Need advice

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Hi everyone,
Im pretty new to this site and needed some advice as Im concerned about a friend. Im not computer minded but hopefully your feedback will help.
A close friend of mine left his last year at Uni (Bsc Computer Network) due to personal reasons. It's been a year now he cannot find a job in general let alone finding a job in IT. He is now fincially low.
What can he do to keep his IT skills on track. Iv heard about trainning certificates but who are the best people to train with if your living in west midlands UK?

 

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I would recommend that your friend get the A+ certification. He doesn't need to take a training class for it - all he needs is a couple of good study guides and, if he feels that he needs one, a practice exam from a reputable provider.

 

Hi BosonMichael,
Thankyou for replying back.
If you could kindly give me example's of good study guide's and how to start I will be very much greatful. So i could pass this information on.

 

Hi Ceeo4,

Mike Myer's A+ study guide is a good start! Have a look on Amazon for it.

One thing I will add, make sure your friend doesn't get the impression that getting into debt for a traning course will be the answer to his problems. Things like the CDL loans etc he'll need to keep away from whilst he is out of work. I'm not saying that getting into debt for training is a bad thing nor am I implying that he is considering that either, but when your low you tend to just listen to any old sales talk and sign the dotted line only to think "oh sh1t!" six months later!

Good luck to him anyway!

 

I write for a practice test provider, so my opinions on that are heavily biased.

As far as books go, I'd recommend two: A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide Seventh Edition by Meyers and PC Technician Street Smarts Second Edition by Pyles.

 

Hi drum_dude thanks for getting back to me. He was tempted to take a career loan out but then realised they were after money.

BosonMichael thankyou so much. I will pass this information on.

So bascially you read through the book's and then apply for a exam at a local centre? correct me if im wrong lol..Im not really ''computer minded''

how long does it take to get certified and start looking for work ? sorry for all the question's

 

How long is a piece of string?

Unfortunately there are no fixed timescales involved its all down to the individual, as far as 'start looking for work' is concerned though he can keep looking as he studies. It doesn't do any harm to apply for jobs without qualifications, some employers are willing to take the risk if you can show your enthusiastic and dedicated!

 

No probs.

Well for me the Mike Myers book and the Exam Cram A+ book was enough for me. Myers really goes indepth and I found the edition I had a very enjoyable read!

You take the exams at the approved testing centres. It was VUE back when I did it but I think Prometric do it now.

As for how long to get certified, well that depends on the individual and how much time they put it in! It's different for different people so it's hard to put a time scale on it! For me it was about 4 months of daily study...usually around 3 hours after work and any other time I could find during work and on the weekend.

 

Oh thankyou so much for the feedback.

These certificate's have started to interest me aswell now even though my background is nursing lol