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Think the A+ certification is easy or worthless??? What questions would you ask or would be tough enough that if someone passed the test you believe they would know their 'stuff'??? I'll be compiling a list for the site, thanks!
[This message has been edited by WinDrivers (edited October 01, 2001).]
my opinion is that it was worth something in the past, but now it is just a token honor
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Raven
Quote:
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EPOR...EPOR...EPOR
Hey Scott...my experience with it [and I hope this doesn't turn into a "cert" thread], is that A+ is relative easy if you're moderately experienced with PC's, and have basic mechanical aptitude. And it's worth a lot as far as landing corporate work, where the human resource people need some, any, form of certification and documentation. The newer adaptive testing format really zeros in on anything you don't know and hammers at it, I for one wasn't 100% confident that I was doing well until it was over!
A lot of the skill level of individuals is dependant on where they took the course. Did the course teach them what's in the A+ manual, or did they teach them how to pass the test? If you just pick up the "Exam Prep A+" manual, take a look inside at the material...well, if a guy knows that, I mean really knows that, he'd have to be pretty good!
As far as what questions would you ask? It's always a temptation to ask esoteric things...but I don't really know that you'll get a sense of their skill level.
Rather than get into specific questions, I'd present them with a "paper" problem, similar to the W2K MCSE test format, and see what they do to work it out. Finally, for new hires, I'm fond of asking IRQ related questions, i.e., "list some reasons why you would need to, and how do you reassign an IRQ...."
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"How stange it is that men are so rash as to dare to reprehend what they cannot possibly comprehend!" St. Bernard
[This message has been edited by IT Len (edited October 01, 2001).]
my biggest issue with the A+ isnt what content they DO cover...it's the stuff they gloss over...like troubleshooting as a theory. It is my beleive that the thing most lacking in entry-level techs (the A+ taget)is the ability to properly and effectively troubleshoot an issue. There IS a process to the art of troubleshooting and in most cases it is ignored in favor of silly things like cable lengths. Anybody can memorize a table of acceptable cable lengths, but the concept of D.I.R.T (Define, Identify, Replace, Test)is little harder to teach and can only be learned through COMPREHENSION and PRACTICE!!
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""in certain cases...one remains a philosopher only by being silent." -Friedrich Neitzsche "
Agree with above posts. It is easy, but it is not worthless, as far as employers like to see stuff like that.
During my interview at the shop where I am employed now, part of my interview was a staged "service". "This machine on the bench does not boot into windows. fix it if you can."
It turned out to be a bad cable, but i was later told that many interviewees couldn't Troubleshoot worth a ding dangly dong!
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Who gives a F**K about your problems baby, 'cause you can pay the rent... -G.M.
Want to hear something funny? I failed the A+ test!!!!!! The A+ test means absolutely nothing!! The things that they ask you have no real relevance to todays technology or architecture. Who needs to know what pin on an LPT port gives ground or rubbish like that. for the cost of todays components it would be more cost efficient to replace a part than to sit down & attempt to fix it. I can understand these questions 15 years ago, but today, they are a waste of time. It may mean someting if the questions were more up to date, but as it is I don't rate an A+ any higher than I do spelling your own name.
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System Specs
Abit KT7A-RAID (Rock F'n Solid!!!) - AMD Athlon 1Ghz (10x100) - 1024Mb PC133 SDRAM - ATI Radeon (AGP4X) - Maxtor ATA100 30Gb - 2 x Seagate ATA66 (RAID 0 totalling 26Gb) - Toshiba SD-1202M DVD - Plextor PlexWriter 2410A (Buy One!!!!) - Creative Labs SB Live! Value (No Pops , Hiss or Crackles here) - 20" Eizo Flexscan Monitor - Microsoft Windows XP Professional OEM Final Release
As I am now going thru studying for A+ cert, I have picked up that you must fully comprehend what the problem is....don't just assume you know by hearing/reading half of the problem description. I also believe that a true "tech" knows how to troubleshoot correctly, knows what to look for first, and knows the sequence of events that may cause a problem with a computer (i.e. monitor doesn't display picture upon boot-up, check cables, then mointor, then vid. card, etc; don't assume first that it's the MB https://forums.windrivers.com/ )
Also, good, true techs know how to relate to the customer, not talking down, being patient, explaing in simple terms. I think questions concernig the ability and comprehensiveness are important. Hope this helps!
