A+, Network+ 1st job recomendations

geeksquad09 · September 2009

I am currently near the end of my pc repair and network technician course and i plan on obtaining my A+ and Network+ Certs. What job could i get with just those 2 certs.?

networker050184 · September 2009

Assuming you have no experience, help desk or other entry level positions.

geeksquad09 · September 2009

what is a description of a entry level help desk job,
also whats the starting salary

sambuca69 · September 2009

geeksquad09 wrote: »

what is a description of a entry level help desk job,
also whats the starting salary

Answer phones, help with what you can, what you can't figure out, or don't have the time to figure out, you generally send off to a higher tier of support.

In NYC area, anywhere from 30K-45K I've seen, depending on industry. I have no idea in your neck of the woods.

Do a search on Monster or Dice and see what they pay, and average salaries.

kellyjohn · September 2009

A+ and Network + certifications are vendor-neutral, meaning you won’t be restricted in your career to a single operating system. With an emphasis on the expertise needed to work as a computer service technician, troubleshooting and repairing PCs. I was 23 when I got a job an IT, my degree was Electronics and I couldn't get work in that role when I left Uni so I worked for my local council in IT doing PC builds, support etc. One advice would be whether you’re just starting your IT career or figuring out the next direction yours should take, it’s important to get a read on or IT training on where the industry is headed so you’ll know which skills and certifications are hot and which ones aren’t worth your time.

Hyper-Me · September 2009

kellyjohn wrote: »

A+ and Network + certifications are vendor-neutral, meaning you won’t be restricted in your career to a single operating system.

Jack of all trades...master of none.

Hyper-Me · September 2009

I wasnt dissing ANY one. But its a little ignorant to say that getting the A+ or Network+ is going to be better because you arent specialized.

There is a reason its called specialized...because its special...meaning not average...meaning desired.

You need to be extremely good at SOME thing in IT to flourish, if not you will always be help desk. Neg rep me for that if you want, but its the truth.

djhss68 · September 2009

LOL, I just noticed your rep meter. You should see how far you can take that. Just try to get a lot of posters to hate you.

human151 · September 2009

tbh, those certs will not get you much. You should decide what your more into, Sys Admin or Networking and continue on onto the MCSA path or start studying for the CCNA and beyond. in the mean time maybe you can get lucky and get a job where you work below someone in a junior position.

Hyper-Me · September 2009

human151 wrote: »

tbh, those certs will not get you much. You should decide what your more into, Sys Admin or Networking and continue on onto the MCSA path or start studying for the CCNA and beyond. in the mean time maybe you can get lucky and get a job where you work below someone in a junior position.

Careful, you may get negative rep for being honest and trying to help people!

jmanrta · September 2009

Hyper-Me wrote: »

Jack of all trades...master of none.

lol Hyper-Me, do you mind if I use that as my signature?

Hyper-Me · September 2009

jmanrta wrote: »

lol Hyper-Me, do you mind if I use that as my signature?

Nope!

I wasnt saying that was me, I was saying thats the description of a person who thinks they are more valuable by having A+ because its vendor-neutral rather than specializing in an area.

msteinhilber · September 2009

kellyjohn wrote: »

A+ and Network + certifications are vendor-neutral, meaning you won’t be restricted in your career to a single operating system. With an emphasis on the expertise needed to work as a computer service technician, troubleshooting and repairing PCs. I was 23 when I got a job an IT, my degree was Electronics and I couldn't get work in that role when I left Uni so I worked for my local council in IT doing PC builds, support etc.One advice would be whether you’re just starting your IT career or figuring out the next direction yours should take, it’s important to get a read on or IT training on where the industry is headed so you’ll know which skills and certifications are hot and which ones aren’t worth your time.

I'd have to agree with Hyper-Me on the point of A+ and Network+ as far as not posing a restriction in your career. They are meant for entry level positions really. They certainly wouldn't impress me any when somebody decides it's time to move up after the person who obtained them and landed a helpdesk role and put in a year or two of work. So to assume they are going to keep restrictions in your career less likely is a bit of a stretch, unless you're talking about continuous lateral moves in your career which isn't anyones ideal situation really. People desire to move up in their careers, and in doing so they would generally be expected to move beyond entry level certifications.

I haven't looked that that link, but I generally disagree with giving much weight to any analysis on which certifications or skills are hot or not. They are difficult to really gauge which certifications and skills are best for your particular area, and that's only if they they aren't bias towards the training offerings by companies who conduct or push for said studies.

Instead, I'm an advocate of searching the various job boards and listings in your desired work region and simply see what is being asked of both for education, certifications, and experience to gauge what you should be shooting for. Important note though is to not be discouraged if you find a lot of listings that list a B.S. and a laundry list of certifications as most employers will aim fairly high on their desired traits. It will still give you an idea of what they would want in a best case scenario, but certainly does not mean you need to fit the entire template of which type of ideal candidate they list.

That being said, A+ and Network+ will get you entry level helpdesk more than likely. Do you already work at the Geeksquad? If so, that might help you out somewhat over candidates that do not have any experience at all. Salaries will vary greatly on area, in the Madison, WI area by me for example - you're likely to only earn around 25-30k for entry level helpdesk with no experience.

brad- · September 2009

geeksquad09 wrote: »

I am currently near the end of my pc repair and network technician course and i plan on obtaining my A+ and Network+ Certs. What job could i get with just those 2 certs.?

Yes, people are going to say helpdesk/level 1 support and implementation type jobs, but thats not necessarily your destiny.

Let me also throw out there, dont forget proprietary hardware/software vendors. I got my start doing support for a proprietary company that created its own medical software and hardware...there are tons of dental, orthodontic, medical, etc companies. IMHO, it is a great way to get some technical work history on your resume to show that you can work well with 3rd party vendors, and prove some intangibles.

On top of that, of course you want to get the best job you can for the moment...but try to think ahead as well. Once you settle in at your job, think about the next cert you want, as far as SQL, Exchange, a MS server, ISA...something to set you apart from everyone else that has just an A+/N+. Typically what you see happening is people perform a job for a couple of years and move on to something with more responsibility and better pay.

human151 · September 2009

whoever gave me a negative rep and said "wrong" is wrong themselves. lol

A+, Network+ 1st job recomendations

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