Four separate areas of study make up a full CompTIA A+; you're considered A+ competent when you've passed the test for two of the four areas. This is the reason that it's usual for colleges to offer only two of the training courses. The truth is you will need the training for all four areas as many positions will require knowledge and skills of the whole A+ program. You don't have to complete all 4 certifications, although it would seem prudent that you at least have a working knowledge of every area.
Alongside being taught how to build and fix computers, students involved in this training will be taught how to work in antistatic conditions, how to fault find, to diagnose and to remotely access problems. Perhaps you see yourself as the kind of individual who works in a multi-faceted environment - in network support, build on A+ with Network+, or follow the Microsoft route - MCP's, MCSA or MCSE in order to have a wider knowledge of how networks work.
One feature provided by many trainers is a programme of Job Placement assistance. This is to steer you into your first IT role. The need for this feature can be bigged up out of proportion though - it's easy for eager sales people to make too much of it. Ultimately, the huge shortage of staff in the United Kingdom is what will enable you to get a job.
Bring your CV up to date as soon as possible however - you should get plenty of help from your training provider on this. Don't procrastinate and leave it until you've graduated or passed any exams. Many junior support jobs have been bagged by people who're still on their course and have still to get qualified. This will at the very least get your CV into the 'possible' pile and not the 'no' pile. Generally, an independent and specialised local recruitment consultant or service (who will, of course, be keen to place you to receive their commission) is going to give you a better service than a centralised training company's service. In addition, they will no doubt be familiar with the local area and commercial needs.
In a nutshell, if you put the same amount of effort into landing your first IT position as into training, you're not going to hit many challenges. Some people bizarrely put hundreds of hours into their learning program and just give up once qualified and appear to be under the impression that jobs will come to them.
Starting from the idea that it makes sense to locate the employment that excites us first and foremost, before we can chew over which training program ticks the right boxes, how do we decide on the right path? Consequently, if you have no know-how of the IT sector, how can you expect to know what a particular IT employee fills their day with? How can you possibly choose which accreditation path is the most likely for ultimate success. Deliberation over the following areas is important if you want to dig down the right answers:
* Your personality can play a major part - what kind of areas spark your interest, and what are the things that ruin your day.
* Are you aiming to achieve an important dream - like working for yourself in the near future?
* Where is the salary on a scale of importance - is it very important, or is day-to-day enjoyment further up on your list of priorities?
* Because there are so many markets to choose from in IT - you will have to pick up some background information on what makes them different.
* Taking a proper look at how much time and effort you can give.
At the end of the day, the most intelligent way of covering these is from a long chat with a professional that understands the market well enough to provide solid advice.
Now, why is it better to gain commercial certification instead of familiar academic qualifications obtained from schools and Further Education colleges? Corporate based study (in industry terminology) is far more specialised and product-specific. The IT sector has become aware that a specialist skill-set is essential to meet the requirements of an acceleratingly technical commercial environment. Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe dominate in this arena. Obviously, a reasonable amount of associated information needs to be taught, but focused specialised knowledge in the particular job function gives a commercially educated person a distinct advantage.
The bottom line is: Accredited IT qualifications let employers know exactly what you're capable of - the title says it all: as an example - I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Designing Security for a Windows 2003 Network'. Consequently an employer can identify just what their needs are and which qualifications are required to perform the job.
How can job security truly exist anywhere now? In a marketplace like the UK, where business constantly changes its mind at alarming speeds, it certainly appears not. However, a sector experiencing fast growth, where staff are in constant demand (through a growing shortfall of commercially certified staff), opens the possibility of real job security.
The Information Technology (IT) skills deficit throughout the UK currently stands at approximately twenty six percent, as shown by the most recent e-Skills investigation. Meaning that for every four jobs in existence around Information Technology (IT), there are barely three qualified workers to perform that task. This distressing certainty underpins the urgent need for more properly accredited Information Technology professionals across the United Kingdom. It's unlikely if a better time or market state of affairs will exist for getting trained into this hugely emerging and evolving market.
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