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Certification for beginners ?

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by mighty chef

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One of our visitors asked me what kind of certification he should choose preparing for PC tech career. I also was thinking about this issue & being MCSE, suggested him to try for CNA or MCP track. He was curious about A+ but I recommended Net+ instead, cause for my opinion knowledge in networking is absolutely essential today.

Anyway I would like to get comments on subject, what's good for beginners to start from a scratch ?

Thanks for your time
Mighty Chef
Binarica.com

7 replies

by edwalton

I began an MCSA course in June. I think it is still important for beginners to get a solid A+ base. There's time to do this while the economy is lagging. But bioinformatics is now becoming mature. (See: Jim Wilson, "Life by the Numbers," Popular Mechanics, October, 2002, p. 44.) This is much of the next economy, biotech and IT. The networking of PCs is essential for efficiency.

by byteside

A+ is a great way to gain essential basic skills and then move to network+ or Microsoft.

by jasonschambers

If this person would rather teach than he should go on and get his A+ if he does not know hardware all that well and would benefit from the MCT certification as well. I have noticed when looking for jobs, companies looking for instructors want MCT. Good Luck

by frommer

Are you actually suggesting that a beginner with no experence should make thier initial goal to become a teacher of others?
If there is still demand for trainers in this economy don't you think it may be bacause these jobs have and will no be filled up with inexperenced paper cert toting newbees.
If you really want to get in to this field I would suggest starting with the A+ and then taking a hard look at where you want to go in the long term. There are many different paths to follow in this field but the one that is the best fit for an individual may not necessaraly be the one that will pay the most.
By the way you know that other Microsoft certs are a prerequisite to the MCT, right?

by iawilly

In my opinion everyone should start at A+, simply because you need to get a grasp on what is on the inside of a computer, whether you are a novice or not. Secondly, there are still Windows operating systems(95, 98, 2000, and now XP) being used by both at home and business users, that should be at least gone over, because you never know what is going to be used at work, yours, or a friends. A good foundation of the past is essential for the future, You didn't start Algebra without knowing how toadd and subtract first. Then I would recommend Net+, then MCP to Novell and or Cisco. You will find out from the basics, where you will want to go to and hopefully let an employer pay for it, or find a good school that has a program that gives you avariety and or like a 5-star program-that gets your feet wet in a few areas. This is a good prep for a career change--Which I did. Good Luck

by tnturner.com

I have both A+ and Net+ and working towards MCP then MCSE,I think having a solid background in networks is essential but I would start with an A+ class then Net+ my reasoning is that it will be alot easier taking a net+ class and I actually believe that A+ is a prereq for net+.
A+ covers alot of the stuff you will learn in a Net+ class and having an A+ cert shows an employer that you have the basic knowledge of computer software/hardware, but to get a job in IT industry you still need alot more schooling and or actual on the job experience, I know I have been looking and most of the employers I have found want a minimum of an associates of applied science,even if you really know your stuff your going to find it hard to get your foot in the door to any employer without actual on the job experience or an AA.
But starting out in the IT industry A+ has always been the premier certification for a newbie it is the kindergarten class of the IT industry no matter what your planning on doingan A+ will always give you a better understanding of everything else that will follow in the IT industry.

by voodoo2107

About 3 yrs ago, I worked in a support center of the now largest Hardware company in the world. I was involved in sorting out issues with PC's, Printers and laptops. I have since been working in the IT business (although in more of a sales/marketingcapacity) since then, but have recently gone back to complete my BA in Management and Information Systems. I have only this year and next to complete as I already held a Business Management Diploma.

QUESTION: Do I need to undergo A+ certification (which I should have taken in my old job, but never did), or could I go directly for the Net+? I do know the differences between my bits and bytes, but some areas such as the difference between DRAM and SDRAM confuse me sometimes!

Thanks for you help.

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