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Go big...or go home! :eek:
Things to do when bored at Wal-Mart:
Take up an entire aisle in toys by setting up a full scale battlefield with G.I. Joes and X-Men.
To me A+ is worthless, but good to have if you are looking for a job. I passed my test first shot (go me!). The thing that I didn't like about the test, for example was this one question: how do you access the task manager in windows 2000? You had to name all 3 ways. I'm just sitting there thinking, if I know one way, that should be good enough. Ask me what I'd be using it for, rather than make me name all 3 ways. Who cares? you know one way, you use it.
The reason I don't like A+ as a certification is because there once was a tech working at our store, he was A+ and the whole bit. First day of working, I told him to grab an ATX power supply. He just looked at me dumbfounded, he didn't know what I was talking about!!!!
Oh well, comes in handy when looking for a job, or talking to ignorant customers. "yep, i'm certified, your machine is in good hands" gives them a sense of security.
/|rokh
I, like Darren, thought the A+ centered too much on old technology and specifics of electronics repair, rather than troubleshooting in general. Who cares if I can solder a new capacitor onto a motherboard, if I can't figure out that the problem is the capacitor?
Some better questions would be:
"Customer's screen seems to lock when scrolling through a document or web page. What is the first action to take?"
a. Check video card, bios, and driver
b. Try a new mouse
c. Format and reload Windows
d. Reload Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer
"Customer's Celeron 633mHz machine will not power on. Which is NOT a likely cause?"
a. Dead power supply
b. Damaged CPU
c. Soft power switch defective or not connected correctly
d. Video card does not support 4X AGP
There are more, I'll head back later and give the other $0.02 worth
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American Red Cross
1-800-GIVE-LIFE (blood)
1-800-HELP-NOW (money)
www.redcross.org
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Windows, the CE,ME,NT eXPerience...
A+ means very little.
I took the test and it asked me the most useles questions that I have never even come across in 5years being in the field. Who gives a sh*t about binary code and what all the switches are for xcopy or whatever. I'm not retarded I know how to do "/?"
Its all memorization and the test is super expensive more then any MS test. IT cost me $360 Can. Damn!
So if I had to make a test about it. I would get them to ...
No multiple choice questions
1) Explain the difference between fat,fat32 and ntfs.
2)Explain the difference between scsi and ide
3)If you turn on your computer and the floppy light is on steady. What is the problem?
4)What is the difference between 10baset and 10base2?
5)Which of these is not a video card brand.
i)diamond
ii)Creative
iii)Trident
iv)Stream
6)Which website on the internet has the best info for helping out techs around the world?
(if you say M$, autamatic fail!)
7) In windows98 what is the simplist way eliminate unwanted programs on startup
i)mssetup
ii)msconfig
iii)msstartup
iv)booyah!
8) Name the 3 types of mouse connections
(ie: serial,bus,usb,ps/2)
9)which of these is not a type of video card slot?
i)sxe
ii)pci
iii)agp
iv)isa
10) How many devices can go on an ide connector?
These are a few that I think woudld go nicely.
what do you think?
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He who can laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.
The A+ is a useful tool for getting jobs, but not a useful tool for judging people who have it.
I passed it with flying colours and I knew NOTHING about computers. I learned in three months on the job everything I needed to know--and none of it was stuff covered on the A+.
If I was hiring, I would "break" a computer and ask the short list of candidates to fix it in front of me.
