Passed 801, having second thoughts about 802 and pursuing IT career..

xauth

I just passed my 220-801 and haven't scheduled my 802 exam yet because my passing score was a 757 out of 900, which I'm a little upset with because I lacked knowledge on router portions (changing channels,) and the building computer parts.
With me lacking this knowledge I feel like I've failed it, even though I somehow passed.

I hate to be that guy, but I do agree that the IT field is bloated with people who don't know what they're doing, and in all honesty I just don't want to end up being part of the problem.
I mean exactly how can I learn all that there is to know without learning "on the job," because nobody is wanting to hire and train people who are inexperienced in some fields.

Any tips or recommendations on where I could possibly gain more information on how to be a better technician? I would say that I learn best with hands-on training, but cannot currently afford schooling or find a place willing to hire/train me (as they all require bachelor's degrees and tons of certs with experience, all of which I don't have yet.)

Thanks!

DissonantData

What other careers are you considering? What do you think will be more enjoyable than working in IT?

If you don't learn to finish what you start, you will never get anywhere no matter what you do. If you enjoy IT and you believe you can do the work, then finish your certification. How long did it take to finish your cert? There are people who take longer than you did to finish it even with experience. Although you're still lacking in knowledge, employers will hire based on how fast you can learn and do the job. I passed with a 711 and I still feel like I have gotten somewhere. Once I finish the A+, I plan to get hired and learn what I need to learn on the job.

xauth

DissonantData wrote: »

What other careers are you considering? What do you think will be more enjoyable than working in IT?

If you don't learn to finish what you start, you will never get anywhere no matter what you do. If you enjoy IT and you believe you can do the work, then finish your certification. How long did it take to finish your cert? There are people who take longer than you did to finish it even with experience. Although you're still lacking in knowledge, employers will hire based on how fast you can learn and do the job. I passed with a 711 and I still feel like I have gotten somewhere. Once I finish the A+, I plan to get hired and learn what I need to learn on the job.

As for other Careers I have none really that I can think of for alternatives.. IT I only considered for basic helpdesk jobs as I'm perfectly fine with 30-40k a year salary here.

It's the score that I got which was a 757 on the 801, which is why I feel like I might not be suited for the IT field as I'm unsure as to how difficult the work is for helpdesk or PC repair/maintenance would be and if I'd be efficient or even able to perform the job.
I'm still going for my 802 and I passed the 801 first time I took it. It took me about a year to get myself ready for the 801 after reading constantly online and reading exam-crams/other books as well as working on building my own gaming PC for the first time (which was a success .)

I'm really just asking for help though on where to go for more knowledge or training that's kind of hands-on work without having to shell out alot of money for technical schools or college, maybe even some ideas on what I could do at home to learn more maybe with routers, security, deploying servers, etc. as I'm limited financially here at the moment.

Thanks!

dpsmooth15

DissonantData wrote: »

What other careers are you considering? What do you think will be more enjoyable than working in IT?

If you don't learn to finish what you start, you will never get anywhere no matter what you do. If you enjoy IT and you believe you can do the work, then finish your certification. How long did it take to finish your cert? There are people who take longer than you did to finish it even with experience. Although you're still lacking in knowledge, employers will hire based on how fast you can learn and do the job. I passed with a 711 and I still feel like I have gotten somewhere. Once I finish the A+, I plan to get hired and learn what I need to learn on the job.

If you were going to second guess A+, you should of did it BEFORE you spent 180 some bucks on the 801 voucher. Keep driving Forward. 1. You have to get hired as a "technician" and one of many ways is getting certified. Just look at it as, 802 is a totally different exam. 2. I bet my right toe and your right arm, nobody will ever ask what you scored

My 101st post:
Goes out to the ..101st Airborne Division ( Air Assault)
were real men are made

Eston21

You should definitely go ahead and finsih your A+. Earning will it will open more door to getting that hands on experience that you are look for. In fact for some places it is the main requirement. If you want hands on experience put an ad on craigslist for used or broke computers and work on fixing those.

shortygirl

I love IT. I'm a tech lead (tier 3) in service desk.

I really dislike hardware.

Now, I wouldnt' worry about not getting a 900 on a fundamental but boring test. You passed. There are a lot of testers who get high scores only because they use unethical sources. You didn't do that - kudos.

Remember- there are a LOT of niches within IT. The A+ will at least get you that entry level job, which may not in the end have ANYTHING to do with where you end up. It's the experience and the connections that you make in that first job that will matter more. I know that I would probably ragequit if I had to perform desktop support; call center support was plenty. Now I'm in a role that is much more interesting (more documentation, for example) and I'm moving toward information security and programming.

Don't let this discourage you. Keep on! Finish the A+.

shortygirl

What job are you looking for? Desktop support? Remote helpdesk? You'll need the first cert or two for this. A+ at least. I was hired without, but I can troubleshoot better than others so I was very lucky. Do you WANT to be in desktop support? Or something else? What drew you to IT?

stryder144

Okay, first things first...the A+ exams cover hardware from roughly 1995 to present. That is a crap ton of info to remember, even if you've lived through all of those changes (I bought my first computer around that time). Your score doesn't reflect how well you will do in the real world. So, don't get discouraged by the score. It is, ultimately, unimportant. I don't need my A+ to prove how good I am at fixing computers, but it was necessary to get my first professional gig in computer repairs (Geek Squad) and it helped me land my first professional IT gig (working for a huge telecom).

Troop on and study for/take the next exam, get your A+, get your foot in the door, and wow your future employer! Just make sure that you subscribe to the idea that, in IT as in life, it is all about Continuous And Never-ending Improvement!

JaneDoe

Do you like working with computers? Do you break and fix your own computer(s)? Try new things with it? If so, IT is for you. If you hate working with computers and don't like try new things on your computer, then IT is not for you.

The A+ exam has a lot of irreverent BS, don't worry about your score on it. IT is not about memorization, exams are. Your score says how well you memorize the stuff your told, not how well you'll do in an IT job. Just memorize what they tell you, get the piece of paper, and get the job (same goes for school).

SharkDiver

First, you could have failed, and you didn't. (Many others have)

Second, as Chris Bryant once told me, "In football, you don't get more points for going further into the endzone. All you need to do is break the plane." Which you did.

Third, sometimes a low score is more about the material you used to study than it is about you. I got an extremely low score on one of my exams and later found that the book I was using had actually been published before the exam topics were finalized. The second edition of the book added 2 or 3 chapters full of material that hadn't been in the book I had.

Keep going. Use your score to gauge how much studying you need before taking the next exam. 2 more weeks of review and you may have scored 100 points higher.

Good luck.

advanex1

SharkDiver wrote: »

First, you could have failed, and you didn't. (Many others have)

Second, as Chris Bryant once told me, "In football, you don't get more points for going further into the endzone. All you need to do is break the plane." Which you did.

Third, sometimes a low score is more about the material you used to study than it is about you. I got an extremely low score on one of my exams and later found that the book I was using had actually been published before the exam topics were finalized. The second edition of the book added 2 or 3 chapters full of material that hadn't been in the book I had.

Keep going. Use your score to gauge how much studying you need before taking the next exam. 2 more weeks of review and you may have scored 100 points higher.

Good luck.

Well said.