What qualifications should I obtain for a job working under a PC repair technician?

[mccoolaustinm]

I'm a seventeen-year-old high school graduate. Because of personal reasons I have to start college a bit late and in the meantime am trying to save up money. My passion is in computers. There's a wonderful computer repair shop within half a mile of my house and I'd like to apply there, but I have at least a month to do so and in that month can take the time every day to study any books, take any online classes (depending on price) or practice any concept. I've also done my best to order points below in the order I find them to be most valuable to a job in this field.

Things I have done personally:
-Worked with computers since I was a toddler and developed an aptitude for learning quickly what I do not know
-Built custom PC builds for myself and others, and designed build part lists for others who wanted to assemble it themselves, including builds within set budget ranges
-Disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled many unique PC's
-Studied and practiced Objective-C and Python
-Assessed PC's for others and removed malware, installed software, helped troubleshoot software for them and then taught them how to properly use said software
-Kept up to date on recent technologies and software as it is released
-Daily research into the current events of the fields of computer science, software and hardware, and physics

Things I have done in school:
-High School Diploma
-2 years Programming Class, learning mostly Java and HTML, and general programming theory (I wish there had been more in the curriculum, honestly)
-1 year of Web Design
--- HTML
--- Adobe Dreamweaver, InDesign, Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects
--- A Microsoft Cert. (which I can't seem to find) in Office 2007 Powerpoint
-1 year of Electricity (mostly construction wiring, following state codes and learning electrical concepts and the science)
--- OSHA 10-hour Certification
-Up to AP Statistics in math, with Trig and Advanced Algebra 3 classes as well
-1 year of Honors Physics, along with all other basic sciences taken in high school
-2 years of various Building Trades, learning mostly carpentry, construction principles, and some electricity which inspired me to take the Electricity class mentioned above
-4 years of English (with various Honors classes mixed in, and awards for essay-writing ability)
-SAT Score: 1990

(Note: I recognize there was another thread with a similar title on the first page of this category, but the question was very different from mine)


Edit: I should mention that the one "shop" I'm looking at in particular does a lot more than just repair PC's. This is straight off their website:

COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC - ONLY $45.00
Hardware Installation & Removal
Software Installation & Removal
Hardware/Software Troubleshooting
Viruses & Spyware Removal
Desktop Repairs (PC & MAC)
Laptop Repairs (PC & MAC)
iPhone/iPod/iPad Repair
Wireless Network Setup
Data Backup & Transfers
Data Recovery
Website Design & Custom Builds
Laptop Screen Replacement
Insurance Estimates
Computer Training (Hardware & Software)
IN-HOME SERVICES AVAILABLE w/ pickup & delivery

 

[electrontau]

A+ certification, for sure.

If you are going to work on Apple computers, you will need Apple certification as well. I know that Toshiba has their own certification but it will depend on the repair company you work for.

 

[cotydlux]

Since the shop repairs computers, good place to start is with a basic certification like CompTIA's A+
http://certification.comptia.org/getCertified/certifications/a.aspx
This is one of the easier certs and it's aimed at the desktop technician. good luck.

 

[USAFRet]

A+, and see if they'll let you intern there for a while.

 

[mccoolaustinm]

I like the idea of interning for a while. I want to go into computer science or a physics crossover field (my niche is lab work) and I'll look into getting the A+ and probably an Apple cert., and should I get an official Windows cert. as well? As while I know a lot, I can't say I've taken any tests to prove it.

 

[mccoolaustinm]

A+ is expensive... Requiring two exams to be certified at over a $360 pricetag 😵
Is there a lower-tier cert, maybe one also done by CompTIA that I can start with, especially if I were to pay for such a cert and then not be able to get a job right away to make it worthwhile?

Edit: Also, is it worth my while to attempt the Network+, Security+ or Linux+ certs? Also all very expensive.

 

[USAFRet]

A+ is the most widely recognized for that line of work. But you don't have to do it right away. Go talk to the guys at that shop. See what they say.

I did the Security+ about 18 months ago. Not that tough, but then again I've been doing this stuff since before you were born. And I didn't have to pay for it...

