[TheWhiteRose000]

Okay,.


I am planning on going into "IT".
And I was curious as to what certifications would be the best choice.
I'm at a tech school and they teach.

A+
Cicso

And thats really all I remember.
A+ sounds more my style cause I am better with hardware.
Then programming and software.

I looked online and found so many certifactions for "IT"
My brain nearly blew up.

D:

Around that time the school guidance counsler came and kidnapped me.
And talked to me about various things.
Mind still shot by everything I just saw.
Well for the record.

I am better with hardware, and I am more familier with Windows 7 (Vista also)
And Windows XP.

Knowing those two things what can you all recommend and what are you all good at
Computer wise to give me a few idea's.
Of what certifications I could take.




-Daniel-

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Get your A+ and work as a Bench Tech in a local shop. You'll love it.

[Troy]

Get your A+ and work as a Bench Tech in a local shop. You'll love it.

[rshaffer61]

I have to agree with Troy on this one.
I spent 3 years in a PC shop to learn all I could about system repair and building.
Never got my A+ certification but that was for personal reasons.
The information and experience you will receive is invaluable and yes you will love it.

[dsenette]

depends on what you want to do with your life...

if your goal is to do what these other two yabbos suggested and work in a tech shop fixing up machines all day...then the A+ is a good idea..as well as any of the microsoft desktop certs etc...

if you're planning on getting a job with a company being an actual IT person (not actual as in better than someone fixing computers all day...just actual IT as in...being a PC repairman isn't really IT when you're talking about schooling) then i'd say to get any/all cisco certs available as well as the A+, NET+, MCSA (or MCSE).... especially if the school you're at has prep classes...you'll learn a lot about networking in the cisco courses (more than you'd ever think you need) and the other certs are just good to have


as a caveat here though....don't expect a cert to automatically get you a better job....depending on who's doing the hiring it might get you in the door....or it might make the interview more difficult.

if a non IT H.R. person is the only one doing your interview....then the certs might help because they don't know what any of them mean anyway...they just see some fancy letters and think it's neat.

if they bring someone from IT in on the interview...you're going to have to prove that you earned the certs and didn't just take a test

[rshaffer61]

Bench Tech would give you the start of what you will need to learn.
A+ in actuality is really not for you but for the company you work for. It is sort of a bragging rights that they have certified techs working for them.
Being A+ certified means you have tested and know your way around a system.
I took the practice tests twice and passed both with better then a 95%. I never saw a reason to get the certification because it did me no good as far as salary.

[TheWhiteRose000]

Kay,.
So A+ is opitional but good for benchman jobs.
And Cisco and those are good for big bussiness jobs.

D:

Any other recommendations?

[Wander]

Would it be possible to get a part-time job in a computer repair shop with little experience of computer structure?
I've taken some computers apart, but the first ended up being unbootable

If that fails, what about the chances of working in a more general tech store?

[Raktor]

Wander: Obviously it's going to depend entirely on the store you get work at, but where I started... I pretty much started with software only, easy problems, while shadowing another technician doing harder jobs, and you just work your way along with training on the job. I still need to speak to the other technicians about jobs now, they still need to speak about me, and we always need to research. It's the nature of the business.

It's definitely not a job you settle down for life in though - the pay is, quite frankly, pretty awful. But it's something I enjoy, hence why I give up a Saturday each week to go down and chill at the shop, fix some computers, have a good chat, and make some people happy.

Edit: Oh, and to the whole purpose of this topic...
I have no certifications. A bit of Microsoft online training, that's it. I'm studying a Bachelor of Information Technology, but I got the job when I was in high school.

Edited by Raktor, 16 September 2009 - 05:07 AM.

[TheWhiteRose000]

Wander: Obviously it's going to depend entirely on the store you get work at, but where I started... I pretty much started with software only, easy problems, while shadowing another technician doing harder jobs, and you just work your way along with training on the job. I still need to speak to the other technicians about jobs now, they still need to speak about me, and we always need to research. It's the nature of the business.

It's definitely not a job you settle down for life in though - the pay is, quite frankly, pretty awful. But it's something I enjoy, hence why I give up a Saturday each week to go down and chill at the shop, fix some computers, have a good chat, and make some people happy.

Edit: Oh, and to the whole purpose of this topic...
I have no certifications. A bit of Microsoft online training, that's it. I'm studying a Bachelor of Information Technology, but I got the job when I was in high school.

Having Certian certs does increase one's pay from what I heard.
Mainly having Cicso, and A+ are good so is Networking.

[Raktor]

A+ certification, in my eyes (no offence to anyone who has it and holds it proud), shows that you know about the standard of a Computers 101 course at university level - otherwise known as... things any technology enthusiast knows.

Cisco is not relevant to bench top tech, neither is security (although malware removal is a necessity... though it gets botched at most places). Networking is normally about an A+ level knowledge required.

I know that where I work, I wouldn't get a raise for those certifications. I might get a few more employment hours if I got an MCITP doing server implementations, but it's pretty rare that we see those either...

Just my $0.02, no offence intended to anyone.

[TheWhiteRose000]

Doubtful you'd offend anyone for a honest opition.
I know Cisco is the main money maker.

A+ doesn't go that high but increase's the chance of getting a bench job slightly.
xD

But hey thats what I've gathered.

[dsenette]

Having Certian certs does increase one's pay from what I heard.

that depends on where you get a job....i'd say that MOST of the time any CERT isn't going to effect your pay at all....it MIGHT get your foot in the door for an interview...and it MIGHT put you above the other interviewees but it's not likely to get you any more money for your time..

Certs are just tools... if you've got to hire a plumber and you interview 3 plumbers and only one comes with proof that he's got a set of plumbing tools....you're probably going to give that guy a bit better chance of getting the job. Does this plumber having proof mean that he's got good tools? no. does it mean that he actually knows how to use the tools? no. does it mean that the other 2 don't have tools or know how to use them better than the other? no...but they didn't come with proof that they've got the tools so you've got to ask them more questions.

[TheWhiteRose000]

Having Certian certs does increase one's pay from what I heard.

that depends on where you get a job....i'd say that MOST of the time any CERT isn't going to effect your pay at all....it MIGHT get your foot in the door for an interview...and it MIGHT put you above the other interviewees but it's not likely to get you any more money for your time..

Certs are just tools... if you've got to hire a plumber and you interview 3 plumbers and only one comes with proof that he's got a set of plumbing tools....you're probably going to give that guy a bit better chance of getting the job. Does this plumber having proof mean that he's got good tools? no. does it mean that he actually knows how to use the tools? no. does it mean that the other 2 don't have tools or know how to use them better than the other? no...but they didn't come with proof that they've got the tools so you've got to ask them more questions.

Somehow the Plumber reference makes it easier to understand.

[dsenette]

i know a lot of people with fancy certifications that i wouldn't let work on a toaster let alone a computer...(in fact i know one guy who has his MCSE from microsoft....he called me the other day to ask a question about a screensaver)...even the doctor that graduated last in his class is still a doctor

the most important thing is experience and an ability to learn

[TheWhiteRose000]

i know a lot of people with fancy certifications that i wouldn't let work on a toaster let alone a computer...(in fact i know one guy who has his MCSE from microsoft....he called me the other day to ask a question about a screensaver)...even the doctor that graduated last in his class is still a doctor

the most important thing is experience and an ability to learn

I agree.
I also say that the more creative the learner the easier the work is.

XD