A+ Certification Experience

[GlockSpock]

Without going into details on whether or not it is beneficial to get A+ Certified, I would like to know your experience in becoming A+ certified. I did the practice 60 questions on the CompTIA website. I don't have the exact figures in front of me but I got at least 52 of the 60 correct. Those sheets of paper are at work. I have a huge IT background but have never actually tried for any certifications. Most of the questions seemed easy to me except for a few of the networking specifics (IP Address ranges mainly).

 

So I'm wondering if the actual tests are easier than/equal to/harder than the practice questions. I don't plan on paying $188 per test (and you have to pass two of them of course) without studying, so any good recommendations on a good book (digital or hardback I suppose) would be great.

 

Since this series is digital and cheap, I thought about trying it. I can download one of them per month for free onto my Kindle since it is Prime Eligible.

 

http://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Days-220-801-Study-Guide-ebook/dp/B00C7DWX94/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1398382269&sr=1-3&keywords=a%2B+certification+21+days

 

All advice please!

[lunarpowered]

I currently hold A+, Server+, LPIC-1, MCP, MCDST, MCTS, as well as Dell, HP, and Lenovo self maintenance certifications.

Of the certifications, the A+ was one of the leasT difficult. All the practice questions I had in the books I studied were completely different than the test material. The actual test questions were much easier as they were logicial and the questions in the study material were not.

[TNMTBik3r]

A+ is a very basic cert but was very important in obtaining a couple of employment opportunities (little experience at the time).
I took the exams in high school, part of an IT class. It was very simple, I actually beat my instructors score. This was 8 years ago and we used the Comptia study material. I still have that stuff in digital format, but a lot has changed since then.

I have A+, Network+, Citrix XenDesktop, and tomorrow morning taking my VMware VCP exam finally (5+ years experience but no cert yet).
I also have a few different certificate of completions for classes I have taken, and even they can be beneficial at times. Edited April 25, 2014 by jonathon1289

[Murgatroy]

It has been more than fifteen years since I did it, but I remember it was easy. I was working on a degree in CEET, it was part of one of the courses to get certified..

 

Granted I haven't used any of it in more than ten years and I haven't done crap with anything I paid a whole lot of money to learn.

 

BUT! My career path lead me in a different direction.

 

 

Looking at it they have updated it a half dozen times since I got certified, so my experience is moot. 

[Sam1]

As for the A+ study material, you need a minimum of two books - that goes for any certification.  Every book covers different material so you really need two books on the same subject, but from different publishers.

 

This was an expensive lesson I learned years ago when getting my MCSE.

 

IMHO, A+ is worthless, it expires now so I will never have it again.  The exam is still managed by 60 year old people that do not understand that computers now use expendable internals.  They tried to expand it into more specific areas, but that was a terrible attempt to compete with Microsoft's MTA and others... Anything for the comptia people to make money I guess.  Out of A+ (x2), Net+ (x2), Security+, Server+, Project+, MCP, MCSE and working on my third degree now I have realized that.... I should've just been a doctor and made the real money.

 

so take my advice with a grain of salt 

Edited April 25, 2014 by Sam1

[vontar]

I only have the A+ aced the test but I need more to even think about advancing.  Kinda stuck at the moment.

 

By all means get it, but get more.

 

I have the old A+ that doesn't expire.

 

I personally believe the certs are just a money racket, but like any other business they will hire the person with the cert with no experience over a person with years of experience.

[JayC]

I've got a lot of guys applying for internships who have an A+ and they're dumb as doorknobs...  so I can't imagine it's all that hard of a test to pass :)  I wouldn't allow single one of them to touch anything of importance.

 

Truth is the only entry level 'cert' I've seen worth a damn is a 25B MOS from Fort Gordon :)  Those guys at least come with a solid foundation so you can teach them. 

 

I'll tell you a story from back in the day...  Everybody in the industry loved to rag on paper MSCE's, how somebody would show up with an MSCE and couldn't even turn a server on...  they were the butt of every IT joke...  and MSCE's made fun of A+'s because it's the only cert more worthless ;)

 

As a general rule if the cert doesn't require work in the area of study (3 to 5 years), doesn't require somebody else with the cert to sponsor you, and doesn't have a test that has a 50+% failure rate, it's not worth the paper it's written on.

[GlockSpock]

I have never really looked into certifications of any kind but simply taught myself whatever needed in terms of technology. So I looked into the MTA certifications and they look appealing over A+ for multiple reasons (cost being a big one). Windows Operating System Fundamentals seems a good place to start for that one. Considering that right now I will likely be paying out of my own pocket for these certifications, what would be the best bang for my buck and a good certification to start with? A+ certainly doesn't hurt (especially if a company pays for you to take the test), but is MTA (or another) a better certification to start with for an IT career?

[TNMTBik3r]

What is your experience around? Desktop support/OS support role, servers, networking, virtualization?

When you say you have taught yourself what you needed to know, that implies to me just basic hardware/OS/software support and so a base level certification would be a good entry point - help verify what you know and fill in any gaps of knowledge.

The A+ exam is going to cover hardware, networking and OS troubleshooting/repair on more of a generic scale. The MTA will be dedicated to Windows OS install, config and troubleshooting.
There will be some overlap between the two, and my opinion is it will be a toss up on which would be better appreciated - any IT team considering a candidate with one of these exams will know it is an entry level certificate.
Since you will be paying out of pocket, I see no issue with the MTA.

[Guest GimpyLeg]

A+ will get you in to studying for and taking exams for certs.  Most .gov jobs require Security+ce as a basis.

