Tech Support Forum - View Single Post - Enquiries on mcitp, comptia A+, N+ and CCNA

Prometheus_Fire · 07-04-2009, 06:15 PM

If you're just starting out it's vitally important to get a good grounding in the fundamentals.

I would recommend starting with the CompTIA A+ to give you a solid understanding of PC architecture and Printer Maintenance. If you then want to go down the network route follow on with the CompTIA Network+. These are good exams to start with as they are vendor agnostic.

Realistically though, these probably won't get you a job outside 1st line tech support. Even if you add a couple of MCPs into the mix.

Employers looking for IT staff really want things like CCNA, MCSA/MCTS and above. It may be tempting to try to go for these first, but you will struggle to complete them properly if you don't have the basics down.

NB: NEVER, EVER be tempted to test king these exams! It's nearly impossible with Cisco exams due to the interactive labs in the exam and although it may get you interviews to have the certs on paper, the gaping holes in your knowledge will become apparent during interview or shortly after. This is not condusive to long term gainful employment.

07-04-2009, 06:15 PM	#3 (permalink)
Prometheus_Fire Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 134 OS: Win2K, WinXP, Win Vista, Win2K3, Win2K8, IOS	Re: Enquiries on mcitp, comptia A+, N+ and CCNA If you're just starting out it's vitally important to get a good grounding in the fundamentals. I would recommend starting with the CompTIA A+ to give you a solid understanding of PC architecture and Printer Maintenance. If you then want to go down the network route follow on with the CompTIA Network+. These are good exams to start with as they are vendor agnostic. Realistically though, these probably won't get you a job outside 1st line tech support. Even if you add a couple of MCPs into the mix. Employers looking for IT staff really want things like CCNA, MCSA/MCTS and above. It may be tempting to try to go for these first, but you will struggle to complete them properly if you don't have the basics down. NB: NEVER, EVER be tempted to test king these exams! It's nearly impossible with Cisco exams due to the interactive labs in the exam and although it may get you interviews to have the certs on paper, the gaping holes in your knowledge will become apparent during interview or shortly after. This is not condusive to long term gainful employment.