Desktop Support Related Exams

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Hello,

I work in 1st/2nd line desktop support. Is anyone aware of certs that would help me in my work?

I have had a look at the comptia A+ exams and certs like that seem like they can help

Anyone got any suggestions?

 

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A+ is good general knowledge, its vendor neutral though. Have you looked at the desktop certs like Windows 10?

 

Yeah what @Juelz said.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm looking for something a bit broader than just Windows 10.

My client uses Citrix environment on windows 7. - I don't want to do something windows 7 related as that is slowly becoming redundant.

When you say Vendor Neutral, what does that exactly mean? Is it, only a few places recognise the certification?

Thanks

 

Is this worth it for £495?

I want the basic knowledge on issues I get as a desktop support analyst. Also, I want to get in to networking and become a level 3 techy

Thanks

 

I found this pack of exams on Reed as well.

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks in advance!

 

Ok, so some clarity needed here.

Vendor neutral means that it's not following a specific vendors training \ certification requirements, for example the CCNA is based purely on Cisco, the MCSA is based purely on Microsoft etc.

Vendor neutral exams will cover generic material that isn't specific to any one vendor.

Now as far as you are concerned, I would definitely look at the A+ but be advised that it's not a widely recognised here in the UK as it is in the USA. It will however give you a good grounding on generic technology.

I wouldn't waste money at this stage on the above bundles, yes it's nice to have the Windows 7/8 MCSA but at this stage of your career the server certifications will just be a waste (unless you're using it on a daily basis then you're going to forget it) and as for the Office 365 exams I wouldn't bother unless again you're in the position of administering an O365 environment then it's wasting your time.

I would suggest looking at the A+, going for the self study route (plenty of resources around) and see how you go.

 

@Haroon Mustafa do you really need certification? Ive only just really jumped back into certs, when I first got my job I spent my time studying the different aspects and systems without it being directly linked to an exam, maybe you should just study for the knowledge for now perhaps?

 

Thanks for the reply Simon. - Okay, I see what you mean. - Server wise - I do very little, very rarely for servers anyway. I was considering the above exams because they came in a bundle. I must say, I have seen a lot of Comptia+. I will look in to taking those exams. Maybe Network+ as well as in the future I want to get in to network support.
ComptiaA+ will give me the ground knowledge i need on the minor things i have trouble with. - I hope.

Thank you!
Haroon

 

Good question. - I have been recommended several times to start taking certifications early. I loved the idea but did not know of any. My job now on the service desk gives me time at the end of the day to study. And the work I do I am almost certain there are certificates to help me out there.

I don't think learning something without an exam is for me - and I would pay to have proof I understand certain things. It will help me progress at my work place. I see people around me doing so

What do you think about taking a ComptiaA+?

Thanks!
Haroon

 

I have to stop you right there, certification 'should' be about proving your abilities, not giving you new ones, yes I understand entry level exams and all that but please don't confuse exams as being what gives you the experience over proving your experience.

If you look at the requirements for some of the harder exams (anything after the MTA's for example) all require 12 - 18 months of experience with the technology, the exams are meant to prove a level of experience that you should already have with the product, not give you that experience.

Please understand that people who do exam tracks like the MCSA or MCSE are doing both themselves and others a dis-service if they don't actually know the subject matter because for most people it's showing there level of expertise and should be there as a badge of honour telling others that you know your stuff, instead what happens is you have paper MCSE's who have passed the exam but don't know anything outside of the exam and fall flat on their faces when faced with a real world situation.

A prime example of a way around that is with VMware and their VCAP \ VCIX exams, you can only pass those exams with proved experience and as such anyone with the VCAP should be trusted enough to know what they are doing with the technology.

I grant you, the A+ exam is the right exam for you, it does give you the grounding you need but exams such as the CCNA and MCSA etc aren't for you at this stage of your career.