Hi all, new member from Preston, Lancashire.

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Hi, all I just thought I would introduce myself, Ive been browsing here for a while and found it very helpful. Ive been half studying my A+ for the last year, but havent had time or focus, due to my job as a sales rep(which I hate), and being a new parent, so Ive quit my job, and am going to study for 4 hours a day, and try to do a+ N+ and mcdst in the next 5-6 weeks, then apply for 1st line support/entry-level technician jobs, do any of you think this is a realistic target? All comments appreciated.

 

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Welcome!

I wouldn't be able to say whether it is realistic for you to pass all those exams in 5-6 weeks, because I don't know the details of your situation. I don't know your experience level, your ability to retain knowledge, your test-taking ability, your financial situation, your desire, your motivation, or your current commitments. And even if you told me all that, I'd still not be able to say for certain. Some people require no time at all; others take years.

Quitting your job, particularly in this economy, is a bad idea, in my opinion. Competition for entry-level IT jobs is insanely fierce. I believe I read on this very forum that one job posting received almost 1200 applicants!

Certifications are great, and they can certainly make you look more attractive than your competition. However, they won't guarantee you a job, nor are they requried for many entry-level jobs. Thus I'd recommend that you not wait until you get certified... start looking and applying NOW. If you get your A+ before you find a job, add it to your CV and keep looking. Don't make studying and training your full-time job... make getting a job your full-time job.

Hope this helps. And welcome again!

 

No way you should have quit your job without having something else lined up first. Not only that but trying for all those exams in such a short time frame is not only hard, I would say probably impossible. With all the good intentions in the world, unless you can actually get out of your home environment and study for all those 4 hours, EVERY day then you simply won't be able to do it.

I would have to say that a more probable time scale for all of those exams would be 6 - 12 months, mainly because you do have a new family, it's a lot of material to study (and if you aren't working in the industry it's harder sometimes to understand some concepts) and you don't want to pollute what you take in. I would probably also suggest studying for one exam at a time, book the exam for a few weeks away and then take that time to really bone up, it only takes one or two misses on an exam to realise that you're perhaps not putting the right amount of effort in.

Finally, trying to study when not in a job and having the pressures of a new family and lack of money can make things worse, please consider backing down and asking for your position back. It can put a strain on family life and make studying harder.

There are way too many experienced and out of work techies out there at the moment that a newly certified but lacking in experience tech will quite simply have such a hard time of it it's not even funny.

 

Hi there and welcome to CF

 

Thanks for all your advice and welcomes, I know quitting my job is a bit drastic, but for me personally, its the best way to give myself serious motivation to study. I do have a small amount of savings, to last me in the short term, so we`ll se how it goes(fingers and toes crossed).

 

Welcome

Good luck with the studies.

NB

 

Then that's all the more reason to start looking for IT jobs as soon as possible... and not wait until AFTER you've gotten certified. You may well find yourself with a huge CV gap that's impossible to cover up. The longer that gap becomes, the more unattractive you look to employers.