Do I need an A+ certification for the jobs I am going for?

[Theminecraftaddict555]

So, it is getting near the end of my college semester and my instructor requires that we take the Comptia A+ exam before the class ends. he states that we don't have to pass it but at least take it and see what we get. I heard that an A+ certification isn't that necessary if you are going into field involving building, troubleshooting, and fixing computers. Of course, that is the field i am aiming for. Take note that even if this is true. I am still going to try my best and not do so terrible on the exam.

 

Of course my classmates (those who have and haven't taken it yet) also brought up an interesting discussion related to the certification. They stated that would you have a person who has very great hands on experience with computers but with no A+ certification or the other way around? I would choose the first option IMO

 

 

[Oshino Shinobu]

Need? No. Good to have? Yes. 

 

It's something you can put on your CV that will stand out from people that don't have it. While it may be that you'd choose to hire someone with good experience, it doesn't matter that much unless you can actually put it on your CV in a meaningful way. There's plenty of people with experience building and fixing PCs, but a lot don't have it as a qualification or employment when they're coming out of education, so it easily gets glossed over by employers. 

 

With something like the A+, it proves that you can learn, that you know your stuff and you've gone out and got an additional qualification on your own. It also has a legitimate place on your CV and it's something you can prove. That is worth a lot more to an employer than you just saying you're experienced in something if you've done it as a hobby, at least, when they're looking through a load of CVs it is. 

[RossMadness]

A+ Certified tech, here. You don't NEED it, but like @Oshino Shinobu said, it helps make your resume that more convincing. For me, I don't have a college degree so it made a HUGE difference in my job opportunities because it validated my knowledge. 

The great thing about working in tech jobs is that certifications are often looked at as equivalent to degrees in some positions. So you can get more certs moving forward and just makes you a more desirable hire.

 

PLUS the A+ is two tests at 200 dollars a test. So if you can get your school to pay for that, then you DEFINITELY need to do it. Way better than 400 bucks out of pocket.

[TheCherryKing]

I passed the CompTIA A+ exam today. It is very good to have for a job resume. 

[Techicolors]

3 minutes ago, TheCherryKing said:

I passed the CompTIA A+ exam today. It is very good to have for a job resume. 

what material did you use to study? 

[RossMadness]

9 minutes ago, Technicolors said:

what material did you use to study? 

For me, I bought a book from the "Exam Cram" series that was very thorough and it came with a CD of practice questions. I also used https://www.professormesser.com/ . This guy is a multi-decade veteran of the IT industry and has comprehensive series on different certifications including weekly live streams where you can ask questions. I've used him for the Network+ and Linux+ studies as well, but I have yet to take those exams.

[Techicolors]

7 minutes ago, RossMadness said:

For me, I bought a book from the "Exam Cram" series that was very thorough and it came with a CD of practice questions. I also used https://www.professormesser.com/ . This guy is a multi-decade veteran of the IT industry and has comprehensive series on different certifications including weekly live streams where you can ask questions. I've used him for the Network+ and Linux+ studies as well, but I have yet to take those exams.

these? http://www.pearsonitcertification.com/imprint/series_detail.aspx?ser=340082

 

i know professor messer. very useful resource 

[RossMadness]

3 minutes ago, Technicolors said:

these? http://www.pearsonitcertification.com/imprint/series_detail.aspx?ser=340082

 

i know professor messer. very useful resource 

Yes, those are the ones. Very handy. Just make you sure you get the right one for your current exam.

[Tsuki]

i hate the A+ cert. its basically worthless, but if its between somebody who has it, and somebody that doesnt, they'll go with the one that does.  i've been passed up for positions solely because i didnt have it, and somebody whos been in the industry less time, and who knows far less than me, did have it.

its a checkbox on a resume.

 

CCNA or MCSE are much better though.

[dizmo]

Building, fixing and trouble shooting computers?

I know a few people that did that for quite a while. They had no formal education at all.

[Crunchy Dragon]

I'm planning on going into that field as well and am currently studying for my A+. By logic, taking the exam and knowing how everything works will help you a lot in troubleshooting, but the real learning happens on the job in fields like this.

