Training for your CompTIA A+ comprises of 4 specialised sectors - you'll have to qualify in two of these areas to reach the level of A+ competent. Because of this, the majority of colleges simply provide 2 of the 4 sectors. Our opinion is this is too much of a compromise - yes you'll have qualified, but knowing about the others will give you greater confidence in your working life, where knowledge of all four will be necessary. That's why we believe you require information in the whole course.
CompTIA A+ training programs are about fault finding and diagnosing - remotely as well as hands on, alongside building computers and repairing them and operating in antistatic conditions. It could be a good idea to consider doing Network+ as you'll then be in a position to take care of computer networks, and become a more senior IT professional.
Make sure you don't get caught-up, as many people do, on the training process. Training for training's sake is generally pointless; you're training to become commercially employable. Begin and continue with the end in mind. You may train for one year and then end up performing the job-role for decades. Avoid the mistake of choosing what sounds like a program of interest to you only to spend 20 years doing an unrewarding career!
Set targets for how much you want to earn and how ambitious you are. Often, this changes what particular qualifications will be required and how much effort you'll have to give in return. Take advice from a professional advisor, even if there's a fee involved - it's usually much cheaper and safer to discover early on if something is going to suit and interest you, instead of discovering after several years of study that you've picked the wrong track and have wasted years of effort.
A skilled and professional advisor (vs a salesperson) will ask questions and seek to comprehend your current level of ability and experience. This is paramount to establishing your starting level of study. With a strong background, or sometimes a little work-based experience (maybe some existing accreditation?) then it's likely your starting level will be different from a trainee who has no experience. For students beginning IT exams and training for the first time, you might like to ease in gradually, starting with user-skills and software training first. This can be built into any study program.
People attracted to this sort of work are usually quite practically-minded, and aren't really suited to the classroom environment, and poring through books and manuals. If you identify with this, try the newer style of interactive study, where you can learn everything on-screen. Long-term memory is enhanced when we use multiple senses - learning experts have been saying this for decades now.
Top of the range study programs now offer easy-to-use DVD or CD ROM's. By watching and listening to instructors on video tutorials you'll find things easier to remember through the expert demonstrations. Knowledge can then be tested by using practice-lab's. Make sure to obtain a study material demo' from the school that you're considering. You'll want to see instructor videos, demonstrations, slide-shows and fully interactive skills-lab's.
Seek out physical media such as CD or DVD ROM's where possible. You can then avoid all the difficulties of the variability of broadband quality and service.
'Exam Guarantees' are often bundled with training offers - inevitably that means paying for the exams when you pay for the rest of your course. However, prior to embracing this so-called guarantee, look at the following:
It's very clear we're ultimately paying for it - it's not so hard to see that it's already been included in the overall price charged by the college. It's definitely not free (although some people will believe anything the marketing companies think up these days!) The honest truth is that if students pay for their own exams, at the time of taking them, they'll be in a better position to qualify each time - as they are conscious of their investment in themselves and will therefore apply themselves appropriately.
Does it really add up to pay your training course provider up-front for exams? Go for the best offer when you're ready, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance - and do it in a local testing centre - instead of miles away at the college's beck and call. Why borrow the money or pay in advance (plus interest of course) on examinations when there's absolutely nothing that says you have to? Big margins are made because training colleges are getting paid upfront for exams - and then hoping that you won't take them all. In addition to this, 'Exam Guarantees' often aren't worth the paper they're written on. The majority of organisations will not pay again for an exam until you have demonstrated conclusively that you won't fail again.
The cost of exams was around the 112 pounds mark in the last 12 months via Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So why pay hundreds or thousands of pounds extra to have 'Exam Guarantees', when it's obvious that the best guarantee is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.
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