Does the A+ hold as much weight as it used to?

Michael.J.Palmer

So, I raise this question just because I've been looking at how things basically work in the mainstream corporate world and I really just don't the A+ cert offering new entry level workers in that environment much besides just a stepping stone of information that they'll never use.

I say this because it appears that most companies are leaning towards leasing their computers these days instead of buying their own. What this means is that many companies can't even allow their IT guys to crack open a case due to any sort of lease agreement they may have with that company. If there are any issues, they just replace the older machine with another one and all is well with the world after the information is transferred back over. I've noticed that most of these machines have external bay drives instead of internal drives as well, just to cut down on the amount of issues that may rise and require a person to crack a system open.

The A+ is great for workers in a repair shop, it's great for workers looking to become hardware engineers, or even guys who just want a firm knowledge of how to build their own computers. Am I the only one who feels this way? I'm glad I got the certification, it's helped me get more notice as far as jobs go, but even as I step into those jobs that listed A+ as a requirement, I still don't see how they expect me to use that knowledge in the roles they give me from time to time.

Anyone else feel this way? Do you think that the A+ cert itself will eventually be obselete? Or at the very least will be changed where the Windows software side of it far outweighs the hardware side of it?

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Comments

Netwurk

The cert holds its weight, but you probably don't want it as the ONLY cert on your resume. Makes it look like you only know hardware. Combine it with a few others (Net+, Sec+, maybe even a CCNA) and your resume will look much better.

steve13ad

With the new renewal policy, who knows. Personal I think it'll get a bit more valuable but I can see it going the other way as well.

I'm going to go ahead and get it by the end of the year, just in case.

Bert McGert

From my point of view, I see the A+ as a starter cert. It separates you from the non-IT folks that know just as much about computers as you do in the sense that you made the effort to study and go after the cert. It shows that you know your away around the guts of a machine.

Not to burst bubbles or be a pessimist, but to be realistic... has the A+ ever held any real weight beyond getting one in the door. I think that is where it has its most value... but I don't know you'll ever overhear someone say, "Oh damn, you see that dude? He's got an A+ cert!"

This goes for a lot of other certs out there, too, not just A+. I think it's a checkpoint on your way to more substantial certs rather than a one-and-done. Regardless, in the end a cert is just a piece of paper. It'll get you so far, but it's what you do with it and who you are as a professional that makes any difference. Anyone who has a clue can spot an empty cert holder (someone who has a cert, but clearly doesn't know jack) within about five minutes of talking to him/her.

Plantwiz

Michael.J.Palmer wrote: »

...
Anyone else feel this way? Do you think that the A+ cert itself will eventually be obselete? Or at the very least will be changed where the Windows software side of it far outweighs the hardware side of it?

Well, Software won't work without the hardware.

Now there is a slight trend toward more 'cloud' computing and with Smart-phones taking a bigger foothold over new PC purchases...the type of knowledge may change, but there will be a need to understand the hardware side...at least for some people. And over the past 15 years where us techs needed to configure the jumpers manually on cards/devices, this is all handled by the firmware and OS today...however, 15 years ago, we didn't have BlueTooth and BluRay and 802.11x, so as hardware evolves, so must our knowledge.

A+ by itself I don't think was ever the 'answer' to getting into IT. It shouldn't hurt, but never the last rung to ones learning.

If you have your A+, good for you! Now continue on into what you 'really' want to do in IT. If you haven't obtained your A+ yet, then go for it, and keep moving forward.

I know many successful techs, who never took the A+, so you need to ID your end-goal, and decide if this certification makes sense for your needs.

I don't see the A+ going away any time soon though!

earweed

I still see A+ required a LOT on job postings. I got my present p/t gig repairing HDTV's because of the A+. It still holds some clout.
I'm looking for the next A+ version to start including smartphones and ipads.

Zartanasaurus

A+ is probably the most valuable CompTIA cert there is. It seems most everyone is aware of it and it shows up a lot for entry level jobs as either preferred or required. So if you're just starting out, it definitely holds its weight.

biker_dude

I work for the DOD and it is taken very serious with our organization. It is now mandatory to keep our jobs and mandatory to begin working.

Devilsbane

It is a good entry level cert to get your foot in the door. Beyond that, a lot of people laugh at it.

About 10 years ago or so it didn't hold much value. The 2006 update fixed a lot of that by making the material more relevant. No longer did you need to memorize loads of IRQ numbers and such, rather just know how to work with them. It also did away with a lot of the Windows 9x things since in 2006 no business (and very few home users) used them anymore.

Plantwiz

Devilsbane wrote: »

...

About 10 years ago or so it didn't hold much value. The 2006 update fixed a lot of that by making the material more relevant. No longer did you need to memorize loads of IRQ numbers and such,

(those dang 15 numbers, really silly to ever have learned about them

)

It also did away with a lot of the Windows 9x things since in 2006 no business (and very few home users) used them anymore.

Not sure where you worked, but I can think of several clients who hand't upgraded to XP by that point. Mostly because their 3rd party software wouldn't work on XP...so careful with that comment.

