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Is A+ certification worth $2k?
The LandoStander
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I'm getting a bit tired of working just simple data entry jobs and earning about $10 an hour without any sort of benefits and very little job security. So one of the solutions I had in mind to remedy this was to get some IT certifications.
I know some people have been able to just get some textbooks/test prep books, paid to take the exams and just gotten the cert that way but I don't know if I'm that computer savvy. So there's a local university that offers courses over about 5 weeks that teach to the A+ certification and others. They run $2400 a pop with the exam for certification included in the course fee.
At this point in time the cost is a bit of a stretch, it's doable but I'd hate to start down this road and find that it doesn't really improve prospects at all. As part of taking the course I'd assume that a benefit would be getting a bit of actual experience in addition to just a certification, so is it worth it?
I know some people have been able to just get some textbooks/test prep books, paid to take the exams and just gotten the cert that way but I don't know if I'm that computer savvy. So there's a local university that offers courses over about 5 weeks that teach to the A+ certification and others. They run $2400 a pop with the exam for certification included in the course fee.
At this point in time the cost is a bit of a stretch, it's doable but I'd hate to start down this road and find that it doesn't really improve prospects at all. As part of taking the course I'd assume that a benefit would be getting a bit of actual experience in addition to just a certification, so is it worth it?
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That being said going back to school is awesome. I don't know what your current education level is but is picking up an AA outside the realm of possibility? It doesn't carry the weight of a BA/BS but an AA is a good starting point and you can pick one up from a junior college for under four grand.
Edit: You might even be able to kill two birds with one stone and use the cert classes as electives to fill out an AA.
In fact, if you're going entry-level, you could probably find a company that would pay to get you certified.
Of my three close friends from college two are also Psych degrees. They've both been in and out of work, most of it not using their degrees. My other friend has a Comp Sci degree and he's had the same job since graduating. While I realize that a certification doesn't equate to a degree, I think the IT/Computer Science field might be a better place to be.
I don't know that certification would change that fact, though it may.
Go buy a $40 A+ prep book off amazon. Theoretically, it should mostly be stuff you already know with just a few heavy details to remember as well.
As for me, I'd most likely have A+ if I had the money to pay to take the tests (two tests which cost $250 total). As it stands I have a two year degree in IT with a certification in managing Windows Vista in a small network environment, and am completely unable to find a job where I am (and most likely where I'm moving as well). I'll be switching over to Sociology and Journalism classes at a University in about a month.
and if you do get an interview you better be damn impressive and know your stuff. I do interviews in this field on occasion and would be like WTF getting a person with your schooling going for a job in this field. You need something that stands out for someone to be like, ok let's have this person in here and see what the story is.
A+ I don't think is going to be the stand out item. Sure it might help in getting your resume another glance for a low level position, but you will be passed over a million times for someone who has a degree in the field.
wish I had something more positive. If you are looking to change your career path how about some night courses at a community college and work towards an associates or BS in this field. either that or you need to know someone with enough clout to get you that chance at an IT position.
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In relation to Hadji's post, would a book like this be acceptable or do I need to find one published in the last year?
Yep, that's how I did it. I had to take the test twice, I just barely failed the first time because I hadn't studied seriously enough. To be clear, though, this was back in 1999, I have no idea how much the certification process has changed since then.
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No, the cert is not worth two grand unless you have never touched a computer before. A study guide or two and some persistence should be all you need.
What you're going to find is that some kind of certification is usually mandatory, if not required right out, will need to be obtained within 30-60 days. Most of it is insurance related, and how they can be covered if a non-certified tech fucks something up royally, and they get sued. A degree will not help in most of cases, not even an IT one sometimes - it just varies there.
Now, keep in mind, you might be able to squeak by with a Network+, or even rarely, a Security+. Worthy options to consider, once you get your foot in the door.
If you're young enough, and don't mind cutting your teeth on a entry level IT gig, in a few years, you could be working corporate IT, and after that, who knows? Your degree's will come in handy once you're in a corporate position, even if they aren't IT related - business acumen and all that. In the meantime, if you do continue on with IT, work on other certs.
