In total, there are 4 A+ examinations and study sections, but you only need to get your exams in 2 of them for qualification purposes. As this is the case, most training colleges stick to just two options. But allowing you to learn about all 4 options will help you to build a far deeper level of understanding of it all, something you'll appreciate as an important asset in professional employment.
CompTIA A+ on its own will give you the ability to fix and maintain computers and Macs; principally ones that aren't joined to a network - which means the home or small business market. Should you fancy yourself as the kind of individual who is involved with a big team - in network support, you should include CompTIA Network+ to your training package, or follow the Microsoft route - MCP's, MCSA or MCSE as you'll need a more advanced experience of how networks work.
A study programme must provide a nationally (or globally) recognised qualification at the end - and not a worthless 'in-house' diploma - fit only for filing away and forgetting. All the major commercial players such as Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco each have globally acknowledged skills programmes. These big-hitters will make your CV stand-out.
Discovering job security nowadays is problematic. Businesses often throw us out of the workplace at a moment's notice - as long as it fits their needs. It's possible though to hit upon security at the market sector level, by probing for areas of high demand, tied with shortages of trained staff.
A rather worrying national e-Skills analysis demonstrated that twenty six percent of IT jobs remain unfilled as an upshot of an appallingly low number of properly qualified workers. Put directly, we're only able to fill three out of every four jobs in IT. This disturbing reality highlights the validity and need for more commercially qualified computing professionals around the UK. Unquestionably, now really is such a perfect time for retraining into the computer industry.
Usually, the everyday IT hopeful has no idea in what direction to head in a computing career, or even what area is worth considering for retraining. I mean, without any know-how of the IT sector, how can you expect to know what someone in a particular field fills their day with? Let alone decide on which accreditation path will be most suitable for a successful result. Reflection on the following points is most definitely required when you need to get to a solution that suits you:
* Your personal interests and hobbies - as they can highlight what things will give you the most reward.
* What length of time can you allocate for retraining?
* Where do you stand on travelling time and locality vs salary?
* Often, trainees don't consider the amount of work involved to get fully certified.
* You need to appreciate the differences between each individual training area.
The bottom line is, the only real way of covering these is by means of an in-depth discussion with an advisor or professional that has enough background to lead you to the correct decision.
Many trainers only give support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; most won't answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends. Don't buy certification programs which can only support you with an out-sourced call-centre message system when it's outside of usual working hours. Companies will give you every excuse in the book why you don't need this. The bottom line is - support is required when it's required - not at times when they find it cheaper to provide it.
The best training colleges offer an online round-the-clock package combining multiple support operations across the globe. You will have a simple environment which accesses the most appropriate office no matter what time of day it is: Support when you need it. Don't ever make the mistake of taking second best when it comes to your support. Many would-be IT professionals that give up, are in that situation because of support (or the lack of).
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