Will you still recommend CompTIA?

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Neither did I
and getting certified on it is one thing
getting RECERTIFIED on it is the question
I see very little value in that

 

Unfortunately, whilst Comptia certs helps to gain entry level knowledge it's not even recognised by recruitment agencies and HR people in the UK.

I personally would go for the likes of Microsoft and Cisco depending on the persons job role or career aspirations.

Certification is big business hence the introduction of renewal of Comptia certs. Well I suppose taking the foot steps of the likes of MS and Cisco etc.

To me personally, I'd read the books to get the knowledge but wouldn't sit to take the exams and plus it's way too pricey.

 

The answer is no as CompTIA were good for entry level certs that didn't expire but now they are just overpriced waste of paper with little to no value in the job market. I would recommend MCDST or MCTS instead as they simply have more weight with employers.

 

I have the A+ and N+ and as i have said on here before putting it on your CV makes the CV look a little better but most employers don't know what it is anyway, but it teaches you got skills you need for an entry level which is what people are looking for I thought?

 

I would agree with that. Study the material but don't sit the exams.

 

I'm with those saying study but don't take the exams, study the A+ and N+ material and then go straight to the MCDST. CompTIA have totally ruined the 'value for money' equation on these 2 certs, particularly with the soon to be released bridge exam for the MCITP. New starters can boost their CV far more substantially by taking 3 MS exams than with the A+ and N+.

 

I think that for now, A+ is still an important milestone for people setting out in IT.

But once they've passed that milestone, it's best left in the past as you move on with your career.

So in many ways my opinion of it hasn't changed. But now instead of just leaving it to gather dust, people are going to drop it from a great height after 3 years, which isn't going to do CompTIA or the cert any favours.

Christ, it's like telling IT professionals that they need to keep their ECDL up to date.

 

I would still think it is a good cert to get when starting out and does have value, but i wouldnt advise some to recertify it every 3 years. For exams that do need recertifying every 3 years, do people not just recertify the highest one up or most relevant to their current job?

I think comptia have seen people going to other companies for certain types of exams and people only seem to do the basic 2 then go elsewhere. So by them saying the more advnced one will recertify them all it means you use their chosen materials for career progression, or somethibng like that.

 

personally i dont think recertifaction is a bad thing at all, at the speed technology moves these days not everyone can keep up! especially if your working in an area that does not require you to keep up with the times as much as others! at least then if you decide to branch out into a different area of you wont find yourself miles behind trying to catch up!!

-slim

 

Better still their CLAIT

 

Yes in some cases recertification is good but not for entry level certs. Why would anyone possibly want to go back to their A+ if you have been in the industry for 3+ years. Now I have my MCSA what possible reason would I have to do my A+ again. It's totally crazy on CompTIA's part to think their certs are up there with the likes of a CCNA. I think CompTIA think they are more inportant than they really are. I can't see CompTIA have a future to be honest. Why pay £300 to do 2 A+ exams that in all truth have little impact on your career.

 

I'm still completely siding with Rob and the highlighted part above - I got A+ and Net+ for the entry level cert aspect as well as the material to learn. No MS cert takes you through the stages of how a PSU fits in with the Northbridge on a motherboard, and how the RAM works alongside the CPU - and I have seen plenty of engineers that don't know this either. Whilst there is an argument saying that you won't be getting your oscilloscope out and break-fixing a motherboard components, and good understanding of how things work together is essential - in a PC or a server!

Just because the cert "expires" after 3 years it doesn't mean that the material you learnt and the technology you have worked on for it just magical disappears. I argue against anybody recertifying a comptia exam as it is a purely money spinning exercise on their behalf, but I would still recommend them for what a prospective-engineer can learn.

If I was recruiting for a position, as a manager I would make sure I knew all types of certs out there and not ignore the comptia ones, but I would rather someone had A+ (2003) (expired) on their CV rather than taking it on face value that you know your CPU from your Northbridge chip. Even having an MCSE etc. does not show me that you are able to distinguish between the two as it concentrates on a different aspect of IT.

As an aside, it has been a question that I have puzzled on for a few months now - I have/had colleagues that achieved MCSE in 2000/2003. They have missed the upgrade from 2000 to 2003, or if they're 2003 they have no intention of upgrading to 2008 etc., what will it mean for these people when the MCSE becomes obsolete - and it will slowly diminish in noterity as the MCITP etc. take over - will all these people need to recertify? Will they need to do the 7 exams again to be able to keep at the same position/level of work they are doing now whilst moving companies, or will we have a large pool of 2nd/3rd line engineers who can't get a job (OK, slightly extreme but my point is there) because they didn't keep up with their certs.

Recommend to do once: YES
Recommend to put on CV forever more as A+(2009) or A+(2006 expired): YES
Recommend to recertify: NO - I wouldn't look down on anyone who didn't.

 

I'm with Sparky - once I'm told its expired, I'll do exactly that

 

yeah thats a fair point, to be honest i felt a little dis-heartened when i read some of the posts, mainly because i have committed myself to the compTIA A+ N+ Financially.

so does this mean that im wasting my time doing the A+ N+ certs, im sure im not the only one that thinks this now! i have alot of respect for everyone on the forum especially the guys n girls with the green lights next to their names, so whatever you lot say i take very seriously!

i cant help but think i should have takin a different route instead of compTIA!

-slim

 

Here in the UK I dont think I would recommend taking the exam, studying the material yes taking the exam no. I think in all the years I've been keeping an eye on the job papers I've seen the A+ and other comptia exams listed less than 5 times. The truth is that nobody here knows what it is. I took the A+ years ago out of interest and because I didnt know any better.

I would recommend that anyone wanting to get into the industry study the material so they know what they are talking about if quizzed in an interview but it would be far more important to have something like the 271 listed on your cv rather than the A+. I guess as I've progressed I've not really thought about my A+ until this turned up!

However I would agree with the other comments that it would be far better to change the exam slightly and then start expiring that exam rather than expiring the lifetime cert that we all got years ago. Although TBH for most of us with a few years in the IT business the A+ is kinda like your GCSE's, its has an impact on your first job but after that it quickly becomes obsolete.

Bottom line as I see it:

recruiters still do not know what it is (and probably dont care)
they are expiring a lifetime cert on a whim

Perhaps if they do happen to make more money out of this they can employ better translators/proof readers!

 

Is that your view or Boson's view? Not having a dig, genuine question.

It seems widely acknowledged that the higher-level Cisco certs justify recertification to an extent, people's gripes mainly lie with the fact the A+ is an entry-level cert which experienced IT pros are unlikely to want to take again, particularly with the cost of the exams, and the feeling of being mis-sold a 'lifetime' certification whch was apparently a reason for charging so much to take the exams...

I'm really at a quandry now having recently started the A+ via self-study, and a few seem to be suggesting the Microsoft certs would be a better starting block as a UK candidate anyway... I actually have the 271 & 272 materials ready and waiting for when I've done the A+ but this whole thing has put a lot of doubt in my mind.

 

NO! Out of my development plan go the: Server+, NET+, Sec+ & Linux+
Maybe ill consider the Project+ in a few years!