Four separate areas of study make up a full CompTIA A+; you're qualified as an A+ achiever once you've passed your exams for 2 out of 4 subjects. For this reason, most training providers only teach 2 specialised areas. In reality it's necessary to have the teaching in all areas as many jobs will demand an understanding of the whole A+ program. It's not essential to pass exams in all of them, but it seems common sense that you at least have a working knowledge of every area.
As well as being taught how to build and fix computers, students on A+ courses will be taught how to work in antistatic conditions, as well as diagnostics, fault-finding and remote access.
You might also choose to consider adding Network+ training to your A+ as you'll then be in a position to take care of computer networks, which means greater employment benefits.
One crafty way that training providers make a lot more is by charging for exams up-front and offering an exam guarantee. This sounds impressive, but is it really:
It's very clear we're still paying for it - obviously it has already been included in the overall figure from the training company. It's certainly not free (although some people will believe anything the marketing companies think up these days!)
Should you seriously need to pass first time, you must fund each exam as you take it, prioritise it appropriately and give the task sufficient application.
Doesn't it make more sense to find the best exam deal or offer at the time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance to a training college, and to do it locally - instead of the remote centre that's convenient only to the trainer?
Buying a course that includes payments for exams (and if you're financing your study there'll be interest on that) is bad financial management. Don't line companies bank accounts with extra money of yours just to give them more interest! A lot bank on the fact that you won't get to do them all - so they get to keep the extra funds.
You should fully understand that re-takes via organisations with an 'Exam Guarantee' are monitored with tight restrictions. They'll insist that you take mock exams first until you've demonstrated an excellent ability to pass.
Exam fees averaged 112 pounds or thereabouts last year through local VUE or Pro-metric centres throughout the country. Therefore, why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra to have 'an Exam Guarantee', when it's no secret that the best guarantee is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.
Does job security truly exist anywhere now? In the UK for example, where industry can change its mind whenever it suits, it certainly appears not.
Security only exists now in a quickly rising market, driven forward by work-skills shortages. It's this alone that creates the appropriate environment for market-security - definitely a more pleasing situation.
Taking the computing business for instance, a recent e-Skills analysis demonstrated massive skills shortages throughout Great Britain around the 26 percent mark. To explain it in a different way, this reveals that the United Kingdom can only find three qualified staff for each 4 positions existing currently.
Well taught and commercially certified new professionals are therefore at a total premium, and it looks like they will be for many years to come.
In actuality, acquiring professional IT skills throughout the years to come is most likely the safest career move you'll ever make.
We're regularly asked to explain why traditional degrees are now falling behind more commercial qualifications?
With university education costs becoming a tall order for many, and the industry's growing opinion that vendor-based training most often has much more commercial relevance, there's been a big surge in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA accredited training paths that create knowledgeable employees for much less time and money.
In essence, only that which is required is learned. It's not quite as straightforward as that, but the principle objective is to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (with some necessary background) - without trying to cram in every other area (as degree courses are known to do).
When an employer knows what work they need doing, then they just need to look for the exact skill-set required to meet that need. Vendor-based syllabuses are set to exacting standards and aren't allowed to deviate (as academic syllabuses often do).
Don't get hung-up, as many people do, on the training process. Training is not an end in itself; you should be geared towards the actual job at the end of it. Begin and continue with the end in mind.
Avoid becoming part of the group who select a program that seems 'fun' or 'interesting' - only to end up with a qualification for something they'll never enjoy.
Set targets for earning potential and the level of your ambition. Often, this changes which certifications will be expected and what you can expect to give industry in return.
We'd recommend you take guidance from a skilled professional before making your final decision on some particular training programme, so you're sure from the outset that a program provides the appropriate skill-set.
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