[2FA]

CompTIA strictly speaking, Net+, Storage+, and Sec+ are much better certs but are also much harder to earn.

[AtomicFrance]

A lot depends on your area. In the PNW, A+ is essentially worthless as techies and tech jobs are a dime a dozen, but in flyover country it can make the difference in getting hired or not.

[TheCherryKing]

12 hours ago, Technicolors said:

what material did you use to study? 

https://hub.totalsem.com/

[porina]

10 hours ago, DeadEyePsycho said:

CompTIA strictly speaking, Net+, Storage+, and Sec+ are much better certs but are also much harder to earn.

I haven't done A+ as work sent me straight to N+ course. While there I met up with others doing N+ straight after A+. I got the impression that A+ is kinda like the basic wide ranging knowledge test. It is a starting point, not an end point by any means. I'm kinda curious how I would have done on A+ going in without preparation, but I'm not paying for the exam cost myself just to find out.

 

Having said all that, I'm not directly in the industry so can't comment on what value A+ (or others) really have. To me N+ was a useful learning exercise.

[LAwLz]

16 hours ago, Theminecraftaddict555 said:

I heard that an A+ certification isn't that necessary if you are going into field involving building, troubleshooting, and fixing computers. Of course, that is the field i am aiming for.

I recommend you reconsider that. Computer building and repair is a bottom of the barrel job that requires next to no education or experience.

Whenever I hear someone say they love computers and want to work as a PC builder it's like hearing someone say "I love food. My dream is to become a chef. That's why I want to work at McDonald's".

You should set your goals much higher than that.

 

 

As some other people have already said, you don't take certs to learn things. You take them to have proof that you know the things you claim. Any bozo can claim that they have a ton of experience they have taught themselves, but since there is no proof or documentation of it that person might be an idiot who has spent 2 years learning fuck all.

 

Certs can also be tie breakers. You were thinking of it as "someone who has a cert but no experience vs someone with no cert but experience". That's not really the situation an employer will be in because they usually get several qualified people to choose from.

The situation will most likely be "someone with experience and a cert to prove it, vs someone who claims to have experience".

Which one of those would you employ? If you say the latter then you're lying to yourself, or maybe is just unfit to be an employer.

[ERM64bit]

16 hours ago, Theminecraftaddict555 said:

So, it is getting near the end of my college semester and my instructor requires that we take the Comptia A+ exam before the class ends. he states that we don't have to pass it but at least take it and see what we get. I heard that an A+ certification isn't that necessary if you are going into field involving building, troubleshooting, and fixing computers. Of course, that is the field i am aiming for. Take note that even if this is true. I am still going to try my best and not do so terrible on the exam.

 

Of course my classmates (those who have and haven't taken it yet) also brought up an interesting discussion related to the certification. They stated that would you have a person who has very great hands on experience with computers but with no A+ certification or the other way around? I would choose the first option IMO

 

 

The big thing would be what do you want to do once you finish your degree; do you want to head into a Workstation Technician position, or focus on other fields? When I applied for my job as an IT Technician, I had no prior experience, and was still in college working on my Associates, but I had an A+ Certification. That A+ really helped me since I had no prior working experience in that field, and now that expanded to mostly server and network administration at my current job. The big thing is unless you have professional experience (usually at least 5 years is what most US employers are looking for), I wouldn't just stop with an A+. A Security+ is typically considered your basic cert knowledge and it focuses on not just firewall, but general security practices as well. For me, I focused on getting a CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) and an MCSA in Server 2012 because that directly focused on my job. VMWare offers certifications in virtualization, and Microsoft's MCSA/MCSE programs are widely recognized by most IT departments. But honestly, meet with a few IT employers in your area, and talk to them. It's scary because you may end up working for them, but just ask them "Hey, I want to get into a Workstation Technician job, what kind of credentials would you be looking for?" and just go from there.

 

As far as study materials Lynda.com has the entire CompTIA A+ and Security+ exams available on their site. I used them when I did my CompTIA exams, and it really made a difference. Also big tip: don't take both of the exams on the same day. I barely passed my second one and was fried all day.