basic or aren't so expensive?

The following are at the same level of the Comptia A+:

Cisco IT Essentials
Microsoft Technology Associate: Server Fundamentals
ETA Computer Service Technician
National BTEC Award in Computer Engineering

-Ken

erpadmin

Excellent1 wrote: »

Unlike yourself, I went on from there without a job title that could be called an IT job, although I continued to build and work on PC's throughout the last 18 years, along with help setting up the IT department and deploy workstations, etc in a small manufacturing environment. Therefore, the A+ cert has much more value to me, professionally, than someone like yourself. Landing any job is about being able to quantify your experience, and certs are one simple way to provide objective evidence of that experience. It's not as good as years spent in an IT position, but it helps open the door to help get that first official job on the resume.

Just my take on it.

+1 and if I could I would rep this, but I had already repped you for something else. Much like you see my point in A+, I do see yours as well.

This isn't a debate over whether A+ is "worthy" though; I was only speaking that from my point of view, IT experience is going to help me more than the A+ certification (even though I will always list it, just to let employers know that I do have that portion of my experience quantified by a certification).

By the way though, I was around for the Trash-80s and C64s and Amiga...we were a bit on the poor side during that era though, though I did know folks that had them. I couldn't even get an Atari (the wood-finish one...not the $50 dollar 2600 that would try to compete with NES/Sega Master System...by the time NES came out, I did have one... ).

SteveLord

N2IT wrote: »

Now that maybe be true. I have that same feeling, why is that certification more expensive than the rest and why does it require two exams?

Simple. Because it is the most known and accepted by the industry. It's a staple.

Turgon

SteveLord wrote: »

Simple. Because it is the most known and accepted by the industry. It's a staple.

Yes. If lots of people want something, expect it to cost.

Chris:/*

It is also fixed at a point where only if you are serious about getting it will you achieve it. It is the first certification for most entry level IT people in the US.

N2IT

SteveLord wrote: »

Simple. Because it is the most known and accepted by the industry. It's a staple.

Which part of my question were you addressing?

The cost or the certification requiring two exams?

Hypntick

steve13ad wrote: »

You could check these out, they might be a little too entry level.

Microsoft Technology Associate

"Currently, only students, instructors, and staff at academic institutions set up as Certiport testing centers can take the MTA exams"

That really really sucks. As windows server admin. fundamentals would be invaluable to those of us who want to get into server admin but have no job experience yet. I've only played with server 08 in a home lab setting and trying to run through some of the MCITP level exams without a little hands on experience is frightening at best. Hopefully they will change that but who knows.

Pratt2

After reading all the responses I've decided to hit the A+ instead of Sec+ before Jan 1. Sounds like the A+ will give me the best ROI and that's what I'm after at the moment. Thanks guys.