some advice and direction

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hey so basically i need some advice on what i should do or aim for

by no means am i a computer EXPERT but i do know more about computers then most people i have encountered and computers was really more a of a hobbie to me then anything else until recently.

i don't want to bore you with a long story of my life so ill get to the point.

I would like to become certified in something (remember i am a beginner compared to u smarties )

so i asked around and did some research and i came across a few ideas

A+
which seems to me to be a general knowledge base of a wide variety of things

and

MCDST
I don't know much about MCDST but the title to me is pretty straight forward

i dont want to start a debate or anything but someone was telling me that A+ is garbage and then he suggested to me to do MCDST and then maybe MCSA

but i still feel A+ is the way to go

soo... can anyone help guide me in the right direction i am 20yrs old trying to figure out what career path i should take any advice would be greatly appreciated

also if i took MCDST do you think A+ would be easy? and Vice Versa

any other similar certificates you suggest that is better or good to have?

thanks in advance

 

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I cant really answer that, but it is a valid question that deserves to be back at the top of the "recent posts" list so that the more experienced members can answer it.

 

Welcome to CF !

Regarding what certification to go for, I'd personally say the A+, as its not tied down to a particular vendor like the MCDST. Whoever told you A+ was garbage, was wrong. A+ is a great entry level cert to start off with, as is the Network+. The combined A+ and Net+ are then an elective for the MCSA if thats where you want to go.

Alot of it depends on you, where do you want to be in the coming months and years? What aspect of IT are you most interested in?

 

Well we can give you advice, not sure if we can give you direction, thats upto you to find out !

What interests you ? What career do you want ? Why do you want a cert ?

Most people here reccomend the A+ as a standard response and thats generally good advice to people that want an entry level cert about computer hardware and operating systems in general. This will give you a general grounding if you don't already have one or provide proof of your existing knowledge, it should be useful for general computer support roles.

At 18 I went to college to take a general course on computers which helped me learn more about what I wanted, I was pretty sure I wanted to be a programmer but the course exposed me to many aspects of computing. The A+ is not a bad way to do this, but not as good as attending a fulltime course for a couple of years in my opinion. Alternatively you could try to land a job and attend evening classes or get an apprenticeship.

 

College sounds good to me go to a learning center and do a conscession computer course always very nice pople and builds basic skills, helps tons to have students on the same wavelength as you. Nice one yeh cheers > god

 

I agree with nXPLOSI A+ N+ then MSCA (its what i am doing anyway) the IT Director at my place said to me start mith Microsoft stuff but he is a tool and anyone who has said to you the A+ is garbage is also a tool.

 

If you want to get into IT, get an entry-level job as soon as possible. Don't wait until you've gotten a certification or two... start NOW. If you get certified before you find your job, add it to your resume and keep looking.

As mentioned above, the A+ is NOT garbage; it's the first logical stepping stone on your way to other certifications. It will build a solid foundation of knowledge that you can use to build upon. Besides, the A+ is highly relevant to what you could be doing as an entry-level tech.

Afterwards, Network+ and MCDST are both worthwhile. However, be advised that certifications alone will not make you a good tech, nor will they guarantee you a better job. Be careful to get certifications that are relevant to the job you are doing or will be doing in the immediate future.

Best of luck to you!

 

thanks guys you have helped more then you can imagine i think i will eventually get both A+ and Mcdst

but as i read through forums and i did some practice exams on trancendor I think I'm going to start with the A+ and Network+ as it seems to be the logical decision i will probably take a class as i prefer labs over books and is probably more at my level and from what i learn in those certifications i should have a much easier time in a specific Microsoft certification.