There are four specialised areas of training in the full CompTIA A+ syllabus, of which you need to pass two for competency in A+. But limiting yourself to 2 of the specialised areas might well not equip you for a job. Choose a course with all 4 subjects – for greater confidence in the world of work.
If you decide to become a student on the CompTIA A+, you’ll be taught how to build and repair PC’s and operate in antistatic conditions. Fault finding and diagnostic techniques through hands on and remote access are also covered.
If you feel it appropriate to add Network+ to your A+ course, you’ll additionally be equipped to look after networks, allowing you to move further up the career path.
Proper support is incredibly important – locate a good company providing 24×7 full access, as anything else will annoy you and definitely hold up your pace and restrict your intake.
You’ll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and phone support is often to a call-centre that will chat nicely with you for 5 minutes to ask what the issue is and then simply send an email to an instructor – who will call back over the next day or so (assuming you’re there), when it’s convenient to them. This isn’t a lot of good if you’re stuck with a particular problem and have a one hour time-slot in which to study.
Keep your eyes open for colleges that utilise many support facilities from around the world. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to provide a single interface and also access round-the-clock, when you need it, with the minimum of hassle.
Unless you insist on online 24×7 support, you’ll end up kicking yourself. You might not want to use the service late in the night, but you may need weekends, evenings and early mornings at some point.
A typical blunder that students everywhere can make is to concentrate on the course itself, instead of focusing on where they want to get to. Universities are stacked to the hilt with direction-less students that chose an ‘interesting’ course – rather than what would get them their end-goal of a job they enjoyed.
It’s an awful thing, but a great many students begin programs that seem wonderful in the prospectus, but which provides the end-result of a job that doesn’t fulfil at all. Just ask several college leavers and you’ll see where we’re coming from.
Make sure you investigate your leanings around earning potential and career progression, plus your level of ambition. It’s vital to know what the role will demand of you, which particular exams will be required and how to develop your experience.
Your likely to need help from an experienced person that can best explain the market you’re hoping to qualify in, and will be able to provide ‘A day in the life of’ synopsis of the job being considered. These things are incredibly important as you’ll need to know if this change is right for you.
Look at the facts below very carefully if you’re inclined to think that old marketing ploy of ‘guaranteeing’ exams sounds like a benefit to the student:
We all know that we’re still footing the bill for it – obviously it has been added into the gross price invoiced by the college. It’s definitely not free – and it’s insulting that we’re supposed to think it is!
People who take each progressive exam, funding them one at a time are much more likely to pass. They are thoughtful of the cost and so are more inclined to ensure they are ready.
Sit the exam at a local pro-metric testing centre and hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take it.
Why tie up your cash (or borrow more than you need) for exam fees when you don’t need to? A great deal of money is made because training colleges are charging upfront for all their exams – and then cashing in when they’re not all taken.
Re-takes of any failed exams through training course providers who offer an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are monitored with tight restrictions. You’ll be required to sit pre-tests until you’ve proven that you’re likely to pass.
Splashing out often many hundreds of pounds extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is naive – when study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really see you through.
It’s essential to have accredited simulation materials and an exam preparation system included in your course.
Because most IT examination boards tend to be American, you need to become familiar with their phraseology. It’s no use simply answering any old technical questions – they need to be in the proper exam format.
For many reasons, it’s very important to be confident that you’re completely ready for your commercial exam before taking it. Rehearsing simulated tests will help to boost your attitude and saves you time and money on thwarted exam entries.
(C) S. Edwards 2009. Browse around Career Retraining Courses or Job Qualifications.