But 2k for an A+? If you're completely new to computers and how they work, then yes, spend the money. If you're discplined enough for self study, and catch on somewhat quick, then buy a few A+ books that are up on the current standard A+ test (not all of them are, so be careful), and take the tests. Set a hard time limit for yourself, pass or fail.
I would say dont spend any money on it, download practice exams and study those, there is also training books you can also find online in pdf format if you want to go a bit more in depth.
the exam itself is pretty easy
That being said, I was hired at a little computer shop shortly after my I got my certification, and they laughed at it when I mentioned it to them. They were more impressed with the fact that I actually dressed well when I stopped in to ask about the job and the fact that I wasn't afraid to tear into a computer and build a server on my first day at work.
But, one other thing, I kept working on getting into writing, which is what I wanted to do, and while I finally got the job out here in Alaska writing the Wrangell Sentinel, getting the A+ Cert and feeling like I was doing something for myself that would benefit my career and income did a lot to allay my mental state of perpetual inadequacy.
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I sat both A+ exams back in 2006 and passed them both using two study books. The A+ cert is an entry level IT certification. One or two study books is all you need to pass the exams, assuming you have the ability to turn on a computer.
I'd be weary of a Kindle book; I don't know if they'll come with the useful practice exams that ship with the physical books as a CD. As for specific books, the Exam Cram series is generally pretty good but aren't very in-depth. I'm also a little out of touch with the tests this year, so I don't know if they've changed recently or if they have any changes on the horizon. I'd recommend finding the newest book you can, but really anything since 2007 should be passable for A+.
I think the consensus is for the short term: 2k is way too much for an A+ cert. So perhaps I'll just spend free time studying up the A+ and Network+ books and see how things look for taking the tests.
Long term: I'll have to look into what I might be able to do at U of L as opposed to the community college/university, even though they might not have the classes at the most convenient times it'll be a more respectable degree.
You should never be paying 2k for it unless you are taking a course that includes a number of other subjects/certs as well. However, if you are going to go for the multiple certification route be very careful... they can run through a ton of material you are NOT prepared for very quickly. In the end you will wind up paying a lot of money for very little in return... including failing your (usually) one time included chance at the tests for the certifications.
I'd look for places you can get your feet wet in the field before you go nuts with certs tho... the beginning few years in IT fields (especially now) can be grueling and VERY not fun.
Ugh... I'm having flash backs of working in a "server room" (read a bunch of windows 98 towers daisy chained together in a stifling disused office with a plate of glass separating me from an industrial plastic works) surrounded by various Okidata printers in assorted states of disassembly and running cat5 through ceiling instillation in a Ford dealership.
I remember how excited I was when I got to stay in the store and work on mom and pop PCs and didn't have to take service calls.
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Also there's a website that provides FREE A+ video training and appears to be of a high standard (though I only learned of it after passing my exams,
I was in pretty much the same situation in July of 07. Working temp jobs, doing data entry for $10 an hour, lots of latent PC knowledge but no real experience or certifications. I was hired initially as a temp for a national insurance company to help them move locations; real IT grunt work, moving and hooking up computers. At the time, they were looking to fill another full-time contractor position and all the interviews they'd done were less than satisfactory. I was able to step up into the position and get my A+, and a few months later I was hired on as an actual employee.
Now I'm in IT deployment, garnering experience while deploying hardware and software to thousands of users. It's not much of a job, but it's not service desk so I don't have people calling me all day with problems (thank god, hehe.) And I got the job with nothing more than my A+ and a good attitude. Nothing even remotely resembling a college degree, either, and now I get paid more than double my data entry jobs.
Of course, that was a few years ago, things are more complicated in this economy... but having the A+ is better than not having it, even if it's a marginal benefit.
And yeah, just get an A+ prep book. Some of them are much better than others; read reviews carefully.
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Good luck.