Is CompTIA A+ cert worth it?

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Kol12

308 posts

Ultimate Geek

#223581 6-Oct-2017 20:26

I asked about this earlier in the year but due to personal circumstances have not been in a position to think about applying for work this year but am still keen to work in IT support. I have not worked in IT before. Is CompTIA A+ certification still looked upon favorably by IT employers in NZ? Is it enough to land me an entry level IT support role? I realise it is a reasonably basic qualification. I am a self taught computer hobbyist but have no formal qualifications. I've been through most of Professor Messer's free CompTIA A+ video lessons as suggested and have good grasp of it. Would getting this cert be worth it for someone with no formal IT qualifications or could I try applying for jobs with my self taught computer skills or should I have been aiming for something higher like MCSA? Cheers.

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151 posts

Master Geek

#1878719 6-Oct-2017 22:20

For entry-level IT work it is certainly better than nothing. I've always thought it gives a good grounding of how computers work and how the various bits of hardware hang together and communicate. It will look better on your CV than having basic school certs and will make you stand out over some of the competition. I would say go for it, better to have this than nothing, and you can build on that with Microsoft or other industry certs when you have a job (and your employer might be funding your training!). Good luck!

deepred

139 posts

Master Geek

#1880515 10-Oct-2017 18:32

One person supports this post

I've had one for a couple of years, if only to formalise the skills & experience I've built up over a decade & a bit. Other than that, I've had no real career progress, given the long-term decline of the desktop PC sector and the limited advancement oppotunities. I've written an essay about my experiences and what might lie ahead.

Kol12

308 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1880644 10-Oct-2017 22:07

Thanks for your reply deepred and I will give your essay a good read.

Has the CompTIA cert been of any benefit to you?

timbee

50 posts

Geek

#1881773 11-Oct-2017 09:58

CompTIA A+ gets a lot of flack for being useless imo, but it's good for ticking HR's boxes and will get you an interview.

Do you know what area of IT you want? E.g 70-533 would be a good start if you're looking at helpdesk for cloud providers that focus on Azure. Alot of job applications also seem to list ITIL v3 Foundations as advantageous as well, so you could look into adding that to your portfolio and you will be a pretty solid candidate.

Best of luck!

deepred

139 posts

Master Geek

#1882070 11-Oct-2017 20:29

Kol12:

Thanks for your reply deepred and I will give your essay a good read.

Has the CompTIA cert been of any benefit to you?

It's been a positive addition to my CV but still not enough for employers to be interested. I've been to university in the past, but it was like losing the lot at a casino. I don't see my dead-end situation changing much until Specialisterne's newly formed NZ branch gets back to me with opportunities, or the ICT sector and the NZQA sort out their issues with implementing an apprenticeship programme. I've written about that topic in another thread.

marpada

317 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1882071 11-Oct-2017 20:37

Not my area of speciality but I would rather look at getting Microsoft certifications (MCSA/MCSE or whatever they're named now). The skills you'll get will not only be useful for an entry-level position but for climbing up the ladder as well.

Kol12

308 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1882125 11-Oct-2017 22:03

marpada:

Not my area of speciality but I would rather look at getting Microsoft certifications (MCSA/MCSE or whatever they're named now). The skills you'll get will not only be useful for an entry-level position but for climbing up the ladder as well.

Are there any MCSA/MCSE certs in particular you are thinking of? Is MCSA Windows 10 generally the first one you go for?

Kol12

308 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1882151 11-Oct-2017 22:13

timbee:

CompTIA A+ gets a lot of flack for being useless imo, but it's good for ticking HR's boxes and will get you an interview.

Do you know what area of IT you want? E.g 70-533 would be a good start if you're looking at helpdesk for cloud providers that focus on Azure. Alot of job applications also seem to list ITIL v3 Foundations as advantageous as well, so you could look into adding that to your portfolio and you will be a pretty solid candidate.

Best of luck!

IT support is what I'm thinking of but of course that is quite broad now day's with all of these new technologies like cloud etc that you've mentioned, seeming to require knowledge in lot's of sprawling directions.

I will look into the ITIL Foundations cert also. So would ITIL and MCSA be worth going straight to instead of CompTIA and in any particular order?

marpada

317 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1882159 11-Oct-2017 22:33

Kol12:

Are there any MCSA/MCSE certs in particular you are thinking of? Is MCSA Windows 10 generally the first one you go for?

Windows 10 will be the low hanging fruit if you're already familiar with it. You might find the Windows Server or Azure ones more interesting, and they will also show up better on your CV. At the end of the day you'll need to get both and more to get the MCSA combo.

geekiegeek

2317 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#1882185 12-Oct-2017 05:36

One person supports this post

I personally wouldn't advise that anyone look at hardware or local servers as a base for a long-term career any longer. The move to the cloud is a juggernaut and with the GCIO relaxing the rules on government use of cloud this will only accelerate.

Also the majority of desktop devices these days consist of a single board and in my experience, any fault just results in a straight swap out - no troubleshooting as these are just commodity devices.

Look at AWS/Azure training or development/programming type training would be my advice, or even better, learn AI or blockchain skills.

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My thoughts are my own and are in no way representative of my employer.

timbee

50 posts

Geek

#1882266 12-Oct-2017 08:51

Kol12:

IT support is what I'm thinking of but of course that is quite broad now day's with all of these new technologies like cloud etc that you've mentioned, seeming to require knowledge in lot's of sprawling directions.

I will look into the ITIL Foundations cert also. So would ITIL and MCSA be worth going straight to instead of CompTIA and in any particular order?

I'd start by doing MCSA first to show technical knowledge then optionally use ITIL as a supplementary cert. ITIL is just boring business terms to show you understand the business life cycles, but a lot of companies management adhere to the framework and it another cert that ticks the box for HR & management. But yeah, a lot of applications do list it as advantageous.

Kol12

308 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1884385 16-Oct-2017 14:44

marpada:

Kol12:

Are there any MCSA/MCSE certs in particular you are thinking of? Is MCSA Windows 10 generally the first one you go for?

Windows 10 will be the low hanging fruit if you're already familiar with it. You might find the Windows Server or Azure ones more interesting, and they will also show up better on your CV. At the end of the day you'll need to get both and more to get the MCSA combo.

Is this the complete list of MCSA certifications? https://www.microsoft.com/en-nz/learning/browse-all-certifications.aspx

I am familiar with a lot of the MCSA Win 10 content and there are a lot of similarities in it to CompTIA A+ but there are still some subjects in there that I am not fully knowledgeable on or could brush up on.

Is it easy enough to study MCSA courses online for free with youtube videos etc? I found this site but it doesn't say what MCSA exam it is: https://www.cybrary.it/course/mcsa/#

Auldhouse.co.nz want something like $6000-$10000 for a MCSA Windows 10 course!!! I know Auldhouse is an official test center for CompTIA a+ exams through Pearson VUE but not sure about MCSA...

timbee

50 posts

Geek

#1884409 16-Oct-2017 14:52

2 people support this post

Auldhouse runs a course in a class with an instructor etc. These are usually paid by companies hence the hefty price tag but you can easily do self study aslong as you have self discipline. There are some great online resources out there, to help you study such as PluralSight, Linux Academy etc as well as textbooks that can help.

Once you're confident, and done a few practice exams just purchase an online Proctored exam and you can save yourself money.

Kol12

308 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1884411 16-Oct-2017 14:58

timbee:

Auldhouse runs a course in a class with an instructor etc. These are usually paid by companies hence the hefty price tag but you can easily do self study aslong as you have self discipline. There are some great online resources out there, to help you study such as PluralSight, Linux Academy etc as well as textbooks that can help.

Once you're confident, and done a few practice exams just purchase an online Proctored exam and you can save yourself money.

Sure is a hefty price tag, that's more the cost of a Diploma or something. Is MCSA at Auldhouse really worth $10000?

How do you go about organizing a proctored exam in NZ?

timbee

50 posts

Geek

#1884415 16-Oct-2017 15:01

One person supports this post

Kol12:

Sure is a hefty price tag, that's more the cost of a Diploma or something. Is MCSA at Auldhouse really worth $10000?

How do you go about organizing a proctored exam in NZ?

Depends on where you purchase the exam from, some of your online resources such as Linux Academy can point you to the right place, but you can shop around and find cheaper prices (just make sure its reputable). Proctored exam is having the proctor install remote software on your computer to watch you via your webcam & microphone(use a laptop) to ensure you're not cheating and you sit it online anywhere in the world really, so its pretty convenient.

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