Michael.J.Palmer

I think everyone's missing the point to this, I'm not arguing that it's a valuable piece of paper to most employers, nor am I saying that it's not a good place to start (I mentioned both in my original post actually). It just seems that the exam objectives just can't keep up with the ever changing technology market. Three years in technology years can be a lifetime and it just seems like overtime it'll become a losing battle if things continue at the rate that they are (Just think of how technology was three years ago and where it's at now compared to the previous three years, you're looking at leaps and bounds every three years and it's only getting quicker in advancing). That's my point to this, it just seems that the objectives and point to the certification may be lost as time goes by, maybe CompTIA saw this and that's why they're moving towards the every three year renewal policy, maybe that same policy 10 years from now will change as they go to upgrading the exam more frequently (speculation of course), what if they did it every year? I mean, in all honesty, it could very well turn into that as further advances are made.

I've already set my goal, I set my end-goal more than four months ago (before I got my first certification) and like most the A+ doesn't exactly factor into my end-goal but was simply a way to help get me a job to gain experience so when I do get to my end goal I've got work experience to pad the resume a bit. Maybe it's just me and I'm just being thickheaded about it, I've always had a habit of overthinking things and this just may be one of those things. In three months I probably won't be listing my A+ on my resume anymore, so why should I bother, right?

As for the most businesses haven't upgraded to XP comment that Plantwiz was commenting on, I too have seen even major banks that were still running Windows 2000 on most of their stations (not just teller stations either, even a few manager stations in the offices).

Devilsbane

Michael.J.Palmer wrote: »

maybe CompTIA saw this and that's why they're moving towards the every three year renewal policy, maybe that same policy 10 years from now will change as they go to upgrading the exam more frequently (speculation of course),

CompTIA has always strived to update their tests about every 3 years. The new change is just to ensure that if you are claiming that you have an A+ that you have a recent A+. I'm sure money also has a play in here. More people paying for vouchers = more money.

Sure technology changes a lot. But the idea is that you continue learning. Whether that continued education means going for higher level certifications, or maybe just working in an enviornment where you use the technology frequently. I have a hard time believing that someone will become completely obsolete in 3 years time, unless they have been in a coma or something.

Devilsbane

Plantwiz wrote: »

(those dang 15 numbers, really silly to ever have learned about them )

Not sure where you worked, but I can think of several clients who hand't upgraded to XP by that point. Mostly because their 3rd party software wouldn't work on XP...so careful with that comment.

I think the last time I used a windows 98 machine was 2004 or 2005. You probably have more experience in that area, since I was just a youngin back in those days. What I was meant about the IRQ's is that memorizing which IRQ is used for what doesn't mean that you can troubleshoot computer problems. Not that it is difficult to memorize 16 things.

Netwurk

I got my A+ back in 2002 and had to cover those IRQ's up and down. Never needed to know them in the real world. And of course if you did they were easy to look up.

You also had to know a lot about Novell back then too. And terminating SCSI devices, all sorts of stuff.

Michael.J.Palmer

I got one for you guys... I had to troubleshoot Windows Millenium Edition last week at work... ME I say!!!! There's nothing more aggrevating than trying to explain to an end-user why they may be having problems accessing Facebook and other sites on a Windows ME computer with a 566 Mhz processor and 64 MB of RAM.

steve13ad

Michael.J.Palmer wrote: »

I got one for you guys... I had to troubleshoot Windows Millenium Edition last week at work... ME I say!!!! There's nothing more aggrevating than trying to explain to an end-user why they may be having problems accessing Facebook and other sites on a Windows ME computer with a 566 Mhz processor and 64 MB of RAM.

That type of thing is exactly why most us have our jobs! Will ME even run IE 6?

Michael.J.Palmer

Apparently it will,

. Even if it's sluggish to say the least.

Devilsbane

"Never memorize what you can look up in books."

-Albert Einstein

I live by this pretty strongly. It just doesn't make sense to memorize everything if you rarely use it and can easily look it up. Unfortunately exams like to make sure that you understand it. So part of the exam process is to memorize nearly-useless information, take the test, and then flush it out so that you can fit some other information in there.

perhapse a better quote today would be, "Never memorize what you can Google."

poriggity

I am happy that I have the ability to put A+ and MCP certs on my resume, but honestly, everything I have been looking at hasn't required the A+.

Scott

earweed

Michael.J.Palmer wrote: »

I got one for you guys... I had to troubleshoot Windows Millenium Edition last week at work... ME I say!!!! There's nothing more aggrevating than trying to explain to an end-user why they may be having problems accessing Facebook and other sites on a Windows ME computer with a 566 Mhz processor and 64 MB of RAM.

Have they been using this the whole time or did they just blindly buy a computer with ME on it. I had ME back in the day and it was a nightmare.

Michael.J.Palmer

It appears that they had been using it the entire time. Funny thing is I had another identical Dell to that one come in that was upgraded to Windows XP and they were having similar issues. It just astounded me that folks would keep computers around that long (I can understand maybe 6, 7, or even 8 years, but I never imagined keeping a ME computer past 2002). We eventually ended up calling them last Thursday just to say that either they'd have to upgrade the RAM in the computer and the OS or just trade it in (we do take trade in's on hunks of junk) towards another computer. Waiting on a callback from the owners, lol.

Netwurk

Most places won't use anything less than XP, especially now that Microsoft no longer supplies updates for 2000

So if they make you support 95/98/ME, they are WAY behind the times

But as long as they keep paying you, more power to you

chuckles

Just think of it as a basis or rite of passage! I compare it to a high school diploma. I needed that to go to college just like the A+ is a foundation for many other things (including some jobs

)