[ironsniper1]

I know some here say the A+ is worthless, but I have been working in IT since 03-04 and have been turned down from jobs because I did not have a A+, of you can afford it get it may just help you in the long run

[tnguy]

I wouldn't rate A+ that much. First time I heard of it, I was already way advanced from it. Maybe if you were hoping for an entry level helpdesk position. If you want to go the cert route, I'd suggest picking a field you want to advance in and go for the most advanced cert in that field you think you're capable of pulling off. Alternatively, take a look around at what's coming down the pipeline. Security is only going to grow as a concern so security+ might be an option. Nashville is also pretty big on healthcare so related stuff there might be a good idea.

[TNMTBik3r]

I considered getting my Security+ a couple years ago, I studied but never took the exam.

 

I just passed my VCP-DCV exam this morning, and think I will be hitting a couple MS certs next (have a free voucher for the Hyper-V and System Center exam). Will probably go ahead and update my Xendesktop cert to XD7 soon.

[MacGyver]

With a lot of the automated HR systems these days, an A+ cert, as basic as it may be may be the only way your resume gets seen by a human.

 

What are you looking to do?  Career transition?  Entry to new opportunities?

[ironsniper1]

With a lot of the automated HR systems these days, an A+ cert, as basic as it may be may be the only way your resume gets seen by a human.

 

What are you looking to do?  Career transition?  Entry to new opportunities?

i know for me personally that the two things keeping me from getting a full time job instead of contract work that is few and far between in IT is not having a A+ and having a degree from ITT Tech, that may seem strange but i have been told twice that one of the reasons i was not hired was because of my degree

[1pointofview]

I have an a+ but from 15 years ago and the level of need to know then is different than now. I would go after the microsoft/cisco/vendor related certs.

[battleop]

Most guys I work with I IT generally make fun of the whole A+ thing. Why? Because most of the A+ guys we encounter just get their A+ and then they think they are better than a CCIE or MCSE. Some places an A+ will help you get past the HR drones and some places won't care. It really depends on the environment you you want to work in. If you want the 8 to 5 be just another number in the IT department then you probably need the A+.

[battleop]

Without going into details on whether or not it is beneficial to get A+ Certified, I would like to know your experience in becoming A+ certified. I did the practice 60 questions on the CompTIA website. I don't have the exact figures in front of me but I got at least 52 of the 60 correct. Those sheets of paper are at work. I have a huge IT background but have never actually tried for any certifications. Most of the questions seemed easy to me except for a few of the networking specifics (IP Address ranges mainly).
 
So I'm wondering if the actual tests are easier than/equal to/harder than the practice questions. I don't plan on paying $188 per test (and you have to pass two of them of course) without studying, so any good recommendations on a good book (digital or hardback I suppose) would be great.
 
Since this series is digital and cheap, I thought about trying it. I can download one of them per month for free onto my Kindle since it is Prime Eligible.
 
http://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Days-220-801-Study-Guide-ebook/dp/B00C7DWX94/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1398382269&sr=1-3&keywords=a%2B+certification+21+days
 
All advice please!

I forgot to ask... What do you want to do? Do you want to do LAN or WAN Networking? Server admin? Linux or M$? If you have an idea of what you ultimately want to do you will have a better idea of your route.

[Sam1]

i know for me personally that the two things keeping me from getting a full time job instead of contract work that is few and far between in IT is not having a A+ and having a degree from ITT Tech, that may seem strange but i have been told twice that one of the reasons i was not hired was because of my degree

 

That's cause the ITT degrees are a joke, made a mistake and my first degree was from there... Needless to say when I started my BS and MS degrees, being severely underprepared is an understatement.  ITT is essentially a vocational school that charges what top universities charge, compare that to places like WGU that uses a pass/fail system and their courses are based strictly on industry certifications and you'll understand why people don't respect anything coming out of ITT.

 

WGU is an awesome but hard school, they're great for people that already have certifications too because they translate into course credits and dramatically cut down on required hours, plus you have a bunch of certifications and a regionally accredited degree when finished.

 

There is honestly not a single good thing I could say about my ITT experience... not a single one.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Sam1

[ironsniper1]

That's cause the ITT degrees are a joke, made a mistake and my first degree was from there... Needless to say when I started my BS and MS degrees, being severely underprepared is an understatement. ITT is essentially a vocational school that charges what top universities charge, compare that to places like WGU that uses a pass/fail system and their courses are based strictly on industry certifications and you'll understand why people don't respect anything coming out of ITT.

WGU is an awesome but hard school, they're great for people that already have certifications too because they translate into course credits and dramatically cut down on required hours, plus you have a bunch of certifications and a regionally accredited degree when finished.

There is honestly not a single good thing I could say about my ITT experience... not a single one.

oh believe me I agree 100% with you I wish I would have found out about the bad things before I even started

[Guest Brutnus]

I am a teribad test taker and the only one i tried was the A+ and i passed it, so feel confident in taking the test. Just understand that all it doesn't carry much weight.

[ironsniper1]

That's cause the ITT degrees are a joke, made a mistake and my first degree was from there... Needless to say when I started my BS and MS degrees, being severely underprepared is an understatement.  ITT is essentially a vocational school that charges what top universities charge, compare that to places like WGU that uses a pass/fail system and their courses are based strictly on industry certifications and you'll understand why people don't respect anything coming out of ITT.

 

WGU is an awesome but hard school, they're great for people that already have certifications too because they translate into course credits and dramatically cut down on required hours, plus you have a bunch of certifications and a regionally accredited degree when finished.

 

There is honestly not a single good thing I could say about my ITT experience... not a single one.

ok there is one good thing to come from me going to ITT and thats that i met my fiancee there :)