what is the point?

Discussion in 'A+' started by nn, Aug 18, 2010.

  1. nn

    nn Nibble Poster

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    ok so i’m getting the theory stuff but what is the point of having to know some of the hardware details? like what is the clock speed of a particular cpu/ram module, number of pins ram has or hard disk transfer rate etc.. with technology ever changing isn’t this knowledge a bit pointless?
     
    Certifications: A+
  2. orangepeeleo

    orangepeeleo Nibble Poster

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    The point is that it gives you a broader understanding of the topic, if someone wants to learn how to pass an exam then they can just sit on braindumps for a week and memorize all the questions..... any ol' monkey can do that. But if you want to really understand a topic then you have to learn the theory good, resulting in your understanding, effectiveness and ultimately your worth to a company being a lot better.

    Do you want to be the go-to guy or do you want to be running round looking for the go-to guy when you've got a problem you can't solve, because its more than likely that the two different people will have very different career paths :)
     
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  3. nn

    nn Nibble Poster

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    what’s with this go-to guy thing? are you really telling me an engineer that memorizes details like how many pins DDR ram has, makes a better engineer with a very different career path than one who doesn’t know.. do me a favour mate.
    how helpful will it be for an engineers career to know info like this? how often will you need to count memory pins in the real world for instance.
    any ol' monkey can learn fact and figures parrot fashion but that doesn’t mean they would necessarily make a good IT engineer.
    :rolleyes:
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2010
    Certifications: A+
  4. veloce

    veloce Byte Poster

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    sorry, maybe Im being obtuse, but what is the actual point of your posting here?

    Am I correct in saying that your currently studying towards A+?
     
    Certifications: A+
    WIP: BSc Hons Computing & IT
  5. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

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    You arent certifying for future technologies, you are certifying for whats out now. So the point is demonstrating your knowledge of the current state of things.

    Or, an alternative answer: because the exam provider has decided it wants you to learn it for their exams!

    Long term though, no its probably not greatly important knowing that drive X has a transfer rate of Y. Whats important though, is understanding what that means, and the effect it has on the whole machine. This allows you to identify issues/chokepoints/etc, and effectively research appropriate tech to build a pc for a specific purpose.
     
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  6. nn

    nn Nibble Poster

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    cheers for your response fergal, i will continue to learn some of the pointless facts/figures for exam reasons then.
    :)
     
    Certifications: A+
  7. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    The very fact that technology IS ever changing is what makes that knowledge important. How do you know something has changed - or the theory behind WHY something is the way it is - without knowing what it was like in the past and what it is like now? It'd be like someone who wants to be a stockbroker and jump into investing without analyzing what is happening now or what has happened in the past.

    With that mindset, you'll likely encounter difficulty in your first couple IT jobs, particularly when you think that something your employer has you do is "pointless". There IS a point, whether you realize it or not.
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2010
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  8. nn

    nn Nibble Poster

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    no what I realize michael is that you use this forum to try and sell your companies expensive practice tests, certainly nothing pointless about that :blink
     
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  9. billyr

    billyr Kilobyte Poster

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    Ding Ding, seconds out..... Oh wait hang on, I need to fetch my popcorn for this one.:biggrin
     
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  10. BosonMichael
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    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    I've got nearly 19,000 posts on this forum, and more than 99% of my posts have nothing to do with me "selling my companies expensive practice tests". If you have evidence to the contrary, please, provide links to your "proof".

    In any case, NONE of that has anything to do with the question at hand. You want to know why you have to study that "pointless material", and I told you why. You simply don't like the answer, and decided to lash out with a personal attack... something that is not permitted by the forum rules. On the other hand, what I am doing on this forum is permitted by the admins... otherwise, they'd have banned me long ago.

    So... if you don't like what I post, and you can't abide by the forum rules, go find another forum to ask your questions. But you won't likely find one with as many experienced, knowledgeable, helpful techs as this one.
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2010
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  11. veloce

    veloce Byte Poster

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    I think my initial post on this thread has just been justified.....

    why come on here with such an attitude? It astounds me.
     
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  12. Josiahb

    Josiahb Gigabyte Poster

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    I studied hard for the A+, Network+ and now for my MCDST. I worked to get these 'pointless' facts and figures fixed in my head. End result:

    I've just had interview feedback from an interview I went to on Monday in which I demostrated better and more solid technical knowledge than techs who have been doing the job longer and for better pay (not my words by the way).