 

[cotydlux]

You can find some A+ practice test all over the interwebs. If you learn the material you can tell the shop owner that you know the material but haven't taken the test because of cash flow. If the shop needs a tech and they like you, then you might be able to ask them to sponsor your test fee or half. Shops like certified people cuz it justifys the fee that they charge if they have "certified" techs.
Check this site- http://www.getcertified4less.com/Default.asp

 

[mccoolaustinm]

You can find some A+ practice test all over the interwebs. If you learn the material you can tell the shop owner that you know the material but haven't taken the test because of cash flow. If the shop needs a tech and they like you, then you might be able to ask them to sponsor your test fee or half. Shops like certified people cuz it justifys the fee that they charge if they have "certified" techs.
Check this site- http://www.getcertified4less.com/Default.asp

Woh, thank you so much for that website link. I'll keep checking back there. And yes, I was considering bringing up the employer sponsoring me. Perhaps I could show a practice test score to prove that I'm worth the effort.

I should mention that the one "shop" I'm looking at in particular does a lot more than just repair PC's. This is straight off their website:

COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC - ONLY $45.00
Hardware Installation & Removal
Software Installation & Removal
Hardware/Software Troubleshooting
Viruses & Spyware Removal
Desktop Repairs (PC & MAC)
Laptop Repairs (PC & MAC)
iPhone/iPod/iPad Repair
Wireless Network Setup
Data Backup & Transfers
Data Recovery
Website Design & Custom Builds
Laptop Screen Replacement
Insurance Estimates
Computer Training (Hardware & Software)
IN-HOME SERVICES AVAILABLE w/ pickup & delivery

 

[computaur]

A+ should get you in the door, especially if you're just looking for some work before you start school or a job while attending school. There are certifications for almost every brand of PC, as well as Mac. Taking these on your own will cost you a small fortune and you may or may never use them, I had to take Mac, Lenovo, Dell, Hewett Packard, etc. my first job out of college but all of that was paid for by the company. Realistically you shouldn't be expected to bring anything more to the table for a job like that than an A+.

I strongly suggest you pickup a CompTIA A+ book, or find one online(a recent version as technology changes year to year) and read it cover to cover several times while taking notes. The A+ test isn't incredibly hard but it is around $200 and you don't want to fail it and continue paying if cash is an issue for you. Beyond that, all I can tell you is the IT world is a world that consists of a lot of traveling(entry level jobs anyways) for when you finally go to school and graduate to take a job after. I would definitley find an area of expertise to focus on so you have a better shot at landing a job that dosen't require you to travel constantly after college.

Best of luck with your position and education,

 

[mccoolaustinm]

A+ should get you in the door, especially if you're just looking for some work before you start school or a job while attending school. There are certifications for almost every brand of PC, as well as Mac. Taking these on your own will cost you a small fortune and you may or may never use them, I had to take Mac, Lenovo, Dell, Hewett Packard, etc. my first job out of college but all of that was paid for by the company. Realistically you shouldn't be expected to bring anything more to the table for a job like that than an A+.

I strongly suggest you pickup a CompTIA A+ book, or find one online(a recent version as technology changes year to year) and read it cover to cover several times while taking notes. The A+ test isn't incredibly hard but it is around $200 and you don't want to fail it and continue paying if cash is an issue for you. Beyond that, all I can tell you is the IT world is a world that consists of a lot of traveling(entry level jobs anyways) for when you finally go to school and graduate to take a job after. I would definitley find an area of expertise to focus on so you have a better shot at landing a job that dosen't require you to travel constantly after college.

Best of luck with your position and education,

Thanks for the advice and well-wishes. I don't really intend to take an IT college route. I'll probably share a lot of classes with IT students, but my real passion is for physics, astronomy, and neuroscience. I see myself taking the long road to a doctorate, eventually combining my love for computers with my love for any one of those sciences in an interdisciplinary field. For now though, I know much more about computers than anything else, and it's where I think I'd most enjoy working while still in school, at least until I can move up.

 

[Beachnative]

Do't waste your time with learing to repair PC's it's a waste of time. If I was 17 and liked computers I would go into programming without a second thought, there are 100 times the jos for programmers that make much more than a PC repair guy could even imagine.
I have a degree in Network Engineering my first job out of college started at 35k 12 years ago. A guy in programming that graduated at the same time I did was making 55k right out of college, good pay for a 20 year old! Nownetworking jobs are inm little demand with virtualization but programming is still in high demand.
I know two programmers that specialize in the healthcare field making over $200k/yr with a 2 year degree, that isn't going to happen to everyone but it has a higher probability even for podunk Brevard County Florida