There are a total of 4 specialist training sectors in the overall A+ programme, of which you’ll need certification in two subjects to gain A+ competency. But restricting yourself to two of the specialised areas is likely to leave your knowledge base somewhat light. At least learn about all four - for greater confidence in the world of work.
Qualifying in CompTIA A+ without additional courses will mean that you’re able to repair and fix stand-alone PC’s and MAC’s; ones that are generally not connected to a network - which means the home or small business market.
If you add Network+ training to your A+, you’ll also learn how to take care of networks, giving you the facility to expect a better remuneration package.
One crafty way that course providers make a big mark-up is by charging for exams up-front and presenting it as a guarantee for your exams. This looks like a great idea for the student, until you think it through:
Everybody’s aware that they’re ultimately paying for it - obviously it has already in the overall price charged by the college. It’s certainly not free - and it’s insulting that we’re supposed to think it is!
If it’s important to you to get a first time pass, then you should avoid exam guarantees and pay when entering exams, focus on it intently and be ready for the task.
Hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you’re ready, and hang on to your cash. You’ll also be able to choose where to do your exams - so you can choose somewhere closer to home.
A lot of current training course providers make huge amounts of money through getting in the money for exam fees early then hoping you won’t see them all through.
You should fully understand that re-takes with organisations with an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are tightly controlled. They will insist that you take pre-tests first until you’ve proven that you’re likely to pass.
VUE and Prometric examinations are in the region of 112 pounds in Great Britain. Why spend so much more on fees for ‘exam guarantees’ (usually wrapped up in the course package price) - when good quality study materials, the proper support and a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.
The somewhat scary thought of finding your first job is often eased by some training providers because they offer a Job Placement Assistance service. With the huge skills shortage in the UK right now, it’s not too important to get too caught up in this feature though. It isn’t so complicated as you might think to secure your first job as long as you’re correctly trained and certified.
Advice and support about getting interviews and your CV might be provided (if not, see one of our sites for help). It’s essential that you update that dusty old CV straight away - don’t leave it till you pass the exams!
Various junior support jobs have been offered to trainees who’re still on their course and have yet to take their exams. This will at the very least get your CV into the ‘possible’ pile and not the ‘no’ pile.
You can usually expect quicker service from a local IT focused recruitment consultant or service than any training course provider’s national service, as they’ll know the area better.
A big frustration for a number of course providers is how hard trainees are prepared to study to get qualified, but how ill-prepared they are to market themselves for the job they’ve acquired skills for. Get out there and hustle - you might find it’s fun.
Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always full 24×7 support with professional mentors and instructors. Far too often we see trainers who only provide office hours (or extended office hours) support.
Avoid, like the plague, any organisations that use messaging services ‘out-of-hours’ - where an advisor will call back during office hours. This is useless when you’re stuck and need an answer now.
Keep your eyes open for colleges that utilise many support facilities across multiple time-zones. Each one should be integrated to enable simple one-stop access together with 24 hours-a-day access, when it’s convenient for you, with no fuss.
Find an educator that cares. Because only live 24×7 support truly delivers for technical programs.
We’re regularly asked to explain why traditional academic studies are now falling behind more commercial certificates?
Industry now recognises that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, official accreditation supplied for example by CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA often is more effective in the commercial field - for considerably less.
Vendor training works through focusing on the particular skills that are needed (alongside an appropriate level of background knowledge,) rather than spending months and years on the background ‘padding’ that academic courses can get bogged down in - to pad out the syllabus.
If an employer understands what they’re looking for, then they just need to look for a person with the appropriate exam numbers. The syllabuses are set to exacting standards and aren’t allowed to deviate (like academia frequently can and does).
(C) S. Edwards 2009. Check out Website Design Course or HTML Programming.
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