Computer training for CompTIA A+ covers four specialised areas - you'll have to qualify in 2 different areas to be A+ competent. You'll find that most colleges limit their course to 2 of the 4 sectors. Our opinion is this is too much of a compromise - yes you'll have qualified, but knowledge of every section will set you apart in industry, where you'll need a more comprehensive understanding. So that's why you should train in everything.
A+ certification in isolation will mean that you're able to repair and fix laptops, Macs and PC's; ones that are generally not connected to a network - which is for the most part the home market. Should you fancy yourself as the kind of individual who works in a multi-faceted environment - in network support, add Network+ to your CompTIA A+, or consider the Microsoft networking route (MCSA - MCSE) to give you a better comprehension of the way networks work.
Many men and women are under the impression that the school and FE college path is still the most effective. Why then are commercial certificates becoming more popular with employers? Key company training (in industry terminology) is far more specialised and product-specific. The IT sector has realised that such specialised knowledge is essential to meet the requirements of an increasingly more technical commercial environment. CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA dominate in this arena. Many degrees, for instance, clog up the training with too much background study - and a syllabus that's too generalised. This prevents a student from understanding the specific essentials in enough depth.
When an employer understands what work they need doing, then they just need to look for the particular skill-set required. Syllabuses are set to exacting standards and aren't allowed to deviate (like academia frequently can and does).
It would be wonderful to believe that our careers are secure and our work prospects are protected, but the growing likelihood for most jobs around the United Kingdom at the moment appears to be that there is no security anymore. In actuality, security now only emerges through a swiftly growing market, driven by a lack of trained workers. It's this shortage that creates the correct environment for a higher level of market-security - a far better situation.
The 2006 national e-Skills investigation brought to light that more than 26 percent of computing and IT jobs haven't been filled due to an appallingly low number of properly qualified workers. To put it another way, this means that the UK can only find three qualified staff for each four job positions that are available today. This one concept in itself is the backbone of why the country needs considerably more trainees to become part of the IT sector. As the Information Technology market is increasing at such a speed, there really isn't any other market worth looking at as a retraining vehicle.
Be careful that the certifications you're studying for are commercially relevant and are the most recent versions. 'In-house' exams and the certificates they come with are usually worthless. Unless the accreditation comes from a major player like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco, then you may discover it won't be commercially viable - because no-one will recognise it.
The area most overlooked by trainees considering a training program is that of 'training segmentation'. This basically means how the program is broken down into parts for drop-shipping to you, which makes a huge difference to where you end up. Delivery by courier of each element one stage at a time, according to your own speed is how things will normally arrive. While seeming sensible, you might like to consider this: What if there are reasons why you can't finish every single section? Maybe the prescribed order won't suit you? Due to no fault of yours, you might take a little longer and therefore not end up with all the modules.
In all honesty, the perfect answer is to have a copy of their prescribed order of study, but to receive all the materials up-front. Everything is then in your possession in case you don't finish as fast as they'd like.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://articlepile.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites