CompTIA A Plus Career Retraining – What Are The Options 2009

Four separate areas of study make up a full CompTIA A+; you’re considered competent at A+ once you’ve passed your exams for 2 out of 4 subjects. For this reason, most colleges only have two of the courses on their syllabus. The truth is you will need the training for all four areas as many positions will be looking for the skills and knowledge of all four areas. You don’t have to qualify in them all, but it seems common sense that you learn about all four.

Alongside being taught about the ins and outs of building and maintaining computers, trainees on A+ courses will be taught how to work in antistatic conditions, along with remote access, fault finding and diagnostics. Should you decide to add Network+ training, you’ll also have the ability to assist with or manage networks of computers, allowing you to command a higher salary.

There is a tidal wave of change about to hit technology over the next few decades – and it becomes more and more thrilling each day. Technological changes and connections on the web is going to radically alter our lifestyles in the future; remarkably so.

Should receiving a good salary be way up on your goal sheet, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised to hear that the income on average of IT employees in general is a lot greater than with most other jobs or industries. It’s no secret that there is a great country-wide need for qualified IT professionals. And as growth in the industry shows little sign of contracting, it appears there’s going to be for a good while yet.

How can we go about making an informed choice then? With so many opportunities, we’ll need to know where to dig – and exactly what to be investigating.

Many companies focus completely on the certification process, and forget what you actually need – which will always be getting the job or career you want. Always begin with the final destination in mind – don’t make the journey more important than where you want to get to. Avoid becoming part of the group who select a program which looks like it could be fun – only to end up with a qualification for an unrewarding career path.

Set targets for earning potential and how ambitious you are. This can often control what accreditations you will need and what you can expect to give industry in return. Talk to an experienced advisor that has a background in the industry you’re considering, and who’ll explain to you detailed descriptions of the kind of things you’ll be doing on a daily basis. Contemplating this before you start on any study course makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?

One of the most important things to insist on has to be comprehensive 24×7 direct-access support through professional mentors and instructors. Far too often we see trainers who only seem to want to help while they’re in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends. Many only provide email support (too slow), and phone support is often to a call-centre who will make some notes and then email an advisor – who will attempt to call you within 24-48 hrs, at a time suitable for them. This is not a lot of use if you’re sitting there confused over an issue and can only study at specific times.

As long as you look hard, you will find professional companies that recommend and use direct-access online support all the time – including evenings, nights and weekends. Seek out a company that goes the extra mile. Only proper live 24×7 support delivers what is required.

People attracted to this sort of work often have a very practical outlook on work, and don’t always take well to classrooms, and struggling through thick study-volumes. If this could be you, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, where everything is presented via full motion video. Studies have repeatedly shown that getting into our studies physically, is far more likely to produce long-lasting memories.

Top of the range study programs now offer interactive CD and DVD ROM’s. Instructor-led tutorials will mean you’ll learn your subject through the expert demonstrations. Knowledge can then be tested by interacting with the software and practicing yourself. It would be silly not to view some of the typical study materials provided before you sign on the dotted line. You should expect instructor demonstrations, video tutorials and audio-visual elements backed up by interactive lab’s.

Avoid training that is purely online. Always choose CD or DVD based study materials where available, so you can use them wherever and whenever you want – you don’t want to be reliant on a quality and continuous internet connection.

Students will sometimes miss checking on something that can make a profound difference to their results – how their company segments the physical training materials, and into what particular chunks. Individual deliveries for each training module one piece at a time, according to your exam schedule is the usual method of releasing your program. This sounds logical, but you might like to consider this: What could you expect if you didn’t actually complete each section within the time limits imposed? Sometimes their preference of study order doesn’t come as naturally as another different route may.

For the perfect solution, you want ALL the study materials up-front – meaning you’ll have all of them to come back to in the future – whenever it suits you. You can also vary the order in which you complete your exams where a more intuitive path can be found.

One crafty way that training companies make a big mark-up is by charging for exams up-front and presenting it as a guarantee for your exams. It looks like a good deal, until you think it through:

Patently it isn’t free – you’re still coughing up for it – it’s just been included in your package price. Evidence shows that if a student pays for each progressive exam, at the time of taking them, they will be much more likely to get through on the first attempt – as they’re aware of their investment in themselves and so will prepare more thoroughly.

Hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the appropriate time, and avoid college mark-up fees. You also get more choice of where you sit the exam – meaning you can choose a local testing centre. Considerable numbers of unscrupulous training course providers make a great deal of profit because they’re charging for exams at the start of the course then hoping you won’t see them all through. Re-takes of previously unsuccessful exams via organisations who offer an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are always heavily controlled. They will insist that you take pre-tests first till you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass.

With average Prometric and VUE examinations costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, it makes sense to pay as you go. Why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra at the beginning of your training? Consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.

The somewhat scary thought of finding your first IT job is often relieved because some trainers offer a Job Placement Assistance programme. Don’t get overly impressed with this service – it’s quite easy for eager sales people to overstate it’s need. At the end of the day, the need for well trained IT people in Britain is why employers will be interested in you.

Nevertheless, don’t wait till you have qualified before polishing up your CV. Right at the beginning of your training, enter details of your study programme and get promoting! You might not even have qualified when you will get your initial junior support role; but this is not possible if interviewers don’t get sight of your CV. Generally, you’ll receive quicker results from a specialist locally based employment agency than you will through a training course provider’s national service, because they’ll know the area better.

In a nutshell, as long as you put the same commitment into landing your first job as into studying, you’re not going to hit many challenges. Some trainees curiously invest a great deal of time on their learning program and just give up once they’ve got certified and seem to expect employers to find them.