Advice On Online A+ Certification Courses

[iAvison]

Hi guys,

I need some advice on my career planning. This year, I've graduated from highschool. During grade 12, I've taken a co-op course where I've been a hardware technician at a small computer business. They liked how I was working, so they decided to offer me a summer job. Personally I think it's a great opportunity for me to take because when I looked at job postings, they mostly require 1-2 years of experience. My plan as of now is to get the experience from working with this company, and then go back to school for certification preparation.

However, since I am limited to only doing hardware repairs, my boss wants me to start expanding my knowledge so I could help with remote calls, service calls and such, while the other technicians are extremely busy. He also told me that he would help out with covering the costs required to get my certification that I decide to obtain first. After researching, I figured that getting the A+ certification would be good to start off with. After getting the A+ certification, I would go to a local college for the "Computer and Network Support Technician" program, hopefully leading into my Network+ certification.

Do you guys think this is a good plan to get my career going? If so, what A+ certification courses online would you suggest? I have found CareerStep as one of the best options thus far because of their reviews, interface, and curriculum.

Any advice will help!! Thank you

 

[Titillating]

To be perfectly honest, A+ certification is easy enough to get without taking a course. If you already have some experience on the hardware end, then you're already halfway there. The software aspect is largely memorization, learning and getting used to the various diagnostic tools and some simple command line stuff. With the recent change to the A+ certification to make it pretty much exclusively about the Windows platform, it's become even easier to learn. There's a plethora of free content available online to assist you with it. Professor Messer's YouTube videos are a great resource for A+ training without getting too in-depth. A $20 textbook with some test prep questions would help, too.

That being said, if your boss is kind enough to offer to pay for the classes and certification exam, and you've got the time to attend the classes, there's no harm in it. The tests are a little pricey to take, so if the courses will help you, go for it. Not familiar with CareerStep, but I'd say try to find a course that isn't online, if only to have an instructor who can be there in person to look over your work and give you advice and answer questions--but go with whatever is more comfortable for you. A+ and Network+ certification will go a long way towards starting an IT career; many HR reps in charge of the hiring process for entry-level positions aren't tech experts, so they'll often just look at your qualifications and certifications as opposed to testing your real world knowledge.

 

[iAvison]

To be perfectly honest, A+ certification is easy enough to get without taking a course. If you already have some experience on the hardware end, then you're already halfway there. The software aspect is largely memorization, learning and getting used to the various diagnostic tools and some simple command line stuff. With the recent change to the A+ certification to make it pretty much exclusively about the Windows platform, it's become even easier to learn. There's a plethora of free content available online to assist you with it. Professor Messer's YouTube videos are a great resource for A+ training without getting too in-depth. A $20 textbook with some test prep questions would help, too.

That being said, if your boss is kind enough to offer to pay for the classes and certification exam, and you've got the time to attend the classes, there's no harm in it. The tests are a little pricey to take, so if the courses will help you, go for it. Not familiar with CareerStep, but I'd say try to find a course that isn't online, if only to have an instructor who can be there in person to look over your work and give you advice and answer questions--but go with whatever is more comfortable for you. A+ and Network+ certification will go a long way towards starting an IT career; many HR reps in charge of the hiring process for entry-level positions aren't tech experts, so they'll often just look at your qualifications and certifications as opposed to testing your real world knowledge.

Okay, so I'll decide not to go ahead with the course as of now and proceed with the books. Are there any specific A+ certification prep books that you prefer? I've been looking at reviews for some books, and I found this duo to be the best thus far:

CompTIA A+ 220-801 & 220-802 Authorized Exam Cram (6th Edition)
CompTIA A+ 220-801 & 220-802 Authorized Practice Questions Exam Cram (5th Edition)

 

[Titillating]

I think that is the same one I used earlier this year when I was studying for it, although I didn't get the accompanying practice questions book. Now, I gave up on this halfway through to pursue other options, but I still found it to be very helpful for learning basic Windows troubleshooting techniques. The only downside to using these books is that you don't always have a solid visual reference. There are pictures, but you'll want to try to follow along on your machine when you can.

But yeah, that's a good book to start with. Might even be all you need, since you already have experience as a technician.

 

[jreisner]

There are tons of resources for A+ online. Certification Magazine put together a pretty good list of free and paid tools to pass the test. http://certmag.com/comptia-220-801-220-802-study-resources/

 

[Benteknik]

I would go to CBT A+ videos , Mike myers have 8th or may be the 9th edition of the A+ books around 1600 pages , i believe one of the most comprehensive books i ever saw that cover 801 -802 .
THe closest thing you can get to get exactly similiar test sample will be testking , i know you are like paying another $100-200 but testking known to their obvious similiar to the real test on many IT courses.
You may also want to check this one out , http://quizlet.com/45649295/802-flash-cards/ test sample for A+ test.