Pickin Brains!!

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What are your guys opinions on doing the A+ and Network+ myself before I start working towards mcsa then mcsa. I know some of the guys suggest going the whole thing alone but I think I would prefer to break the process down into more sizeable chunks. I have a friend who has been in IT for some time and he says putting the work in and just booking assessment days is really tough going!!!!!

Secondly, what is the best reference material for doing the A+?? I've heard the name Mike Myers mentioned a couple of times what do you guys advise????

Much Appreciated!!!!

Juneau

 

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Your friend is right it is tough going to self study but to be honest i cant see it being any less tough studying with a distance learning provider. You need to have the will power to stick at it, if you do it will reap rewards in the end though.

The A+ and N+ will give you a good grounding for the Microsoft Certs and with any luck may help to get your foot on the IT career ladder.

I believe the Myers A+ book has a very good reputation, this site has an interview with the author himself here http://www.certforums.co.uk/forums/article.php?a=6

Phil

 

Go for it, you can't lose prividing you put the time in.

 

I agree - with enough effort and commitment on your part, you will be able to do it. We are all here to help as well.

At least try the A+ on your own, then see what you think for yourself. If you manage that (and you will) then you'll also manage the Network+ as well. By then, your well into your stride, my friend

 

Frankly, it depends on how familiar you are with the A+ and Network+ material and skill sets. If you have been working as a hardware and network tech for a year or two, you could probably grab a few books, study and pass the exams. On the other hand, if you barely know where the Power switch is on your PC and never have seen, let alone worked with the inside of the machine, you might be better off flying with a net.

It all comes down to having a certain level of experience. If you've been the sys admin for a large corporation for the past 10 years and single handedly constructed, administered and maintained Windows NT, 2000 and 2003 domains, you might even get away with studying for and passing the whole MCSA/MCSE track by just reading the texts. That would be quite a stretch, though. When in doubt, seeking out training is usually prudent.

 

I agree with Tripwire.

So, what is your background and experience?

Personally in retrospect, I would have done the A+ N+ first but my advisor at the time said that because I had spent the previous seven years as a Netware administrator I should skip them Well, it's too late in the day now for me.

The MCSE track is a long haul, I am still pulling my hair out to try and understand some of the concepts of ISA properly, there is much to learn before you can claim the MCSE crown. If you are working and have a life and or kids, well then I wonder how a person could fit all the necessary study time in

Pete

 

A very good reason to consider doing at least these first 2 exams off your own back - you do them at your own timescale, not that dictated by a provider. They are really pretty straighforward exams if you are committed enough, and will let you concentrate on the "more serious" stuff with a provider (if you choose to) when you're more prepared.

IMHO, as always.

 

I would definitely go for the A+ and Network+ first.

That's what I'm doing.

 

I'm really overwhelmed by the help and assistance guys!!! Many Thanks

 

My experience so far Bluerinse limited. Mostly as an end user, using the same old applications that everyone else does!!! Only in the last few months have I reading up on pc builds repairs and upgrades and troubleshooting xp n' stuff. Only refernce material used so far has been a couple of "DUMMIES" books and believe it or not a Haynes refernce manual!!!!!! It's almost embarrassing really isn;t it???

Cheers

 

Don't they do the manuals for cars and motorcycles?

Seriously though, do the A+ and N+ by yourself and then see how it goes.

We also do an A+ quiz which you are most welcome to take part in. Another one is coming up really soon.

 

Many thanks Nugget. I'm currently awaiting approval for my CDL. If I don't get it for whatever reason then I'll go for the A+ & Network+ and take things from there.

Cheerio

 

I think it comes down to how much you really feel comfortable with doing PC repairs and frankly, how skilled you are at it. We talk an awful lot about exams and tests but the core of the matter is the skill sets you need to have to actually do the *job*. That's what the exams are supposed to be testing.

Let's put it another way. How comfortable do you feel opening up a PC and upgrading a sound card or a NIC. If you upgrade a device driver and the device no longer works, do you know what steps to take to troubleshoot the problem? Do you know what to do to set up a PC to dual boot into two separate operating systems?

The point I'm trying to make is that if you know how to do basic PC repair and maintenence or you feel you can learn these skills by self study, then pick up a good manual on the subject and have at it. Get an old PC or two to work on, tear into, break and fix, network and re-network and...when you are ready, you can sit for the exam.

If all of the above is wildly intimidating to you and you are hopelessly confused by IRQs and CPU clock cycles and Windows memory management, you might consider some sort of formal training on the subject.

When I first was deciding to try and break into IT, I first got the Mike Meyers A+ text and tried self study. Problem was, I'd never even seen the inside of a PC before and was terrified of opening one up. I determined based on that experience and on my previous educational experiences as a whole, that I learn new material best in a classroom setting. I enrolled in a two-year Networking program offered here locally and it was the best thing I ever did. It was offered by the local university so wasn't quite as pricey as a private, for-profit school.

I hope some of my ramblings have helped out a bit.

 

I agree, it is all really down to how naturally talented and experienced you are at resolving problems with computers. If you have a bent for pulling electro-mechanical things apart and putting them back together again then that will help. The most certified person under the sun may not have these attributes and there is nothing worse for a PC than having some paper MCSE leave a screw floating around loose on the MOBO

Good luck with the A+ How are you going with your studies

Pete

 

DO IT!

Besides, the A+ and the N+ put together equals 1 Microsoft Exam.

MS will credit you with one of their exams in the MCSA, so it's helps you alsong the way