certification is for LOSERS

ok maybe not, but I really am not seeing new doors opening because I am certified.

For example, I am looking at http://www.workopolis.com/content/fasttrack/technology.html for a new job and the way I see it: A+ certs are worth $10/hr, Network+ nobody cares or nobody knows, MSCA is a consideration, but there's a whole wack of MSCE jobs!

I know its normally about experience to get a job but how are everyone elses experiences? What about the job interview? Do employers care or like that you are certified in whatever you are certified in?

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tokhss

i see A+ required with a lot of tech jobs.. if your gonna be hands on with the equipment.. Network + i have not seen either cuz nobody know or whatever, but its good to have on the resume.. Certs are just resume candy.. it tells the employer you "know" something.. but that doesnt fly all time, we do have paper heads (those who think know they but really dont) .. in anycase.. i think A+ is needed, N+ not really, but good to have and good on the resume(candy), Microsoft Certs are always good to have when applying for a MS enviornment and required if you want to be on top of the list ...anything after that would be specific to your application.. Cisco certs are required, hardly see a place allow u to place your hands on their equip without those cisco certs (routers pix switchs) .,,,

these lower level certs are just the path for the higher level certs.. its not manditory, but good to have and good place to start. dont expect to make 30/hr with n+ and a+ ... just being real.

Goodhope

hello"mynameisboring" u r right . I have my A+Cert and still now i'm unemployed. I have 8months Experience and it seems nobody or employers don't care about having CompTIA a+.I really don't know what to do. In my island a waiter salary is same as aPC Tech!

tokhss

your moral is low on both of you..im sorry.. dont give up. educate your selfs to the next level. with technolgy you must not stop learning, if you do, you end up complaining why no jobs are avail or other things.. this is a life long process and technology changes so must you. simply having a A+ is nothing, you should of known that, if you have 8 months of experience then great, your A+ wont go further than that, go get your higher certs and then test the market.. CCNA/MSCE. employers now look for degree's first then certifications. a combination of both would be ideal..

when i didnt have a degree or certs, i must of applied to over 100 job openings in the matter of 1 week. some called, some didnt, a couple gave interviews, 1 grabbed. 1/100 talk about BS right? well, it did bring down my moral at first, but then i realized i didnt have much experience at all and i took advantage of it. dont give up man, the momment you do, you can kiss it and put it away for a long time.. if you truely have a passion for what you want to do, you wont give up.

goodluck with your future endevours.

BeachTech_

tokhss wrote:

Certs are just resume candy..

Tokhss is right. Your resume (and your attitude) should not be based on what certs you have. Getting a job is a game, and you need to know how to play it. I have been in the job market for 15 years. I also have been in Human Resources, responsible for hiring people. Here are a few pointers:
1. You are selling yourself as the solution to the employer's problem. If they say they need a Network Administrator, find out what they REALLY need. Do some detective work. Call the secretary, etc, and fish for info.

2. Numbers-You need to send out your resume to A LOT of people. 3-5% is a typical response (3 out of 100 resumes sent get a call-back).

3. Interview-If you have gotten to the interview, then you need to realize that the interview is commonly just to make sure you fit in the organization.

4. Attitude-Your attitude makes a world of difference. By reading your email, it seems that you feel you are entitled a job because you have your A+. Sorry, but that is not true at all. It is resume candy. Many employers now understand that just because you have a cert, doesn't mean you will be good on the job. I know some MCSEs that can't properly troubleshoot a computer that just has a virus on it.

5. MOST IMPORTANT--If you want to stay in I.T. for life, you have to realize that you will NEED to be updating your skills constantly, or you will be "phased-out". For me, this quest for certification is not a project, it is a lifestyle. I plan to be studing for my next cert when I am on my deathbed in the hospital.

Seriously, if you need some more suggestions, PM me with your phone number and I will give you a call on the weekend (THANKS T-MOBILE!)

/usr

I completely disagree that certs serve as nothing but resume candy. If you take the time to apply yourself, you'll gain a wealth of knowledge in obtaining a cert. Granted, having a cert doesn't guarantee you anything, but it certainly doesn't hurt.
Anymore, I don't even know if it's possible to get a job with simply an A+ cert. I thought that too at the beginning, but quickly realized it just wasn't going to happen.

garv221

I agree with everything BeachTech_ said. I'm only sporting a Network+ cert but I have a degree and 4 years experience with titles "network Analyst" and "Systems Admin." I feel kind of bad that I have put certifications off till this year, especially when I talk with paper techs who know nothing but theory. Anyways is all about how you sell yourself, & what kind of guy you are. The age of the computer geek is out the door; companies want a well rounded easy going guy, with experience. You have to start off small.

viper75

When I first started in the IT field about 10 years ago I was making I think $5.50 or $6.00 an hour...can't remember. I was a bench Tech for a computer company and worked there for 5 LOOOOOOOOOOONG years.

I did grunt work too.

Now I got a decent job doing what I enjoy (Network Specialist).

My point is that you have to start out some where. If you have no experience don't expect to make more than $10.00 an hour when you land a job. You have to start at the bottom of the ladder and work your way up.

Get certified and send out your resume to as many places as possible. The job market is tight right now and it's hard to land a job these days, BUT not impossible.

Good Luck!!!

jojopramos

Its sour graping if you said that certs are for losers...

Certs says that you have knowledge in the particular area or field and A+ and Network+ are so basic certs that if you are in the technical support job, you really have knowledge and you can pass these easily....but for microsoft and Cisco, it is important that you have certs because the employer is looking for your certs and experience....

I think you are the one who is a LOSER if you cannot sell yourself to the employer even if you are certified because im afraid that you just cram youre exam...

Knowledge is Power...

BeachTech_

LostInSpace wrote:

I completely disagree that certs serve as nothing but resume candy. If you take the time to apply yourself, you'll gain a wealth of knowledge in obtaining a cert. Granted, having a cert doesn't guarantee you anything, but it certainly doesn't hurt.
Anymore, I don't even know if it's possible to get a job with simply an A+ cert. I thought that too at the beginning, but quickly realized it just wasn't going to happen.

I didn't mean that certs serve as nothing but resume candy. You are absolutely right, certs can give you a wealth of knowledge if you apply yourself.

Let me re-phrase the "resume candy" part. Your resume is a "system" and certs on your resume is one "module". Other modules are "experience" "formal education" "professional organizations", etc. One module doesn't make a resume. A few modules makes an OK resume. The more modules, the better.

On my last job search, it was tough because even though I had great looking modules(years of progressive experience, advanced formal education, etc), I was missing one...certs. I did get a job, and a good job at that, but there were some jobs I would have liked to at least interview for that required some certs. Needless to say, even though the rest of my resume was great, I did not get an interview at those companies.

My point to the original post was....don't think you can walk in with your A+ in hand and they will give you a job. I would be great if it was that easy, but in reality, it is not.