Newbie looking for advice

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Hi everyone,

I'm a new member here looking for some advice about studying for the CompTIA A+ and Network+ certs to try to get into an entry-level IT technician hardware-based role. I graduated in automotive engineering with a 2:2 last year but have had no luck at all finding employment so am looking to IT as another career option.

I am looking into various Training Providers at the moment, although this looks quite an expensive option. I am being visited on Monday afternoon at my home address by a popular TP (don't know if I'm at liberty to name them?) regarding studying towards the CompTIA A+/Network+.

I have browsed here a little before registering and was wondering if I was a suitable candidate for just buying the materials myself and taking the exam at a local venue when I'm ready.

I have been messing around with computer hardware for many years now and build my own systems, would this level of knowledge be sufficient to study for these two certs myself?

I thank everyone for any advice given and sorry for the long post .

Regards,

JonG.

 

Hi & welcome to CF

Another vote for self-study.

NB

 

Welcome.

Self-study. Definitely.
If you decide it's not for you, it's only cost you the price of a book to find out.
If you decide you need more guidance (than you can get here) and go to a college/TP, the book will still be very useful; it's always good to have more than one study source.
Either way, the gamble is small compared to the alternatives.

 

Thanks for the advice guys, I will browse this excellent site for recommended reading (Mike Myers etc.) and probably go at it myself . Won't half save me a lot of money!

Would CompTIA A+ and Network+ be a good start into an IT Technician/Desktop Support role or would the addition of the MCDST help greatly here? As I unfortunately have no corporate experience in IT which wouldn't help things these days.

Thanks again for the responses.

Regards,

Jon.

 

Hi and welcome.
Hopefully this might help. Tripwire has a link under training providers called something like "5 questions to ask.." if you read that article gives some good advice and to be fair if your going to do distance learning local uni or college using an ILA £200 will give you a better deal than signing up with some of these outfits promising jobs etc at the end of it or £ 35 000 a yr etc. If you dont want to go down the self study route then the ones to def avoid are skillstrain or anything related to sheidiiger ( same company different outlets).

My own feelings are get a book for A+, if you already know how to build repair pc's etc. If you are starting with no/limited knowledge base go to local pc shop ( not pc world or maplins !! lol) buy some bits also get a book on building pc's by some one like mark minasi or scott mueller. Better still ( depending on your work ethic) find out if local pc shop looking for a trainee and offer to help out to gain experience. At the end of the day A+ is fine if your wanting to get a baseline certificate to show employers but no good if you don't have any practical experience the idea being its a cetificate to show you have the equivalent knowledge of somebody with approx 500 hrs bench experience. Trust me when I tell you 80 hrs decent bench experience will teach you far more than the A+ ever will.

 

Sorry I missed the part about you having built systems for a number of yrs was more worried about you getting scammed lol