A+ certification

[bs_texas]

Just wondering if anybody here has A+ hardware certification?

Or, do you have direct contact with anyone who is A+ certified?

What do you think about A+ certification?

regards....

[retoon]

I have A+ certification, and its not all that great. All that A+ means is that you've been a technician for about 6 months. Its great for entry level positions. For example, I got a job as a tech at Staples just by flagging around my little cert card. Alot of people think that A+ certification means that you're a computer god, its not true, but it doesn't mean you can't take it to your advantage.;) Plus, taking the hardware, and OS/Software test at the same time is the best way to take the test, that way its all done, over with, you don't have to go a week or so saying "well I passed the hardware test, but Im still not certified." :D

[moojuece]

i have my A+ cert....i have had it for a few years now....the only tyhing it has done for me is to get my resume considered....i think it is a great cert for someone who has no professional experience to help them get a job nothing more.....if you have no experience and no cert no one cares about your resume....if you have no experience and the cert....people will at least consider you but you still have to prove youself....ive known far to many idiots with a+ certs to trust that name as meaning anything

[retoon]

Funny story, I had a guy once with A+ cert and he was working on an old at. He made the fatal mistake of placing the p8 and p9 mother board to power supply connectors in backwards. Then, they were expensive. He had to replace the motherboard and hard drive. The cd-rom was fine. I felt bad for the guy. He had to pay about $250.00 total for the parts.:rolleyes:

[MartinB]

The only guy I ever knew who was A+ certified had the following statement in his forum signature:

"I am A+ certified so chances are i'm better with comps then you"

That didn't give me a very good impression, and in talking to him, it was evident he really didn't know much either.

[Uberclocker]

I have my A+/Network+ and so far it hasnt done much for me. My field experience has done far greater. A+ is VERY easy and a quick cert. Why not get it? Some jobs require it.

[DMR]

Originally posted by moojuece
the only thing it has done for me is to get my resume consideredThat's usually the case, but hey- in this economy that can be well worth the price of the exams.

From what I've seen in computer job ads, certs, especially the lower-level ones such as A+ and Network+, seem to often just be a way for a company to slim down the possible hundreds of resumes they might get for a single open position. After all, the HR people reviewing the resumes usually wouldn't know a CRT from an SUV; they're just handed a list of criteria which an applicant must meet, and "A+ certification required" makes their job easier.

I don't agree with blanket use cerrts as a measure of capability/competence, and if you follow the industry you know that there's been a lot of questioning as to the value of "paper certified" (that is, little or no real-world experience) hires lately. Personally, I know plenty of non-certified techs and engineers who have enough experience and know their stuff solidly enough to do the job as well as anyone with a cert.

[Culbert]

I became interested in becoming A+ and Network+ certitfied lately and have checked out many of the practice exams that are free online. I took the test, just to check my knowledge and there sure were many things that I didn't know. Personally I'm benefitting by learning the info required to pass the A+ exam. So what do I gain, well I get to put it on my resume and I learn something at the same time. And I just get the books from my library so it costs me nothing except to take the actual test. I'd say go for it. If it takes having a piece of paper to get your resume considered, then I sure would try to get that piece of paper!

[David Anderson]

I have two A+ exams (hardware and OS) scheduled for next Wednesday, April 2nd. I may reschedule it; depends on how confident I am after studying this weekend. I've been a computer tech. for years, so I should know most of it. I'm doing it for one reason only: resume enhancement. That's it. It it gives me the extra edge, or gets me called for an interview, it was worth the $180 I paid.

What I think of the A+ cert? It's too easy and therefore doesn't have much weight, IMO. On the other hand, it can't hurt to have it.

I'm hoping to get Red Hat certified this summer.

[DMR]

Originally posted by David Anderson
I'm hoping to get Red Hat certified this summer. Good luck on that- I've heard that the RHCE exam is real bear.

:)

[CMonster]

I got A+ in 1999 before the test went to adaptive format and there was about 70 questions per test. A+ quite well covered a surprizingly broad range of basics, except for the OS module which included outdated DOS, Win3.x, and Win95 -and the frustrating thing was questions like "In Windows the best way to do XXXX is to... ABCDE?" and they didn't specify Win3x or 95 and both possible answers were there. I still managed to pull a 95% on the hardware and a 96% on the OS. --anyway, that's all changed now.

