Hey everyone.

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Hello to everyone who bothers to read this.

Yeah that's right another new guy who is probably just like, all the others who have past before him.

Employed/Unemployed and is looking for or has a job in IT and needs more or some Cert's.

Basically i have no clue where to start i am fully employed in full time work, but i want to take up IT because it's basically my life, i have a few skill's and knowledge already but i now need the cert's to prove most of these skill's. I have been in touch with a few people who are in IT and they have given me abit of advice to like self study and buy and old pc and practice on that and then take which ever test necessary to what i have studied but i dont feel as though i will be good as that as others are. So i contacted Computeach and someone said to not bother with them as they take your money and run so to speak, i then said i have contacted Home Learning College which has great reviews on alot of website's about doing the CompTIA Pathway which sounds like the course for me but they are coming to see me in two days and i still feel abit confused and wobbly about it all.

I would appreciate all post's and INFO from you all.

Thanks.

James.

 

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Welcome to CF!

Sounds like the Comptia A+ would be your best option to get going. If you're a bit savvy already you could probably do it the selfstudy way too.

 

Welcome

CompTIA A+ would be the best start, and will set you up on entry level. depending how confident you are with it, i'd recommend buying a self study book and going that way, it'll save you a hell of a lot of cash compared to the training courses you get.

Even if you buy a self study book and find you're not getting on with it and would rather do a course - you've got the book anyway and it'll only cost you £20-£30 ish but it's still good for reference.

 

Welcome to CF, totally agree with above I got stung with training company, best to self study

 

Another vote for self-study. The certifications you should be aiming for are the A+, Network+, and MCTS (Vista or Windows 7).

Welcome!

 

Just wanted to say thank you to all the posts so far im starting to think maybe u should self study so what books and materials would i need for the CompTIA A+, Network +, MCTS

 

Just come across this site anyone know much about these.
www.comptiauk.com
also ive found this book is this what i would need.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/CompTIA-Cer...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297348509&sr=1-1

 

Hi

Welcome I also agree with all the above

I beleive these books are popular on here:

The MIKE MEYERS' A+ book and Mike Meyers' Network+ Certification Passport Book

 

Also lol ive found loads of stuff this minute
http://www.amazon.co.uk/CompTIA-Net...r_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297348691&sr=1-1#_ is that what ill need for the network +

 

thanks that's great and a very quick post.

 

Yes that is the network + book you need I would also reccommend the Sybex N+ book by Todd Lammle

 

If you're too busy to sit down for X hours with a book then definitely check out professer Messer's website.

He offers basic but good coverage of all the content in the A+ and allegedly the N+ (Allegedly as I haven't looked at it yet). All of that is free, if you want to download the video files in HD or Ipod or just the audio content then you have to pay about £60 IIRC.

I paid, downloaded everything and very, very merrily did 1-3 videos a day for a month or so and just got back 90% from the 220-701 exam.

I will warn however that a few of the questions (only a few) I had absolutely no idea what it was even about and so the caveat is that professer Messer doesn't cover EVERYTHING.

I have the Mike Meyers book but it's very heavy (physically) and as such I didn't get much into it at all. Good content though.

 

Welcome to CertForums James.

I'm in agreement with all of the above, self study is definately the way to go - especially considering your learning the beginner certs. Maybe later in a few years when you want some hands-on advice on a harder course then you could consider a training provider.

Start small, go for your A+: this will give you enough knowledge for the IT/Helpdesk role and will start the way for your IT career. After that you can aim for the N+ and perhaps a Microsoft course.

Here are a few resources most of us used and they come highly recommended:

Video:
http://www.professormesser.com/ - online videos, free to view!

Book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/CompTIA-Cer...1338/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297364469&sr=8-1 - Mike Myers book, this covers both exams.

Practice Exam:
http://www.boson.com/Product/A+.html - although not cheap, this has great practice tests for the exam.

 

Hi James

Glad you joined CertForums and are considering Self Study, not many people listen to my advice:P so hopefully me suggesting this site to you will be a good investment for yourself


As the other have stated, the Mike Meyers All in one is a great book, although its very daunting when you first get hold of it, and defintely a bugger to carry around.

In regards to the suggestion of grabbing a crappy PC to play about with, if you have any problems getting hold of one. (car boot is a great place to get one!) gimme a shout, ive got a few spares and pc shells knocking around, that im sure my wife would be glad if they left the house in one way or another

 

Anyone know much about these guys

www.comptiauk.co.uk

 

hey everyone just to let you know that for my first cert the CompTIA A+ I decided to use homelearning college as they offered the support that i need so maybe i will do a self study for my next cert as then i will at least have some knowledge of my own.

 

Good luck with it mate

Just make sure you get every single penny's worth outta them, and that they bend over backwards for you, as you're paying them for it!

 

Yeah thank's for that ,the other thread i posted got nothing but grief.

 

People are just trying to look out for you really, i think it's because there are so many providers out there to rip you off, everyones just trying to protect you!

Dont take it to heart, you've chosen what you want to do, that's your choice - crack on with it and get those qualifications

 

I replied to your other thread but I dont think i was giving you grief or anybody else we were just giving you advice about our experiences with training providers

You have made your decision and we will respect it so best of luck and I hope you get the certs you want