There are a total of 4 specialist training sectors in the complete CompTIA A+ course, of which you’ll need certification in two subjects for competency in A+. We would advise however that restricting yourself to two of the specialised areas might well not equip you for a job. Try to cover all four - employers will notice the difference.

Once on the A+ computer training course you will develop an understanding of how to build, fix, repair and work in antistatic conditions. Fault finding and diagnostic techniques through hands on and remote access are also covered. If you’re considering being the person who works in a multi-faceted environment - fixing and supporting networks, you’ll need to add CompTIA Network+, or alternatively look at doing an MCSA or MCSE with Microsoft in order to have a more advanced experience of the way networks operate.

Many men and women think that the state educational track is still the best way into IT. So why then are qualifications from the commercial sector slowly and steadily replacing it? Industry is now aware that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, proper accreditation from such organisations as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA is far more effective and specialised - for considerably less. Obviously, an appropriate portion of relevant additional knowledge has to be taught, but core specifics in the areas needed gives a commercially trained student a massive advantage.

When an employer knows what areas they need covered, then they just need to look for a person with the appropriate exam numbers. Commercial syllabuses all have to conform to the same requirements and aren’t allowed to deviate (as academic syllabuses often do).

If you’re like many of the students we talk to then you probably enjoy fairly practical work - a ‘hands-on’ type. If you’re anything like us, the painful task of reading endless manuals would be considered as a last resort, but it doesn’t suit your way of doing things. Consider interactive, multimedia study if learning from books is not your thing. Many years of research has time and time again shown that becoming involved with our studies, to utilise all our senses, is far more likely to produce long-lasting memories.

Learning is now available in the form of CD and DVD ROM’s, so you can study at your own computer. Utilising the latest video technology, you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how it’s all done, and then practice yourself - via the interactive virtual lab’s. It would be silly not to view examples of the courseware provided before you sign the purchase order. Always insist on instructor demonstrations, video tutorials and audio-visual elements backed up by interactive lab’s.

You’ll find that many companies will only provide just online versions of their training packages; while you can get away with this much of the time, consider what happens if you lose your internet access or you get slow speeds and down-time etc. It is usually safer to have DVD or CD discs that don’t suffer from these broadband issues.

A typical blunder that students everywhere can make is to look for the actual course to take, instead of focusing on the end result they want to achieve. Colleges are stacked to the hilt with students that chose a program because it looked interesting - in place of something that could gain them an enjoyable career or job. Imagine training for just one year and then end up performing the job-role for decades. Ensure you avoid the fatal error of finding what seems like an ‘interesting’ course only to spend 20 years doing an unrewarding career!

Make sure you investigate your leanings around career development, earning potential, and how ambitious you are. You should understand what (if any) sacrifices you’ll need to make for a particular role, what exams they want you to have and in what way you can develop commercial experience. Have a conversation with an experienced industry advisor who has a background in the industry you’re considering, and is able to give you a detailed description of what you actually do in that role. Establishing this long before starting out on a retraining programme makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?

Look at the points below and pay great regard to them if you’re inclined to think the marketing blurb about examination guarantees seems like a good idea:

Obviously it isn’t free - you’re still paying for it - it’s just been included in your package price. The fact is that when students fund each progressive exam, when they’re ready to take them and not before, there’s a much better chance they’ll pass first time - as they’ll think of their investment in themselves and therefore will put more effort into their preparation.

Isn’t it outrageous to have to pay the college at the start of the course for examination fees? Find the best exam deal or offer at the appropriate time, don’t pay mark-ups - and do it in a local testing centre - not at somewhere of their bidding. Big margins are made by many training colleges who get money for exam fees in advance. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons but the company keeps the money. Astoundingly enough, providers exist who depend on students not taking their exams - as that’s where a lot of their profit comes from. The majority of companies will insist on pre-tests and with-hold subsequent exam entries from you until you’ve demonstrated an excellent ability to pass - which makes an ‘Exam Guarantee’ frankly useless.

With the average price of Pro-metric and VUE tests coming in at around 112 pounds in the UK, it makes sense to pay as you go. It’s not in the student’s interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. A commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

You have to be sure that all your accreditations are current and commercially required - you’re wasting your time with programs that only give in-house certificates. From an employer’s viewpoint, only the big-boys like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco (for instance) really carry any commercial clout. Anything less won’t make the grade.

Tags: Computers

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