How many licenses will it take to get a job?

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Is A+ enough to get a job?

What's the combination to at least get an entry level job?

A+ and NET+ and something else?

How much will an entry level pay with A+ alone?

Or

How much will an entry level will pay with A+ and NET+?

Thanks!

 

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you dont need any certifications to get an entry level job. Start looking now!

I didnt have one, and the only one I do have was supplied by my first IT employer.

 

You need a lot of determination with drive and enthusiasm as well as a willingness to learn. On the other hand just keep applying for roles that would get you in the door i.e. helpdesk, 1st line support and desktop role out type roles.

 

This. Entry-level certifications, such as the A+, Network+, MCDST, and MCTS for Vista/Win7, can make you look more attractive to employers. However, they aren't required for most entry-level jobs.

Like Fergal, I didn't have any certifications when I got my first IT job.

 

Same, i've got my first exam next tuesday after working in IT for 5 years - and i'm crapping myself about taking it lol

 

and as for pay for your first job you could be looking from minimum wage to 18k but to get 18k or more you would have to be very lucky

 

In deed a certification is just a plus,

I imagine that a certification does affect salary? right or not?


Good input guys

 

I wouldn't of said so, not until you get the higher certs later on down the line anyway.

Alot of places advertise salary as "Negotiable on experience" -

 

Not as such no, it's more experience that affects salary.. although certs can affect it slightly, but that is more likely to happen higher up the ladder.

 

I work as a computer Engineer for a small shop as my entry level, i started working here part time back when i was in college at the age of 17 with no certifications (or even qualifications other than GCSE's).
So its safe to say you dont NEED certifications to get entry level positions but it took alot of effort to simply get taken on a part time basis.

I now work here full time working towards my MCTS (79-680) so i can progress to a larger company - i get paid 14k a year.

Best advice i could offer is to do your A+ to make your self stand out from people with no certications and my boss told me what made him employ me over the others (with certs) was my enthusiasm to learn.

 

Not really, no. They're not likely to pay you more for the same job just because you hold a certification.

The A+ might indeed make you look more attractive to employers... but who knows whether you would have gotten the job without the certification or not? The certification might make the difference between getting a salary and no salary at all... or it might not make any difference at all.

 

All of the service desk/1st line positions on every job website I have searched require a considerable amount of experience. Many even say you require several years of working 1st line support.

Does anyone know of any companies (UK) that will take you on without experience or certs even? I have done the A+, and am working towards the N+, but every single agency I have spoken doesn't even know what CompTIA even is.

Volunteering is an excellent way to get experience and the foot in the door, however not much opportunities going on round my way, and I dont know how much recruitment agencies rate voluntary experience.

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

 

Then your looking in the wrong places.

Try putting trainee/Junior or 1st line in any job site. You will find places that dont require any experience. IT is very hard to gvet into it could take you a long time as it did me and many members on here.

 

I have been searching with 1st line analyst and service desk on all job sites - all of the ads on display require extensive experience of help/service desk, many of them even say you need advanced MS certs.

I will try and search using junior/trainee first line and see what happens. I acknowledge a lot of effort will be needed to get into IT, what I dont appreciate is dealing with agencies.

Any advice regarding IT jobhunting you have will be much appreicated, thanks.

 

If it looks entry level, you could always take a punt on it anyway. The worst that can happen is that they say no.

When I wanted to move from the SSC to development full time, I applied for a job stating that Driving License was essential. I got the job though, even though I didnt have one. Sometimes they are willing to change their requirements for the right candidate.

Suck it up mate. It's a simple fact of life that most companies use agencies these days. Refusing to use them is seriously cutting down your pool of available jobs. Do you actually want to get into IT, or do you want to just play at it? If you do want to, then you cant afford to be picky about where your job is sourced from.

 

I hope I dont come across as sounding picky. I would take any IT related role, even if its cleaning computers in an office. Its just from my point of view searching for jobs, agencies seem to be clueless about experience and certs relating to roles which should really be entry level and require no certs of experience. I have the A+ cert and hopefully soon the N+ but every agency I have spoken to doesn't even know what these are and believes that they are irrelevant to 1st line.

 

I'm a contractor with an agency, have been for the last 5 years between different jobs. Although with any luck i'll be going permanent at my current job soon - it got me my first role in IT, as helpdesk support.

Without that agency i wouldn't have got the job, and probably wouldn't be where i am now.

They aren't all bad, there are some decent ones out there.

 

I haven't read all of your posts on the forum, so dont take it as an accusation, more just as a response to what you said in the post i quoted. It is unfortunate that a lot of agents dont understand the certifications in the industry. But then a lot of managers seem clueless about the certs too, so its lose-lose. It doesnt reduce the value of the cert though, as you can explain it's relevance and, if nothing else, it shows capability to learn.