Hello...and please help!

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Hello there guys and girls,

You lot seem a vry "switchd on" bunch, so for that i appluad you people and hope you can offer me the same type of help you have so many others.

Ok so as you can tell from my username (whichver way you take it), i have som serious issus (aside from the fact that my "e" key isnt working properly!!).

TO the point...i am not really sure which course to take and the way to go about studying for it either!
I had th idea of doing the A+,n+ and the servr+ courses for £499 subject to any xam fees from good ol www.comptia-certification.co.uk, but im a bit dodgy on them number 1, number 2 was that IT support isnt really something i want to do IT wise. I DO help out ALOT at work with IT hardware isssues and software issues, i do a hell of a lot of IT support at work, although im not mployed for it. However, saying all of that, IT support is not something in IT that grabs my attention.

I want something i can take home and do, and have fun doing it. I am so passionate about IT and love desigining spreadsheets and databases and grabbing images and doing this and that with them....so i thought about doing the CIW foundation course through computeach.

My issues to date are numberd below:

1. Todo or not todo the A+,N+ and server + all for £499 subject to any xam fees
2. Todo or not todo the CIW foundation course - computeach offer @ £1300
3. Should i take thee home study method of buying books and doing it myself - whichever course it may be?

I will study like hell either way, but if i was to take option 3 i would have to KNOW the book im getting is THE right book for the course content for the exam.

If i take option 3 i think i SHOULD really do some sort of CIW course (unless someone can offer another based on my ramblings?) so i ENJOY doing it?

I took a look at http://www.certforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=21812 that thread and it helped me somewhat to realise that web design is prob the avenue for me...(most thanks goto "nelly" for that - great content written by him/her btw).

So to conclude...home study?CIW?ANy other course you can suggest? Please help because so far IThurts.

 

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Hi Welcome

You could consider doing MCDBA certification if databases is what your into or CIW for webs design but you may have to do support for while untill someone employs you so A+ might not be a bad idea.

BTW I was going to go with compTIA-Certification.co.uk before I found out you could self study for certifications and its cheaper too.

 

wa? lol. I could do CIW/databases...but i might need to do a A+ too??....


I appreciate your input and thoughts however i think you have confused me a little more

I think i may try the CIW slf study. Where do i start in obtaining the books?Which ones?

Another thing - how are you finding the self study?? Is it harder? Less worrying that you haven't spent a bajillion pounds/dollars on a course fee? Give me some insight

Thanks again

 

by doing the A+ I mean it may help you get a foot in the door when applying for jobs such database admin, if you could say you have a cert in support then it can only look more favorable to an employer.

You don't have to of course you could just do CIW and just try that way.

 

DB admin doesnt seem the way for me either TBH. What does a DB admin do? Given my xplanation in my first post, do you think its the kind of thing i am after?

I tihnk i may try the CIW self study, do you know of the appropriate books that SHOULD be bought for it?
Thanks Bruce!

 

DB admins sit in an office and script databases using sql and Oracle (normally).

If its creating web pages and flashy designed pages then CIW is for you but I can't recommend any books CIW isn't my thing.

 

Ok thanks anyway, you guys dont mess about with reeplying eh?lol.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what CIW foundation (associate) cert books for self study, with the obvious prospeect for me to pass the exam?

HELP APRRECIATED!!

 

Hi and welcome aboard.

The A+ is a great course, and will not be wasted whatever path you decide upon. Although the exams are expensive (compared to the MS ones), you could always learn the material....

If databases are what you feel at home with, why not start off with Access?

Some links;

A+

Access

Access

 

Hi there, and welcome.

Fron what you've said, the only real benefit you'd get from the Comptia exams is to build on the support work you're currently doing - which is a useful fallback but not exactly the direction you want.