Suggested problems:
-reverse floppy drive cable
-remove TCP/IP
-install an incorrect video driver
-remove the CDROM-to-sound cable
-acquire a relatively harmless virus and infect the machine with it
-set the mouse to be 'left-handed'
-disable a COM port in the BIOS
Give the candidate a toolkit and all of the computer's relevant disks, tell them to diagnose it and fix it--see if they can, how long it takes them, but more importantly, HOW they go about doing it. Do they try the simple tests first, before dismantling the machine? Do they risk the data on the machine without asking if it needs backing up? Do they take notes? Do they use anti-ESD procedures? Do they ask you if the mouse is SUPPOSED to be left-handed, or do they go ahead and 'fix' it?
The reason I love the floppy cable test as well, is if they have no experience, they won't know that testing the disk in a drive misconnected like this will ruin the disk, so even if they do fix it, there's no way to test it properly... an experienced tech is a lot more likely to know this... and to know what the light being on continuously indicates.
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In another lifetime, I USED to be known as Wayward Clam. But the Powers That Be have spoken, so who am I to argue...?
I haven't taken the A+ test. It just doesn't work for me. I likely could pass it, I have read the books. I find severely glaring errors in the books that only people that grew up with the industry would know. My first IBM compatible was an XT I repaired and added a scrapped 10 meg hard drive.I've worked with 'compatibles' continously ever since. The A+ test is severely outdated and written by people with no clue about this industry IMHO.I feel that A+ is outdated due to the fact it is based on standards that the computer industry outdated years ago, those being that it only needed to be updated every three years like schoolbooks. The writers also seem to think that there is no one left to recognize and be disgusted by the real bloopers and boners they throw into the text books just because they don't know the correct answers or the concept doesn't fit into their tiny minds. The practice questions in several of them (one being the Osborne press version) are sometimes unanswerable due to the choices given.Who writes this junk and is he too senile to remember the business?
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What's the differance between 'twisted' and 'torqued' anyways?
I think what has happened is that people are equating an A+ certified technician with an actual bench tech. While there are many of us bench techs out there that do have the cert, I think we can all agree that the cert is pretty meaningless as far as tech ability goes. There is so much involved with being a tech that it would be damn near impossible to fit it into a couple of 60 question tests. It's kind of like what happened with the MCSE certs. Lots of people saw that MCSEs were making the big money, so everyone and his Uncle was going to MCSE bootcamp. What happened? A lot of people were hired based on their cert and then fired based on their ability. Same thing here with A+ (except for the big money part https://forums.windrivers.com/ ). The only problem is, most of the so-called techs are still able to remain employed because there are so many more computers and printers out there now. Most people don't know the difference between a good tech and a not-so-good tech or down right bad tech. The main thing that separates me from a paper tech is my troubleshooting ability. It's the old K.I.S.S. method (Keep It Simple Stupid). That and a lot of experience. The A+ cert is a good starting point for the beginner tech or IT person looking for a little hardware background. The cert used to mean something, but now it only stands for a basic knowledge of computers and Windows OS, not the ability to fix them.
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In the immortal words of Socrates, "I drank what?"
I just took my A+ Cert back in June. The test is very easy for someone who (like me) has been screwing around for years with this stuff. For someone who doesn't have a degree in any engineering field or comp sci (BA in History) ("What do you do with a degree in History?") it seems that moving slowly but surely through the certification mode is the best thing I can do.
All of the certifications have been down played by one group or another because as most of you know someone can crunch for a few hours and pass the test and then get a good paying job and give the real techs who don't have the certs something to fix. It's like the SAT's and ACT's for college, further proof that you know something.
My next step will be taking my MCSE, but I have to find a better paying job to do that, and they want MCSE's more than A+ Certs (grumble)
I Totally agree especially when they try to ask you about the pin-out of a 486 processor and ask you completely retarded things about where each pin is directed to.Quote:
<font face="Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Geneva" size="2">The things that they ask you have no real relevance to todays technology or architecture. Who needs to know what pin on an LPT port gives ground or rubbish like that. for the cost of todays components it would be more cost efficient to replace a part than to sit down & attempt to fix it. I can understand these questions 15 years ago, but today, they are a waste of time.
