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Home > Archive > CCNA > June 2004 > to CompTIA or not to CompTIA?
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to CompTIA or not to CompTIA?
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| USHazard 2004-06-22, 6:24 pm |
| I passed the CCNA exam today.
Specifically, I've been in the US since January (married an American citizen) and as such have not been allowed to work by the INS. This means my resume is full of gaps.
I've used some of this time to study for and get my CCNA, as I used to work for a large UK ISP in support (dial mostly, with some SOHO frame relay and leased line connection support), and have always been interested in the field.
I will be eligible to work from mid July. Is it worth pursuing things like A+ / Network+? This would be to round off my resume. I don't have a degree. Ideally I want to work in networks, and finally ditch support.
I realise this isn't a recruitment support forum but hey  | |
| ruscorp 2004-06-22, 8:12 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by USHazard
Is it worth pursuing things like A+ / Network+? This would be to round off my resume. I don't have a degree. Ideally I want to work in networks, and finally ditch support.
I don't see why not. It couldn't hurt and will certainly help. | |
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| By CompTIA's own admission their certs are "foundation level." They're also broad and vendor nuetral. But the best thing is they never expire; when you're CompTIA certified you're certified for life. With just advanced certs you could find yourself cert-less again in a few years. If you end up doing work for consulting companies, who always want candidates with certs but never pay for them or give you time off to study for and take tests, that's a distinct possibility. | |
| Tophat 2004-06-22, 11:35 pm |
| having just had this conversation with someone at work today, I have a couple of points to make.
I think anyone working in computers, should have the knowledge that the a+ exam tests. Since the exam tests the basic computer component knowledge, and as such provides a solid foundation for anyone entering the computer field. Does this mean you should take the exam? I think that you will have to ask yourself the following question. Do I feel comfortable with the knowledge that is required for the exam? If the answer is yes, then you don’t need to take it and if the answer is no, then you should take it.
What? you ask, I would have thought the other way around. Here is my reasoning: I don’t think that the A+ will bring much to your resume, interview, or improve your job selection. Therefore, if you know the stuff, you will be able to answer related questions during the interview or probation period of your work. You can also include verbage in your resume about pc repair, ability to build systems, or pc and server hardware knowledge. So if you have the knowledge, the test will only make you memorize things you can quickly look up, or make you learn some thing that you will only encounter very infrequently in the real world (that is what tech support is for), i.e. it will not help you much there.
On the other hand, if you don’t know your stuff, and you look at the syllabus or sample questions and you are baffled by the acronyms and questions in general, then its advisable you sit down and lean it since those are the components you should be familiar with if you wish to make a career in computers.
So if I don’t take the A+ what should I do? Well, there are plenty of other exams out there and other knowledge that you will need, and since you have some time, might as well get a leg up on that. You should decide what area you wish to go into. You mentioned networks, and that is a very broad field in it of it self. You might wish to look at the Microsoft track if you wish to go into networking systems. You may with to look into getting some *nix knowledge if you have very little of that. It can only help to know more then one OS. Or you can do what most people are doing right now and jump on the security bandwagon and get your security+ cert for starters. These are just suggestions and there are plenty of other things that you can learn or exams to take.
My $0.02 | |
| USHazard 2004-06-23, 5:29 pm |
| Thanks, and I think I get where you're coming from.
The only thing that can hurt with regards to A+ is my wallet. | |
| Tophat 2004-06-23, 5:46 pm |
| Its not really about money. Its more about the fact that there will be questions that you need to study for. I have a good knowledge of computer hardware but there is no way I can walk into a testing center and pass the A+ without any preperation. So its really time and money that you will need to invest. You will need to look at what you get out of the cert which is really a low level/entry level cert. You need to decide if you wish to dedicate that time to something a higher level cert (differnt knowledge), or if you think you need to training that the A+ gives you... | |
| USHazard 2004-06-23, 8:55 pm |
| Studying for it would go without saying. For example, my SCSI knowledge is about as much as my love of paying Intel prices for CPUs.
Unfortunately we are quite poor atm so whatever studying I do will be connected with library books and online research. | |
| ruscorp 2004-06-23, 9:04 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by USHazard
Studying for it would go without saying. For example, my SCSI knowledge is about as much as my love of paying Intel prices for CPUs.
Haha, me too. |
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