If designing databases is what you enjoy doing, then a DBA course probably wouldn't suit you too well, as DBA work is primarily database maintenance as opposed to development. Although the new MCTS/MCITP offers a SQL Server 2005 development route, the only other development certification available is Oracle, which isn't advisable if you don't have prior experience as it's very very hard to get work in Oracle without experience. Up until the new courses, there haven't really been certifications in database development, so study, practice and experience would be of more value to you.

Similarly, if web design is what you want to do, then you could simply get some books on HTML, CSS, Dreamweaver and Javascript and take it from there.

However, you don't necessarily need to choose one or the other as databases are increasingly using web front ends, which would mean you learning MySQL or SQL Server (or Postgres) as a back end, and then learning about web development using ASP (SQL Server) or PHP (MySQL) to link the two.

These are areas in which certification is not really called for or indeed relevant, as you'll see if you browse through job ads and look at what skillsets are in demand.

As for books, have a look at Amazon and see which books have the highest ratings and read through the reviews, that should give you an indication of which books to go for.

 

Just read Boyce's reply - Access is a good place to start as you'll still learn the fundamentals, as well as VBA and SQL. (I started out in Access and worked as an Access programmer for several years). Plus you can tinker with Access projects (Access front, SQL Server back) rather than going straight into SQL Server cold

 

Thanks for your insight. I think you have understood my issue and my "passion" for IT. I also think you have grasped the fact that web design may be the better option for me which is what i was thinking.

Lets stray away from DB's because i really only said that as a passing comment and its not something i would be overly keen to get into. I like designing first and foremost, hence my enquiry about CIW foundation course.

So my next issue was where to obtain a "Kit" that would enable me to pass the CIW foundation course (self study). I could learn HTML etc etc as you kindly stated, however id be more happy to obtain a book that was directly related to the CIW foundation course itself, therefore increasing my ability to be able to pass the exam, as i assume the book would be geared towards the exam itself. All the while i do this i shall save all myweb design work and create a potfolio, to show to employers so my work doesnt go to waste. Any ideas from you insightful folk here at CF?
At the minute i have come up with this : http://amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=CIW+

Do you guys/girls think this book will be "all i need", or will i have to obtain several? I know i ask alot of you kind peopleto tell me info from a book you hae never prob read before, but im really confused as to what book to buy and why...so to speak. Maybe ill stop pestering you people and buy the top book on the link i have supplied and see what books i WILL need as a result- based on if i dont understand some parts/concepts etc etc? Sounds like a plan?

 

Hi again,

What might be best is if you go to one of the larger bookshops, like Waterstones on Piccadilly, or a specialised bookshop, and have a look through the books available (not as wide a range, of course) to see what books they have and what you think of them - and in particular, what you think of the material. (I did that a few weeks ago before buying them on Amazon). [Checks link] Oh. Um. You really don't have much choice, do you?

Are you interested in doing the CIW specifically because of the course material, or because you want to do a course which comes with a certification? From the threads I've seen on here, CIW doesn't seem to be that widely recognised, and given the huge amount of courses and material available on web design, it doesn't seem to be necessarily the best course to take. At least, that's what I can tell from looking at the course overviews.

Whatever the book you settle on is like, it wouldn't hurt to pick another book as well, for the contrast in approach and information, and also as it may cover topics which the other one misses.

 

Thanks for replying.
I am taking the course to enhance my ability in the web design world. I want the certificate so if i was placed in a stand-off situation with someone that has the same experience and portfolio as me, then i can say i have had the foresight and determination to take the course and pass the exam, therefore hopefully giving the employeer the idea that i am not a cowboy, and i mean business.

In re to the books, i obviously first and foremost need one that is geared towards the exam so i can concentrate on the exam material. Was thinking of the CIW foundation self study kit for the NEW exam, sold from the US from the vendors website. I will also however, buy more in depth HTML/CSS and javacscript books to further develop my skills (when that time arrives), and to create a better portfolio, WHILST i learn.
TO me the CIW foundation course seems to be the best starting point for newbies like myself. I maybe wrong?