[/B]</font>
Although stupid the A+ certificate can help you get a job.
1. Which video card will work with and ASUS Motherboard?
a.Creative 3D blaster anihilator Pro
b.Matrox G400
c.ATI Readeon
d.ASUS V7700
e. all of above
f. none of above
add e,f to all questions.
dumb Question but if people don't know then Fail them.
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https://forums.windrivers.com/ "What works for One person May not work for Another"
God Is My Judge dLagace=DANIMAL
If someone were to give me an A+ tech and one who wasn't, I would take the non-A+ tech. I have found that the non-A+ certified techs are more trainable (even if they don't know something) and are less likely to BS their way through a problem to customers. I have read many white papers on the 'advantages of certification'. As someone who has more than 19 years in the industry, I can say that certifications mean nothing unless you are starting out or trying to be hired.
What most people seem to fail to understand is that a certification is a 'meteric' and that is just a ten cent way of saying 'measurement'. So, if you are outside the US, a measurement in inches or miles does you no good when relating to those around you... likewise, the people who created the measurement for the A+ obviously weren't bench techs. Yes, the information that is required on the A+ is fine... but is it useful? How often do techs use the 'facts' that are required? Are they current? Unfortunately, I have to agree with many of the people who have already responded - the certification means little unless you want to get a job and the person who is hiring you isn't a bench tech or doesn't really know anything about troubleshooting computers.
In the defense of the A+ exam, it is only supposed to cover material a person with 6 months experience would know. I think the certification should cover content that someone with at least two years experience should know and the test should be created by bench techs and other people with SOLID computer troubleshooting experience.
The other problem with the A+ exam is that it is supposed to be 'non-manufacturer specific'... But why are the only OS's being tested Microsoft OSes? There are several more useful to business OSes including Linux, Solaris, and HP's flavor of Unix. What? Someone with six months experience wouldn't know UNIX or Linux? Hmmm... I have seen many of these OSes on Intel based products... whoops, another bias of Intel based products. The test today doesn't fullfill the objectives that were specified - instead, the test is narrow and favours only one set of specifications: the home user type computer. Is this the type of user that should be in the business world fixing computers? I should think not.
Even with this low set of objectives, it fails miserably to establish confindence by those who are competent.
I just passed the test actually.. And now i need a job.. Any ideas where to look? I've tried all the website job search things like and they all wanted 10 years experience.. The computer industry has barely had good 10 years. Any idea where to look?
I agree in part, much of the content is not relevent to todays techs. However, at my work we still use serial line cables connected to a port on the server, therefore knowing the pin outs is required for troubleshooting/repairing cables.Quote:
<font face="Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Geneva" size="2">Originally posted by Darren Wilson:
Want to hear something funny? I failed the A+ test!!!!!! The A+ test means absolutely nothing!! The things that they ask you have no real relevance to todays technology or architecture. Who needs to know what pin on an LPT port gives ground or rubbish like that. for the cost of todays components it would be more cost efficient to replace a part than to sit down & attempt to fix it. I can understand these questions 15 years ago, but today, they are a waste of time. It may mean someting if the questions were more up to date, but as it is I don't rate an A+ any higher than I do spelling your own name.
</font>
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At the end of the day, it's all fundamental.....
does passing guarantee you a job? (not really a question if you get my drift)
no but can anyone give any pointers?
You can get a job a Compaq, that's for sure.
Actually working at Compaq and knowing what you are doing...let me rephrase that .. learning how to solve and why the solution works.. will really give you a headstart over other people in the IT hardware/ OS software support area. The problems range from figuring out the difference between a virus and bad ram.. or dying power supply or CMOS.. to re-install windows 98 on an integrated motherboard where win98 does not supply the drivers and getting them to modem connect and download them from Japaneese or Russian websites.
