The A+ Cert is useless. Have it. Anyone can get it. I found out after I got it I wasted my money. Start at MCP and work from there.
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The A+ Cert is useless. Have it. Anyone can get it. I found out after I got it I wasted my money. Start at MCP and work from there.
I do a lot of hiring of technicians. I can tell you that the most important thing is the interview and not any certification. If I feel during the interview that you don't know what you are talking about, I don't care if you have 800 certifications. For desktop technicians, part of the emphasis that I really look for is customer service. I don't want some snot nosed anti -social computer dork to go to my customers.
Quote:
Originally posted by jerrard:
I do a lot of hiring of technicians. I can tell you that the most important thing is the interview and not any certification. If I feel during the interview that you don't know what you are talking about, I don't care if you have 800 certifications. For desktop technicians, part of the emphasis that I really look for is customer service. I don't want some snot nosed anti -social computer dork to go to my customers.
Right now I am only 18, but I have an ok tech job working for the government. I can tell you, Certifications Count, at least to most bosses I have met. I think most of them are pure crap, but my boss is sure that I need them to prove what I can do and so I can get a real pay raise. Also, when applying for other jobs, I got shot down every time because I didn't have a college degree and/or any certifications. So if you know the stuff, get the paper saying you do so you can at least get paid well were ever you go.
yeah yeah you are so smart, but you can't even make a simple hyperlink.
(the link to your website in your signature is messed up)
I'm on the job hunt right now and found something very cool out. If you don't have the education but you do have the knowledge, you can go to like a "temp" agency such as manpower or edgesource and a lot of other companies, they can get you in the ground floor or better of a company even though you are under qualified by the companies standards such as Cisco, IBM, Nortel, but since you are a "temp" you are not expected to know as much as the permanent employees, but most temps if they have the knowledge and the drive are hired permanently into the company because you are already on the inside, why hire someone they don't know? Its very cool and not known by a lot of people. And temps do get benefits too, maybe not by the hiring company but by the temp agency at least.
Just asking for some input.. I am a 20/y male and I am currently attending a 2-year tech school studying CIS Computer Networking. The courses range from simple 'Computing Concepts' up to 'NT Administration and Diagnostics'. A list of classes can be viewed here..
http://www.mgti.org/networker.htm
A am currently studying for the A+ and I feel that I will do extremely well considering my wide computer background. I was wondering, from someone who came from a similar educational background, what sort of jobs or careers I can pursue and an estimated starting salary. When I finish this tech school next winter I will have a diploma in CIS Networking and hopefully the A+ with the MSCE soon to come. Thanks for any response..
im almost 20 and taking my mcse i took the a+ course but i put off the tests to concentrate on my mcse do employers also want college or is that something of days gone by? also what is the starting pay for a junior level nt admin position or a nt tech?
College eduacation and certification may matter as long as you have the following for a being a successful tech;
a https://forums.windrivers.com/images.../2000/09/1.gif Always eager to learn more and more
as the technology moves on
b https://forums.windrivers.com/images.../2000/09/1.gif Always eager to share information
(collaboration)
c https://forums.windrivers.com/images.../2000/09/1.gif Always offer to help to the end users
d https://forums.windrivers.com/images.../2000/09/1.gif experience
e https://forums.windrivers.com/images.../2000/09/1.gifAnd of course a tech must UNDERSTAND how
things work from higher level to the lower level of the PC itself,
which I always notice with some techs just do the fix by memory of how it got fixed.
This is what I've been doing for almost 4 years while Im now able to fullfill my career at my young age (19)
Im 25 and been working with computers and networks for about 5 years now. Until the past few months all I had was job experience which was great but no certs. Since I have completed my mcse almost all the jobs I have been offered always ask If I do have it. Also It has raised my salary a good amount. If I were to hire someone I would take a more experienced tech over certs. If it comes down to 2 experienced techs ... one with certs and one without. Certs just give you an edge.
MCP, MCSE
This topic is like a VD. It just won't go away. Listen, certs help you to get in the door most of the time. They say "Hey I know the difference between RAM and a CPU (A+) or I know how to subnet an IP address (MCSE)." They DO NOT make you a guru or an engineer. After that it is all expierence. Alot of you are missing the point of a college degree in this field. It says to an employer that you can learn (and you better keep learning in this job), you can meet deadlines and that you can usually think on your feet. It seems that the self taught people here wear thier stubborness like a badge of honor. I say cudos to you, it just means that people like me who pay for the certs and college will be making more money in cushier jobs and will be retired by the time we are forty.
Do it cause you love it, but take the money.
Talk about a poor attitude!!!!!! Employers don't have the chance to make sure you "can do it" or not prior to hiring for a position. A degree or a certification. and work experience is all they have to rely on.
It would probably depend on the job you are trying to get. Some companies will not hire/promote with that little piece of paper no matter HOW much you know. Others would be happy with letters of recommendation from previous customers as well as a list of qualifications/experience. Specifics may be helpful. It all depends on the company.
Personally, I would never work for a company that will only promote you if you've spent hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of dollars on certifications but will not promote you if you have the knowledge but not the piece of paper. Something tells me this ignorate way of thinking would not stop there.
James
Las Vegas, NV
Looks like the only people knocking degrees and certifications are the people who don't have them.
i have no certifications, have never been taught anything.
to corporations and small buisiness, i am not qualified enough to get a job with them.
I have taught myself everything i know about computers, from hardware to software to operating systems.
certs are irrelevant, especially now more than ever - you can get the cheat sheets and cram your head out, take the test and not know a damn thing.
i knew a guy who was mcse certified and didnt know a lick of dos (matter of fact - i said command prompt and looked at me crosseyed)
they are a waste of time and money as far as im concerend.
and one more thing about temps (i do the temp thing) i have found that about 90% of the employees that i have worked with ask me the questions - when they have been there for years and should know how to get windows into safe mode or change a bios.
thing is - most managers are - managers. they dont know a thing about computers or how to fix them. you could tell them that ipx/spx is a part of the videocard and they would think that you know your stuff, and what better way to pack them full of it than with a certification that 'says' you know your stuff.
what i find really funny is the MCSE or A+ certified people that work at best buy - they make like 7/hr - its hilarious...
[This message has been edited by kannibul (edited June 09, 2000).]