My first post, A few questions about A+

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Hi guys

This is my first post on here so you all be gentle,

Ive been thinking about doing the IT Technician CompTIA A+ Essentials Part 1 at my local college but there not starting the course til next september. i want to work up to eventually be a cisco system network engineer.

I seen lots of courses on websites, and lots of books that cover everything to complete this first course so ive got that sorted. How many hours study will you need to be ready for the exams, estimated ?



i just wanted to know on completion of this course is it possible to get a job in I.T or would you need to complete another course to do this


I would also like to know if anyone on here is a network technican or working towards being a network technician what courses are best,can you do all courses as self study or do you need to enrol on a college course for more hands on roles, how much it costs in total and how many years of study it takes to get your career.


Thanks, this site seem very usefull so illl be doing a lot more reading and researching

 

Hi Welcome

I don't know what that course is but to pass the A+ you need to pass two exams one is called 220-601 Essentials and one other out of the 3 electives.

One is 220-602 IT Technican, one is 220-603 Help desk Technician and one is called 220-604 Depot Technican.

Most people do the IT Tech exam.

If you are wanting to study and pass the exams before then you could self study, that is getting the books yourself and studying & practicing the concepts.

When you are ready you take the exams, you can take the exams at your local pearsonvue or prometric test centres you book them through their websites.

You can buy discount vouchers from www.gracetechsolutions.com which take of some of the price for the exams.

The best books to get are compTIA A+ all in one exam guide 6th edition by Mike Meyers & PC Technician street smarts by James Pyles

Edit yes you can get a job when passing the A+

 

Thanks for the very quick responces, ive been reading though a few threads for the past half and hour. all very informative...very impressed

Well am going to get the ball rolling and buy that material you mentioned and start my study, after i passed the course ill look for entry level jobs
Out of interest what are the best websites to post your c.v or look for entry level jobs in your area, and what is the starting salary ?

just going back to a previous question, can you self study all the way up to gaining a qualificatio to be a network engineer and if so how many years does this usually take.

 

post your cv on as many sites as you can and look in your local area.

You can self study all of your certs, nobody starts out as a network engineer you have to start from the bottom in a low level job and work your way up.

You could do compTIA N+ after your A+ which is basic networking usually after this people do the MCDST. After those other certs require that you are actually in a job and gaining experience. The MCSA requires atleast 6 months in and Admin role and the MCSE requires 12-18 months supporting a multi user multi server environment.

How long it takes you to study is upto you, how you progress career wise is upto you.

 

Ive just been looking at ther various career paths from passing comptia A+ and one route is the field technician but im a bit unsure what this role includes for entry level.

The helpdesk suport and call centre technicians dont really appeal to me as im more of a hand on person, but like i said i cant seem to find the role description of a field technician.

If anyone is a field technician i would like to know a bit more, Cheers

 

A field technician can be a role where you travel to & from customers sites setting up computers, fixing issues, installing hardware, replacing parts, fixing printers and doing remote stuff where you dial in and fix issues off site..

 

Try googling "field technician" or "what is a field technician". The responses are illuminating.

 

Thats the sort of role i would like to take after completion of my a+ exams

The hard part will be getting my first job in this field as i have no expereince. gotta give it a go

 

im in exacly the same boat as you mate but im 35 and now find myself unemployed,so its now or never...and i spent the last 15 years working with my hands in a machine setter role so the field technician kind of work is also looking good to me,im in the middle of doing an ECDL i know its a very easy cert but i have seen the odd entry level job that asks for ECDL so thought it might be of some use when looking for an entry level role while i study fo the A+...also there seems to be a total lack of helpful information regarding IT from careers centers etc...im just very thankfull i found this site!!its great!!

 

Not heard of the ECDL, im home studying for the A+ but not got that far cos i need to get into a routine to study.
i agree with you its a good site this and without it i dont think i would have even started the A+.

I had a woman from computeach come round my house a few years ago who offered me the same course for £4000....that put me off the career i wanted to do.
now ive got £50 quids worth of books and when i start properly im settin my sights of doin my exams in 4 months....afetr that im gonna start appying for jobs...but like you im interested in the hand on roles