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The Data Circuit has Melted.
i am amazed at how many people i know that are A+ certified but have to bring their computers to my store to be fixed. nothing can really beat experience and time coupled with an absolute desire/fascination to make things work. a basic working knowledge of how to use a screwdriver is ranked kind of high up there as well. as far as a question that should be on the test?
"if you need a driver for a system component where would find it on the WWW?"
a. www.nascar.com
b. www.pga.com
c. www.monster.com/taxijobs
d. www.windrivers.com
sorry if that was cheesy, but this site has been set as my home page for 2 years for pete's sake!
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windows (When-Does-OH-S**t): (n) a 32 bit platform running with 16 bit performance with built on an 8 bit foundation that is not worth 2 bits.
I agree with everyone above. Its good to get for paper reasons. I already had 7 years experience in the field of computers before I even got mine. (Actually never heard of A+ cert. until I went to school) I just wanted to get some paper under my name because I wanted a corporate job (I owned my own comp store, but the market started to go down. What I saw when I went to school made my stomach hurt, I saw all these rocks trying to get their A+ and they didn't know anything. Sure they could read a book and remember the answers pretty good, but actual computer repair skills were beyond their grasp. One guy went and got his Net+ cert. and had never even opened a computer, but he could read and remember well. I knew right there that finding a job was going to be tough because around here the schools flooded the market with rocks.
And last but not least those stupid A+ books only give you one possible solution to a problem. They always say "if this is what the computer is doing, then this is the solution" and anybody who knows tech knows that one problem on a pc can be one thing or many things.
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Its all fun and games until someone loses an eye, then its just fun in the dark.
3 out of 2 people can't count.
You have a computer that is five years old that periodically locks up (no blue screen of death, no error messages). The customer says the computer was running fine until about a couple months ago and it just started getting worse. The intervals are (20 minutes, 3 minutes, 15 minutes) various but not very long--less than a half hour. It locks up right after a full boot, while accessing different programs. What is your next step?
a) Run an antivirus program.
b) Open the case and blow out the dust.
c) Reload the OS.
d) Run a hard drive diagnostic.
The answer is B.
I got A+ around march. I didn't think it was tough in the least. It did help me get my current job though. I think the testing should be more hands on. For example you should give the guy a computer and 5 different modems...if he can install them all in under a certain amount of time then he deserves the cert. If not he should go home and practice and when he comes back give him a few different tasks to perform.
Over all I think it is a good cert to have. I got it because I felt like i needed it to break into the field. I have 2 more tests to go before I will be CNE. They are supposed to be the 2 easiest ones so good for me. I've yet to fail. Novell seems like a good one to get because once you certify it never expires and you can update it by passing one test. unlike microsoft.. I dunno if mcse is worth getting. I will study for it but as for spending the extra to take the exams i dont know. If the place I work when that time comes pays the fee then no problem.
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:)
I would put questions about hardware compatibility on the test. These are the things that you really have to know, minus troubleshooting. Questions like:
What proc works in 815 chipset, KT133A chipset?
What chipsets support DDR, what about RDRAM?
Then I would go into front side bus speeds and chip multiliers. What chips do what and how fast.
A+ is all about the customers perception, it's not really for the tech. I got it beccause I had no experiance and needed a job. It gives my boss the ability to promote it to the ignorant customers that I do battle with everyday. Sometimes I'm hard on the users, but deep down I love them and their ignorance. It give me a job.
Later.
I do not have my A+, but just want to have it so I can say "I have it". Yes it's over a lot of OLD hardware, but I would like to say I've got it. Maybe its just an Ego thing. I have 5+ yrs experience, with a variety of hardware and software. I don't think I would have a problem passing it, but if I did, oh well. Like Darren said before, its cheaper to replace things nowadays then to repair it. I still believe that experience overpowers certifications anyday, but I still want the certs too.
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The problem lies between the keyboard and the back of the chair!
