6 months off, New year New me, some help and advice plaese

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I passed my A+ exams in August this year but ever since due to my current circumstances i was unable to carry on studying and applying for my fist jobs in I.T
However after the new year my current job will allow me to get my career back on track

As soon as i passed the A+ i bought but haven't started reading the MCDST but since the arrival of windows 7 is this the best certificate to go for after the A+ ? shall i go for the N+ ?

I have also taken a total step back from I.T and learning anything for 6 months and im very worried what ill have to learn again and what i'm expected to know in a 1st line support job.



Can anyone who works in a 1st line support enviroment explain the range of tasks that you do on a day-to-day basis so that i can at least tick off what i know and what i need to brush up on ? Thanks guys

 

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I would say the MCDST is still worth getting as a vast amount of companies still use XP and that probably won't change for a long time especially with the recession. Personally I would do the Network+ before the MCDST as I think for people wanting to boost their general knowledge in IT they are good certs to do first.

As for 1st line I've never worked in 1st line but would say there is no hard and fast rule as to what you need to know as it will change from company to company. Some 1st line is simple fixes and some 1st line goes into a lot of technical depth. I would say you just need a good all round knowledge as a foundation to working in IT regardless of the position and then gear your learning depending on the job your doing or where you want to be.

 

Since you already have the A+ my advice would be to make a really good CV, pointing out the fact that you are passionate about IT and underlining any IT skills you may have. Also mention that you plan to further your studies and gain more certs. If you check out the sticky post in the Employment and jobs section of the forum "how I got into IT" you will find the best sites to search for junior / trainee IT roles that you can aquire with only the A+ and a passion for IT.

Good luck!