Since then I have also obtained the following Comptia certifications: Network+ (easy), Linux+ (easy), Server+ (not hard but very subjective - seems to be based on popular opinion rather than fact):

While Comptia certs like A+ can help get you into a low-paying ($10-12hr) help desk or PC tech job like the service counter at Best Buy or Fry's Electronics, there is no substitute for experience and a real educational Degree of some sort.

Currently I work as an equipment repair mechanic for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power -I maintain and repair all types of fleet vehicles, portable generators, and anything else they bring into the shop - Without any overtime I make a meger 50K a year and have great benefits... holidays, vacation, schedule, medical benefits etc. and very low stress. My tenative goal is to transfer into the IT department, but in order to get the required experinece for a similar paying position as a Network Technition, I would have to have a 4-year Bachelor's in a related tech field or step down into a Net Tech Trainee position for 2-years at a substantial (~15K pay cut) per year, and would loose all my seniority in my current class. I think I'll stay a mechanic for now -retire in 2015 if the world and my health are still intact.

[retoon]

I was looking at RHCE, but its really expensive from what I've heard. I am also kind of new to linux, so I have a lot of more studying, but I thought I might take one of the courses. I still have doubts about it though, I don't know how much weight it would carry in the IT field, and I have a feeling that alot of people in the IT field wouldn't know, or care about RHCE.:(

[2ndsign]

yes ive got a+ too!

all it mean is that you fix computer well(hopefully you do)

using linux has taught me more then any old a+ certification!:D

no offence to any techs intended:D

[chatins]

I once hired an a+ certified tech who was so bad, he resorted to going back to his old job during lunch break - enbalming people at his father's funeral parlor.

I am A+ certified myself and, believe it or not, lots of people have trouble passing these two exams.

My goal is to become Redhat certified. I will skip MCSE.

[dungscooperdave]

I've been thinking for quite a while now about becoming A+ Certified. I bought a study guide about a month or two ago and have been slowly making my way through it ever since. I'm learning a lot that I didn't know and I'm hoping it might get me a better job in the future than most people my age come across (When you're a high school student a typical job is like pushing carts at the local grocery store or shoveling dirt all day long.) Anyway, I hope I actually end up getting it sometime, or at least taking the exam. :D

[Fryguy8]

certs aren't bad, but they aren't exactly good either. They are so damn common nowadays, it has a diluted meaning. I'm making the choice to go through college and get a Masters in CS, and see where i go from there.

[David Anderson]

Originally posted by retoon
I was looking at RHCE, but its really expensive from what I've heard. I am also kind of new to linux, so I have a lot of more studying, but I thought I might take one of the courses. I still have doubts about it though, I don't know how much weight it would carry in the IT field, and I have a feeling that alot of people in the IT field wouldn't know, or care about RHCE.:(

I'm not sure I agree with this. The RHCE is what I consider to be a real certification. It's very difficult from what I've read. There's an exam to take, a troubleshooting section, and an installation section. All must be passed to obtain the certificate.

I suppose it depends on the job you're going after. But if I were in an IT department and a potential canidate had an RHCE, I would be impressed. To be that would mean the person is reasonably technical, whereas A+ just means they can read a book and memorize things.

[MB[DK]]

Yup the RHCE sure looks interesting.

In any case having a cert on your resume is far better than nothing, right?
I'm CCNA certified, not sure if I can use it for anything else than getting an interview or taking the CCNP (doing that already).

But that RHCE sure seems cool.......

[Uberclocker]

I've heard RHCE is one of the highest quality certs out there right now. Me personally im working on my CIW cert, then taking my CCNA.

[xknightx]

i'm both A+ (hardware and OS) and Network+ cert. Studying for the test was incredibly informative. But the only real positive side to the cert is that i got a two dollar raise for becoming Network+. i have found that alot of the material covered in the exams; i use almost everday. :D

xknightx