    The facts and figures are important, they're what help you get the job done.
     
    Certifications: A+, Network+, MCDST, ACA – Mac Integration 10.10
  13. ThomasMc

    ThomasMc Gigabyte Poster

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    Well done Josiahb :)
     
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  14. greenbrucelee
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    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

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    Actually I have done more promoting of Bosons exams than Michael or Josh put together and the only affiliation I have to Boson is that I reviewed their A+ practice exams which beats the **** out of any other practice exam I have seen.

    Secondly if you want good material to help you learn then it will cost you and I don't believe Bosons exams are expensive. There is a saying "you get what you pay for" and the price you pat for their exams is justified by the quality.

    Now you said earlier on about your engineer quote that does it make the engineer better if he knows all the facts, well duh ofcourse it does.

    It does indeed.

    Exactly and well done.
     
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  15. dales

    dales Terabyte Poster

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    When I took my A+ many moons ago I was busy learning about slot 1 and socket 7 processors, Does that help me now. Actually I would say it does, the tech I studied is long obsolete but the theory still vastly remains the same, new processors and memory speeds come out like clockwork, they way they work though hardly ever changes so you will find a use for the information even though the numbers you learn quickly age.

    Same applies to any certification, If you dont want to learn the way things are currently how are you going to keep up with the ever changing world of IT. If people want a clock in and clock out and forget type of job then I'm sure there are plenty of administration roles requiring filling.

    The above is not aimed directly at the OP directly but in general if someone cannot continually learn new things then IT is certainly not a role for them.
     
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  16. orangepeeleo

    orangepeeleo Nibble Poster

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    I didnt say that at all actually, i said that someone with a broader, more in depth knowledge of their trade makes a better engineer with a different career path, if you don't get this then your set to fail in life never mind IT.

    .......And i was doing you a favour by trying to point out that all these "pointless" facts all added up and in there somewhere will benefit you in the future.
     
    Certifications: A+
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  17. JonnyMX

    JonnyMX Petabyte Poster

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    Exactly this.

    If you've ever had the good fortune to attend a session run by an engaging trainer who knows his stuff, he'll be able to tell you exactly why a technology has changed and what limitations the older stuff has.

    You can't turn your back on the past, just because it's 'old'.

    If you want to be proficient in a subject, let alone an expert, you need to know your stuff. Unfortunately with IT more than any other subject we seem to adopt the attitude that 'I don't need to know that, I can always Google it'. Well, Google isn't always there. If you were a plumber or an electrician, you need to be able to look at a setup that may be 10 years old and know exactly why it's been done how it has, and how to fix it!
     
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  18. greenbrucelee
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    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

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    Understanding basics is fundamental in knowing the whole concept of the subject.

    You learn to walk before you learn to run
    You learn to make sounds before you learn to speak

    So with that in mind whats wrong with knowing or being able to identify a certain type of cpu or dimm just by looking at it and knowing how future technology came to be?

    Now believe it or not but not everyone who works in IT actually works with the latest gizmos, you may find it hard to believe but I know a guy who works in a small office based company with only 200 employees and most of their computers still have Pentium 4 processors! According to him there are two print servers in one of the departments that are running on older Pentiums and some with SDRAM and SDRAM ddr 1 ram. So what would you do if the IT guy said "I have a bunch of dimms here in this big anti static bag some are SDRAM some are DDRSDRAM, get me a SDRAM dimm out". how would you tell? well SDRAM is 168 pins and DDR SDRAM is 184 plus the fact the SDRAM has two notches at the bottom and DDR doesnt and that the DDR has a unnocupide bit for another chip as both have 8.
     
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  19. TheITCrowd

    TheITCrowd Kilobyte Poster

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    what is the point of learning pythagoras theorem at school?
    what is the point of reading of mice and men, and answering questions on it?
    what is the point of learning that Istanbul was Constantinople ?

    Probably to prove that you are capable of learning and when you eventually hit the industry you will have the ability to build on it.

    Get my point!

    :blink
     
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  20. DC Pr0Mo

    DC Pr0Mo Kilobyte Poster

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    I dont agree with the OP response but kinda agree with his question, that stuff dont interest me at all, if I need to know that info I would google it, one of the reason why I would never sit the a+ exam (although I have read the content)
     
    Certifications: MCDST | BSc Network Computing | 365 Fundamentals

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