need some help with certs to choose from.

hello all, I am currently in the Phoenix, Arizona area and i lost my part-time job and a auto tech. : ( I am currently a full time student and a auto tech school but i love working on computers and building them. Currently closer to where i live there isnt good jobs open in my area except there is a good amount open in the geek squad.

I know that with a A+ cert and N+ i can possibly get it but most of my computer work has been building gaming computers and helping friends. I would like to get one of those jobs and i finish school. Any advice or certs that you think i should go for please let me know. I m not sure if i would like to go farther with this or just part-time as i finish school so please let me know and thank you for your help!

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Bl8ckr0uter

boricuasrt-4 wrote: »

hello all, I am currently in the Phoenix, Arizona area and i lost my part-time job and a auto tech. : ( I am currently a full time student and a auto tech school but i love working on computers and building them. Currently closer to where i live there isnt good jobs open in my area except there is a good amount open in the geek squad.

I know that with a A+ cert and N+ i can possibly get it but most of my computer work has been building gaming computers and helping friends. I would like to get one of those jobs and i finish school. Any advice or certs that you think i should go for please let me know. I m not sure if i would like to go farther with this or just part-time as i finish school so please let me know and thank you for your help!

Guess it depends on a couple of things but I would say A+/N+ is only a starting point and without experience, it can be harder to break it, even with certs. A lot of people will tell you to skip these certs and go straight for vender certs. For a person in you situation a CCENT (entry level cisco) and a MCTS (entry level microsoft) might be better than a A+/N+ for a couple of reasons: A: Microsoft and Cisco are the biggest players in the game right now. B: This shows a good balance and a good starting point for other certs such as CCNA and MCITP:EST and beyond and (most importantly) C: Comptia certs cost alot, more infact the A+ would cost you almost as much as both cert the CCENT and MCTS combined. Especially now since there is a special on certain Microsoft test that some of them are 60 bucks.

I could go on about how the A+/N+ don't expire and so on but honestly to me it is going to come down to dollars and sense. When I started in IT professionally (I was doing student work in high school) the first quasi IT job wanted A+ for its business support people and N+ for its professional support people (I didn't stick around long enough to pick up the N+ but I did get them both eventually). I know if I had started with the CCENT/MCP or MCTS I would probably be a MCSE:SEC and CCNP/CCSP by now but you know that is ok because the choice I made was to do comptia and it did help open some doors for me as well as get me out of a few classes in school.

My advice to use is to do comptia ONLY if you get a job that wants it, if you switch schools and you can get out of classes for having those certs, or if you want to work for the government. Not having an A+/N+ on your resume for a while may not hurt you.

Good luck with the studies,

knwminus

chrisone

I think if you just want to be in the game part-time and possible have this as an alternative career i would definitely get the A+ and a Microsoft certification like the Windows 7 cert or some other MCP level cert. If you have time get the Network+. With those two or three you can be stable during your college years and also have it as a back up career in your life.

impelse

I agree with chrisone. After you begin with those certs you will able to choose what is better for you.

boricuasrt-4

so if i get a ccent and a mcts then possibly get a A+ if needed. I am just trying to stick a decent job while im in school and like chrisone said it will be a good fall back for as a second job if something where not to work out. just how long does the ccent and mcts take to get?

RouteThisWay

boricuasrt-4 wrote: »

so if i get a ccent and a mcts then possibly get a A+ if needed. I am just trying to stick a decent job while im in school and like chrisone said it will be a good fall back for as a second job if something where not to work out. just how long does the ccent and mcts take to get?

To get your CCENT, you must pass the Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices: Part 1 (ICND1).

Here are the exam objectives:

640-822 ICND1 - IT Certification and Career Paths - Cisco Systems

You must know those topics to pass the ICND1.

It would take a couple months to study for, depending on your aptitude, prior networking knowledge, and how much you can dedicate to actually studying.

If you are wanting to take this, most people recommend the Cisco Press book by Wendell Odom, found here: Amazon.com: CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide, 2nd Edition (9781587201820): Wendell Odom: Books

However, by passing your ICND1, you are half way to getting your CCNA, the Cisco Certified Network Associate. You can grab both the Cisco Press ICND1 and ICND2 books at a discount by purchasing the bundle package Amazon.com: CCNA Official Exam Certification Library (Exam 640-802), Third Edition (Containing ICND1 and ICND2 Second Edition Exam Certification Guides) (9781587201950): Wendell Odom: Books

Just incase you are not familiar with the certification paths offered by Cisco, here you go: IT Certification - Cisco - Cisco Systems

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I will let someone else who is a bit more knowledgeable about the Microsoft tests speak for them

chrisone

I wouldnt bother with Cisco /CCENT. It is somewhat hard and a lot of information to intake and study for an entry level Technician. This is geared more to preparing for a career in networking and the CCENT wont land you much jobs, plus it wont prepare you for on the job daily tasks that you will be performing in System/Desktop Support.

sschmidlap

Hello from Phoenix. Whereabouts are you? I'm way north. Anyway, just wanted to say I can help you out if you need it. Being without a job myself right now have nothing to do but keep working scenarios and keeping skills fresh. I have some books, evaluation software, and a ton of labs you can use. I just finished a program at TechSkills in Phoenix. What do you think about working some labs together? I think that would be fun. Anyway, give me a shout if you need anything. I'll be glad to help.

Steve
steveschmidlap@live.com

RouteThisWay

chrisone wrote: »

I wouldnt bother with Cisco /CCENT. It is somewhat hard and a lot of information to intake and study for an entry level Technician. This is geared more to preparing for a career in networking and the CCENT wont land you much jobs, plus it wont prepare you for on the job daily tasks that you will be performing in System/Desktop Support.

I am also inclined to agree with chrisone on this. I did provide the information you needed to decide for yourself, but for an entrylevel desktop support, A+/N+ should suffice. It worked for me