The A+ should not be hands on as this will add scheduling difficulties for some test centers. I do think that some intuitive activities that pose scenarios a la the W2K MCSE exams should weed out those that study this material from a book but cannot implement it in real life.
I believe in skills as much as anyone and Slashdot is howling about the lack of skills in college curricula. I do not think we should neglect teaching intuitive thought.
The A+ exam is invaluable in proving you are not a trailer park engineer that learned this material from fiddling with a few 486's.
I have had my A+ for almost 4 years now, it helped when I was first looking to get into the IT field. Four years ago someone who knew what a computer looked like could get into the field though. I now hold 2 other certs (MCSE and Novell) and honestly all they really do for me is get me in the door for a interview. As has been stated in the previous post the paper does not mean that you know what is required to hold the job. I have actually been embarassed by other MCSE's who didn't know how to edit a boot.ini file https://forums.windrivers.com/ .
At the place I currently work at though you can not move up past the entry level position without obtaining at least one major certification and A+ is one of those certifications that they look for. Is the A+ useless? I don't think it is useless, but I don't think is worth what it used to be.
the problem with the A+ exam is they state that it is the equivalent of 6 months experience. this as everyone knows is far from the truth, what it realy does is provide required knolledge for those who want to persue a carrer as a computer technition. I have never taken the exam but prepared to take it twice. Finacial difficulties both times were the reason i cancelled my exam. And the only reason i was taking it in the first place was for personal gratification. What needs to be in place is a system where the A+ certification is achieved before employment as an entrylevel technition. next a group of certifications in unique areas are achieved to get a final certification as a master technition. this would include a bench repair of a PC that has several problems. their would be no right or wrong way to fix the computer just as long as it was repaired properly in the given amount of time. Im not sure how many people who read this will be familiar with the ASE certification for automtive mechanics, but this works in a simular manor. someone who is ASE certified is certified in an area not necisarily on fixing cars in general. their are certificatons for AC, powertrain, body repair and so on. for pcs it should be in monitors, printers, input devices, optical drives, magnetic drives, motherboards and power supplies. As one person stated above it may be cheaper to replace a component which is very true but a good technition should know why they are replacing that component not just that its bad.
I had an A+ certified technician tell me that "it's impossible to put an IDE cable on wrong" WTF is he smoking??
So, I don't think that an A+ cert means much.... however, as stated above, some employers require certs...
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We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.
--Will Rogers
"What questions would you ask or would be tough enough that if someone passed the test you believe they would know there 'stuff'???"
How about grammar...ie: "know their stuff??"
https://forums.windrivers.com/
I'm an IT tech with almost 6 years under my belt and I am studying for my A+ because my employer, CompUSA Field services requires it. I see what is called the 80/20 rule. 20 percent of my knowledge is used 80% of the time. Most of what is in the A+ exam is handy to know but not necessary. Getting knew deep in the software has done far more for my career than studying what IRQ my Mouse uses. Get the paper because it gives HR a way to see you can pretend you know what you are doing
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"Nyquil, nyquil , nyquil, we love you, you giant fu@#ing Q !! "
<img src=http://forums.windrivers.com/cgi-bin/forum1/noncgi/icons/icon6.gif>
Hi!
A+ gave me a clue,but not much of one.Learned terminology mostly.I'm a 44 year old female who went back to school at 41.
Graduated technology school,got my A+ ,and
started job searching. ha
I was ready. I'm an A+ certified computer technician on the go.when I finally got hired by a company(I'm sure, because I was certified) I walked in the place and I didn't have a clue.I've been here 14 months
now and can pretty much handle most things that come in,but I am still learning everyday,and probably always will be.Bottom line.....A+ will get your foot in the door(most of the time)its up to you to do the rest.
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Dixiechick
I work for a large global IT company and A+ is required for entrant level tech. My Manager 'forgot' about it and promoted me up a level, saying "who needs to know". I have enough trouble remembering the chipsets and product lines i support to remember which io address defaults to lpt1 (378 i think). Diagnostic skills and first visit fix are more important.
