New guy here looking for little help :)

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Well as topic says I am a new poster here and I am very thankful I found these forums. I am currently not employed in the IT industry and was looking for a move into it as it is something I would really enjoy, and like a lot of people out there I thought that the only way to get the qualifications was to pay a company 5k+. I was about 2-3 days away from taking a loan from my bank to pay for a training course for the qualifications, and that would have been a huge mistake .

Reason I am posting here is because I do want to make that move though, I would idealy like to be just like a support technician/desktop support technician (you know where you work in an office and log IT problems and fix some of them I... think) at first to build up experience and make contacts in the indutry before I commit and specialise in a given area. Now after reading one of the helpful guides here: "The Guide to Self-Study" by Zimbo, I saw that there were 2 different ways that can lead me to my first qualification and get me into that first IT job.

The first being Comptia A+ Certification and the other being Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician. Now it does state on the post that the Comptia A+ is the one most do first or are told to do first but I just want to make sure if it is the right one for me to take.

I am going to look around some more on this forum after making this post, so apoligies for missing threads already asking the questions I am about to ask ect, but if I followed the advised path and first of all went for the Comptia A+ just wanted to know:

• Would this qualification (obviously internationally reconised I assume) get me that first job with ease despite the fact I have no previous IT experience (apart from just messing around with computers at home)?

• Is there a centre in the UK to take the tests when I do feel I have learnt all I can from the reccomended texts (its a bit obvious a question I know, but just want to make sure as would be a pain to find out a few months down the line the only place to take the test is in the US )?

• As a rough estimate how long would you expect a person to take from first picking up the books and learning to getting a letter saying he/she passed (quite important to me as I got my first little one on the way and would be nice to be a earning little more money before the due date)?

• And, finally if I took the Comptia A+ first (unless you advise otherwise of course) and passed would I then need to do the other course to get a MSCDT qualification or is just the one fine?

Apoligies for bad grammar and probably a few wrong acronyms just a little excited about finding out which to take and getting started

Just thought would say though incase it makes any difference to which path is suggested, I've got 4 pc's at home, 2 of which are spare for me to practise on when I take the course, I am reasonably capable at building pc's and setting up home networks. I'm not going to lie though, my knowledge is very limited to what I've come across before, I've not gone into the workings of my computers I just did what I thought would make it work and through blind luck sometimes fixed things without knowing why.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice

 

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And I know this had been posted a fair few times but each person seemed to have their own slightly different skills they already posess and want a slightly different career at the end of it which is why I thought to make another thread

 

Will it get you a job? No. NO certification can automagically get you a job.

Will it HELP you get a job? Yes, it'll make you look more attractive than those who have no experience and no certifications.

Will it help you get a job with EASE? Probably not, no... getting your first IT job will likely be the most difficult job you've ever had to find. But who knows - you could get lucky, or you could just interview well.

Yes, there are testing centers worldwide.

That all depends on you and your current level of knowledge and the exam you are taking and your ability to learn new information and your current commitments and...

...well, suffice it to say that nobody can tell you how long YOU should take.

As a rough estimate... some people take exams with no study, and others take years per exam. It's probably not the answer you wanted... but it's the truth!

MCDST, not MSCDT.

Each certification makes your CV look more attractive. Therefore, I would pursue the A+ first, followed by the Network+, and finally the MCDST. And I'd go no farther until I built up some real-world experience.

That said, you shouldn't wait until after you've gotten all those certifications. As I stated earlier, certifications don't guarantee anything... and you can get a job without certifications. So start looking NOW. As you get certifications, add them to your CV and keep looking.

Welcome to the forums.

 

First of all, welcome ;)
As said above, certifications won't automatically give you a job, but they will make you more attractive- even if you have not actually achieved them. Even studying for the A+ or N+ (usually the recommend first certifications to take) will not only give you a talking issue in interviews but will show a dedication to the IT field.
The A+ exam could take you three months, it could take 6- it all depends on how much time/effort you put into reading the material and whether your previous experience will help. Either way, there is a lot of free material on the A+ exam, which is why its a great place to start

 

If i could agree more with a post this is it.

The only one thing I would add is bring up the fact you are self studying, on both CV and interview, this should give you another edge over some.

 

Hi Welcome

I agree with whats been said.

 

Me too. Welcome aboard!

 

Thanks for the posts guys. It may not have been the answers I wanted but in all honesty had I got the answers I wanted I would be alot worse off now

I was a little naive for thinking 1 qualification will get me in, although deep down i did kind of think it would be a little harder than just study for 6 months and walk into my dream job the next day.

Still studying through the book at the moment, maybe not putting as much time in as I should if I was to be honest but none the less still getting a good 1-2 hours per day at the very least so fingers crossed will eventually get through it and pass the exam

Again can't thank you all enough for the replies, found alot of useful info from them.