trainee geek needs help studying for A+

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alreet guys, hope you can help

i started studying for my A+/ m.c.s.e, in Nov last year with @dvent. up until that point i was a builder and to cut a boring story short, i currently have around ONE!! years experience with computers. i desperatly need any help anybody wants to sling my way, i have read mike mayers all in one guide,passport and the 500 pages of latin that @dvent gave me. I still dont really feel ready to take the exam because i dont have any practical experience, is it possable to pass the A+, based purely on theoretical knowedge and if so i would be extemely grateful for any advice,hint,tips,links to useful sites. Also if any of you that have passed the A+ could let me no what to expect.

 

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Hi and welcome,

just read you're CV, try not to be negative with "unfortunately/i dont have" etc. Try to build on you're positive qualities. Apply for voluntary IT positions, offer you're services. Buy cheap bits, strip them rebuild them, hopefully you'll get problems which is good, then you can learn from that.

Kat

 

I believe yes you can pass an exam without practical knowledge. But when your actually in a job and you need to put that theory to practical use, you may find it strange and may struggle a little especially without the experience of doing the task.

About your CV, yes definitely cut the negativity. Employers like positive and confident people to work for them. I was struggling to get into the IT industry so I called up the ICT technician at my old school and he let me work with him 1 day a week. I applied for jobs on jobserve.com and after about two months I was rang up for a 1st line support role and I start on the 23rd of this month. So in my opinion voluntary work is great and will get you somewhere.

Kraven

 

I agree that you can pass A+ without actual "experience".

Something that may be of use would be to obtain a 2nd hand computer. You can then get that practical experience with each of the different parts in the computer, which will be greatly beneficial.

Good luck with your studies!

 

Might be an idea to remove your personal details from the CV mate

 

I've already posted his number on every dating site I could find, mass emailed it to every address I have on file, printed it out and thrown copies off the building and put it up on phone boxes across London.







(Jokes)

 

Apparently the dating agency are saying that they already have his details.

 

yup sussed that about an hour after i put it on. where were you when i was thinking of attaching it

 

ok, note to self, i am a dumb arse and i have to be v suss of any 020 numbers.

 

Good to have you on board mate but this is a public forum after all and you never know who's lurking around.

 

slight prob there, ive only recently recevered from a broken ankle. ive been out of work for 8 months now so im destitute at the mo and without any experience in IT im finding it impossible to jus get my foot in door

 

There's alot of us at CF with no experience and trying to get the first foot on the ladder, you've just got to keep trying.

There are a lot of posts in the employment forum that will give you an insight into what people have done and are prepared to do to get a job in IT, check it out.

 

Try registering with your local freecycle for old/ unwanted PCs and laptops. That's what I've done and I've managed to get a few things.

It's ideal really because I've been able to mess about with them and actually understand a bit now!

 

Is a foot in the IT door how you got the broken ankle?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

What kind of jobs are you applying for?

 

jus noticed all your quals..... i found this site tday and thought it would be a good place to chat to people in a similar situation. i now feel like an ant, are you sure your only 37, when did you get into i.t.. when you were 3?

 

I started messing with computers when I was 10, in 1980. I was the go-to computer guy at my job when I was 22, and I got my first "official" IT job at age 28. Eventually, I started writing certification training products, and of course, I have to be certified in something that I'm going to teach others about, right? So since it was basically my job to get certified, my list of certifications is not exactly typical.

I've been back and forth between real-world tech and trainer/writer for several years now... about to go back into the certification practice exam world full time, which is where I'm happiest.

 

blimey!, wish id got into i.t wen i was that young, instead of getting into building. its really daunting to think that ive completely jacked in everything that ive been working hard to achieve for the last 10 years, for a COMPLETELY different career. this is hopefully where you tell me that ive done the right thing and that im being silly for thinking that im never going to even pass the A+............

 

But I wasn't in IT all these years. After high school, I joined the military as an intelligence analyst. After the military, when I was the "go to" computer guy where I worked, I was also going to school to get my BS in Chemistry, not computers. After I got the degree, I found out that companies wanted chemists with Masters degrees, so I didn't get my first "real" IT job until I was 28.

I've known of many people to switch over into IT well into their 40s and 50s. It's definitely not too late for you, and you can certainly pass the A+ with some preparation.

 

I heard that!!!

Kat

 

I've been messing with computers since I was 12 so I'm glad I've kept it up and finally starting my first IT job in nearly a weeks time. So I've got loads of years of learning and getting experience in the IT industry.

Most of the guys here seem to range from 21 - 50+, is there anyone here whos roughly my age?

Kraven