Tom.
we eat, drink, sleep this stuff
I would say ditch multiple choice and go with essay. Here's the problem, here's the circumstances, here's some extra info that may or may not help you. How would you troubleshoot this problem, reasoning behind each item you troubleshot to find the solution if there is a solution? Then have the final essay question be a phone support question. Here's what the customer says to you on the phone in broken english using incorrect computer terminalogy. The problem is actually quite simple, but sadly, so is the customer. Knowing that this is an easy fix what do you think the problem is and what the solution is.
That would be my A+ exam, all essay.
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I'd rather be riding my motorcycle
IF you are going to take the A+ test, DO NOT pay 1200 bucks to some idiot to teach you this stuff in a class. Get a book and read it and read it till you know it. The test is simple, very simple. I got my A+ cert. just to open doors. I have over 10yrs of real hands on been there done that experience and when it comes down to it, that is what people want. Where I work you could have all the certs in the world but if you don't have real hands on experience then see ya cause we do not have the time to baby sit and hand hold anyone. Now someone made the comment of I would rather have the non-A+ guy instead should really think for a moment. Just because I am A+ cert. doesn't mean I know what I am doing. When I used to hire people I gave them my own test and if you passed that then you moved on to the ok, fix this. I'll never forget the guy how replied to this question. I asked.
What is Socket 8?
His reply - A parallel port on the back of a computer.
This guy did not get the job. Remember anyone can talk a good story, not everyone can fix a computer.
Got Skills?
I Do
Like they told me in college. The degree, certificate, whatever piece of paper only tells the companies that you are "trainable" it doesnt mean that you know everything. I know there are people out there that cant pass the A+ that are extremly bright, and there knowledge of computers is outstanding. Just look at Darren Wilson https://forums.windrivers.com/ And then there are people that have the certs., degrees, and such that know absolutely nothing. In my honest opinion, the A+ can get your foot in the door of alot of places, but it doesnt mean that you "know all about computers". The company I work for will only hire a tech if they are certified, because most of the manufactures will only pay our company if the technician is A+ certified. Its a shame, they have turned away some really good technicians because of this.
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https://forums.windrivers.com/images.../2001/10/1.gif
A+ means nothing if you have the experience.
At least that is the way it should be.
I have been in the industry for over 8 years, and I still find it hard to get a job.
Funny thing is, I have known people who have a cert, like Novell CNA (a joke as well) and the company doesn't have Novell, just migrated away from it... and they still hired him. He had less expertise with anything MS than the joker that comes into your tech shop taking about his new pentium 6 with windows 8 on it.
Oh well, maybe those SPAM messeges saying "University Diploma's" are worth looking into.
I will have a doctorate in bull****ting.
I don't have so much a problem with the Cert. or the test for it per se. What I have a problem with is the number of places that teach you how to take the test and not give you the knowledge to back it up. I have recently been asked by my company to go back to school (at their expense) to get A+, Net+, MCP, CNA, and MCSE certified. The classes I have taken so far for A+ have been geared toward how to take the test, not what I should know to do the job.
Now granted, I've been working with computers for 20+years and they haven't yet shown me anything I didn't know. But, there's a lot the "kids" in this class should know that they aren't teaching them. They'll pass the test with flying colors. but when they get hired for their "knowledge based on that certification, they are gonna be disappointed at getting fired for not knowing something simple like setting up a desktop shortcut for a DOS program in WIN98.
I have a tech working for me now who admitted to sleeping through the A+ course at his High School. And didn't know simple comands like winipcfg, a good command when troubleshooting a networked workstation. I have seen others that put all the cards in the first four expansin slots and then wonder why they have resource conflicts. Or worse, just have a messed up machine and have no clue why.
Sorry for the rant, I've just been dealing with both sides of this one for a couple months and it gets to me.
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Well... I say... Nuke the unborn baby gay whales!