Computer training for CompTIA A+ has four specialist sections – you need to pass exams in two of these areas to be competent in A+. For this reason, most colleges restrict their A+ to just two of the 4 sectors. To us, this isn’t enough – sure, you can pass an exam, but training on all 4 will set you apart in industry, where gaps in your knowledge will expose weaknesses. This is why you deserve training in all 4 specialities.
Alongside being taught about building and fixing computers, students on A+ courses will have instruction on how to operate in antistatic conditions, along with remote access, fault finding and diagnostics.
You may also want to consider doing Network+ as it will give you the knowledge to become a networking engineer, and become a more senior IT professional.
A fatal Faux-Pas that potential students often succumb to is to choose a career based on a course, instead of focusing on the desired end-result. Colleges are full of unaware students who took a course because it seemed fun – instead of the program that would surely get them their end-goal of a job they enjoyed.
Never let yourself become one of those unfortunate students who select a program that sounds really ‘interesting’ and ‘fun’ – only to end up with a qualification for something they’ll never enjoy.
It’s a good idea to understand the expectations of your industry. Which accreditations you’ll be required to have and how to gain experience. You should also spend a little time thinking about how far you wish to go as often it can present a very specific set of qualifications.
Take guidance from an industry professional, even if you have to pay a small fee – it’s considerably cheaper and safer to investigate at the start whether a chosen track will suit, instead of discovering after two full years that the job you’ve chosen is not for you and have to start from the beginning again.
Considering how a program is ‘delivered’ to you is usually ignored by most students. How many parts is the training broken down into? And in what order and what control do you have at what pace it arrives?
Delivery by courier of each element one piece at a time, according to your exam schedule is the usual method of releasing your program. While seeming sensible, you should consider these factors:
What if you don’t finish every section? Maybe the prescribed order won’t suit you? Due to no fault of yours, you may not meet the required timescales and consequently not get all your materials.
An ideal situation would be to have all your study materials delivered to you right at the start; the entire thing! This way, nothing can happen down the line which could affect your ability to finish.
One of the most important things to insist on has to be comprehensive 24×7 direct-access support from expert mentors and instructors. Far too often we see trainers who only provide office hours (or extended office hours) support.
Email support is too slow, and telephone support is usually to a call-centre which will take the information and email an instructor – who will attempt to call you within 24-48 hrs, when it’s convenient to them. This is no use if you’re stuck with a particular problem and only have a specific time you can study.
We recommend that you search for providers that have multiple support offices active in different time-zones. All of them should be combined to give a single entry point and 24×7 access, when you need it, with the minimum of hassle.
Always pick a training company that offers this level of study support. Only true 24×7 round-the-clock live support truly delivers for technical programs.
A lot of students assume that the school and FE college route is the way they should go. Why then are commercial certificates slowly and steadily replacing it?
Industry is of the opinion that for an understanding of the relevant skills, proper accreditation from such organisations as Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA often is more effective in the commercial field – for considerably less.
In essence, the learning just focuses on what’s actually required. It isn’t quite as lean as that might sound, but principally the objective has to be to focus on the exact skills required (including a degree of required background) – without overdoing the detail in all sorts of other things (as universities often do).
It’s a bit like the TV advert: ‘It does what it says on the label’. Companies need only to know what they’re looking for, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. Then they know that anyone who applies can do the necessary work.
Copyright 2009 Scott Edwards. Pop over to MatureStudentTraining.co.uk/tmatstr.html or HTML Certification.
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