subject: Interactive Career Courses In Comptia Hardware Support - Some Thoughts [print this page] There are actually 4 different sectors in the full CompTIA A+ syllabus, of which 2 passes are needed for competency in A+. Be aware though that only studying two of the study sections might well not equip you for a job. Choose a course with all 4 subjects - for greater confidence in the world of work.
CompTIA A+ in isolation will set you up to fix and maintain computers and Macs; ones that are most often not part of a network - this generally applies to home use and small companies. If you feel it appropriate to add Network+ training, you'll additionally be equipped to take care of networks, allowing you to command a higher salary.
It only makes sense to consider training programmes which will progress to commercially approved qualifications. There are loads of trainers pushing their own 'in-house' certificates which are worthless when it comes to finding a job. Unless your qualification is issued by a company like Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe, then you may discover it could have been a waste of time and effort - because it won't give an employer any directly-useable skills.
Does job security truly exist anywhere now? In the UK for example, where industry can change its mind whenever it suits, it certainly appears not. Where there are increasing skills shortages coupled with increasing demand however, we often find a newer brand of market-security; as fuelled by the conditions of constant growth, businesses struggle to find the staff required.
The computing Industry skills shortfall throughout Great Britain is standing at over 26 percent, as shown by a recent e-Skills analysis. Meaning that for each 4 job positions in existence throughout Information Technology (IT), there are only 3 trained people to fulfil that role. This single concept in itself reveals why the country needs a lot more workers to get trained and become part of the IT industry. Because the IT sector is evolving at such a rate, is there any other market worth considering for retraining.
A number of students assume that the tech college or university path is still the best way into IT. Why then are qualifications from the commercial sector beginning to overtake it? Vendor-based training (in industry terminology) is most often much more specialised. The IT sector has acknowledged that a specialist skill-set is necessary to cope with a technologically complex marketplace. Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe are the dominant players. Academic courses, for example, become confusing because of vast amounts of loosely associated study - and a syllabus that's too generalised. This prevents a student from learning the core essentials in sufficient depth.
Put yourself in the employer's position - and you required somebody who had very specific skills. What should you do: Wade your way through loads of academic qualifications from graduate applicants, trying to establish what they know and which trade skills they've acquired, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that precisely match your needs, and make your short-list from that. You'll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview - rather than establishing whether they can do a specific task.
Think about the points below in detail if you believe that over-used sales technique about examination guarantees seems like a good idea:
Of course it's not free - you are paying for it - it's just been wrapped up in the price of the package. It's well known in the industry that if students pay for each examination, when they're ready to take them and not before, they'll be in a better position to pass first time - since they are conscious of the cost and will therefore apply themselves appropriately.
Isn't it in your interests to hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the time, not to pay any mark-up to the training company, and also to sit exams more locally - rather than in some remote centre? Many so-called credible training course providers net huge profits by asking for exam fees early and hoping either that you won't take them, or it will be a long time before you do. Many training companies will require you to do mock exams and not allow you to re-take an exam until you've proven conclusively that you can pass - making an 'exam guarantee' just about worthless.
The cost of exams was approximately 112 pounds last year via Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So don't be talked into shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds more for 'an Exam Guarantee', when common sense dictates that what's really needed is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.
