A+ Cert

[Iamanerd]

Well to start I was thinking about getting my A+ cert and then my Net+ but I was wondering what my best course of action about doing this would be? I mean the classes seem a bit expensive and from what I've seen the A+ is about hardware and basic OS use/setup. Is there some online resource I could use to review and then just go take the test as that is a lot cheaper. I have experience building a few pc's and I am a programmer so my experience is pretty well rounded but I don't know what whats the best course of action and I was hoping someone with previous experience could help out.

Also for the Net+ what would be a good resource online as well? Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

[Tradewind]

It doesn't hurt. If anything it will help with the whole "clueless HR scrubbing" that goes on with resumes these days where they add crap like A+ certifications as requirements for the job posting and if you don't have one you get passed over...even if you have something well beyond that.

Just go get yourself an A+ book and there's plenty of free practice exams on the internet, just pay for the test when you're ready at an institution. Save some dosh.

[Cyanotical]

a class it not a bad idea, but you have to careful to select the right one

the class i took was very in depth, and i had a digital logic and electronics prerequisite, we spent a week studying each component in the PC, and had to know all interface speeds, connectors, cards, form-factors by memory, i can tell you what type of ram a motherboard takes purely by looking at the voltage rating on the slot, or the form factor of a board just by looking at the screw layout, this was a class that was more oriented towards practical knowledge and had a teacher that wanted everyone to actually know everything about a computer

the other type of class is the cert test class, these are often cheaper and are basically a two week crash course to pass the cert tests, and just like any kind of cramming class, you will forget everything right after you take the test


also, along with Net+ you will want a Sec+

[Iamanerd]

a class it not a bad idea, but you have to careful to select the right one

the class i took was very in depth, and i had a digital logic and electronics prerequisite, we spent a week studying each component in the PC, and had to know all interface speeds, connectors, cards, form-factors by memory, i can tell you what type of ram a motherboard takes purely by looking at the voltage rating on the slot, or the form factor of a board just by looking at the screw layout, this was a class that was more oriented towards practical knowledge and had a teacher that wanted everyone to actually know everything about a computer

the other type of class is the cert test class, these are often cheaper and are basically a two week crash course to pass the cert tests, and just like any kind of cramming class, you will forget everything right after you take the test


also, along with Net+ you will want a Sec+

Hmm I'm going to have to look around for a class like you suggested, I'm pretty well of with Digital Logic as I've taken a computer architecture class and when I worked at a nuclear plant they still use punch cards for there logic setups haha and I got to program the PLD's for small systems there. But the type of class you are recommending, where could I find one like that? Also how long did that course take/how much money? Also I'm looking at books but which would you recommend? I was looking at this book set.

Edit: I found this class nearby, it's a bit pricey but seems to cover everything but like you said it seems like its all crammed in and if I'm going to pay a decent chunk of change for a class I want one that will teach me a good amount. Although I'm going to get a book now just to start and read it on my own to get familiar with it. It's basically what I do with programming to as I tend to learn better on my own time at home just coding a random project in a new language.

[Cyanotical]

we used this, but it does miss a lot of information, for example, in a near 3 inch thick book, both overclocking and watercooling make up about 1 sentence, and SLI/Crossfire are about a paragraph (while those aren't really A+ areas, the amount of information that goes along with most enthusiast stuff is staggering, probably more than general A+)

i took a class at a local tech school, and got tuition paid for by government aid (pell grants), but i also do tons of reading and research on my own, and i've also been building computers since i was a kid

what i would say the most annoying thing about A+ is that often there are multiple right answers, but only one correct answer, and 9/10 times, the correct answer is stupid

[Iamanerd]

we used this, but it does miss a lot of information, for example, in a near 3 inch thick book, both overclocking and watercooling make up about 1 sentence, and SLI/Crossfire are about a paragraph (while those aren't really A+ areas, the amount of information that goes along with most enthusiast stuff is staggering, probably more than general A+)

i took a class at a local tech school, and got tuition paid for by government aid (pell grants), but i also do tons of reading and research on my own, and i've also been building computers since i was a kid

what i would say the most annoying thing about A+ is that often there are multiple right answers, but only one correct answer, and 9/10 times, the correct answer is stupid

Ahh alright well I'm going to take a look around for a class at a Tech school nearby, and I'll compare the books, maybe get both but I'm not sure atm. I think first I'm going to go through books etc. then once I get a contract started in April and have some money I'll look in to the class for the summer. I mean I feel I know a decent amount of info but it never hurts to learn something new and get up-to-date on the info in the book. I'm doing this as more of something to put on a Resume and part of my hobby and I've been considering maybe going in to the hardware side of the field. Thanks for the help though and I'll do some more research and look around for places etc.

[Taotaisei]

If you don't have the money for the classes and don't care for all the extra information, professor messer has a video series (iirc 26 hours worth) that covers every topic to the correct amount for the test. This is a "crash course" method as mentioned before though. It works, but frankly it's not the best solution. If you are a hobbyist that actually cares about computers you probably know a considerable amount of information on the test already.


On speaking with multiple networking companies and the tech leader at me school, if you can skip the Net+ and do the CCNA (cisco 1) you would be looked at considerably better. The consensus has essentially been that yeah Net+ is nice but it seems to offer no real benefit to those they hire as the teaching methods are not hands on and don't emulate real life as well . In fact my school has stopped offering Net+ classes and only has the CCNA ones as of 2006. (If I typed anything wrong, please correct me.)

To Cyanotical, I would have absolutely loved to have been in that type of certification class!

[at05gt]

I picked up a "complete" A+ study guide on Amazon for 30 dollars (US), I recommend doing the same.

I myself will be taking my A+ and CCNA tests this summer, so I wish you the best of luck.

[Cyanotical]

On speaking with multiple networking companies and the tech leader at me school, if you can skip the Net+ and do the CCNA (cisco 1) you would be looked at considerably better. The consensus has essentially been that yeah Net+ is nice but it seems to offer no real benefit to those they hire as the teaching methods are not hands on and don't emulate real life as well . In fact my school has stopped offering Net+ classes and only has the CCNA ones as of 2006. (If I typed anything wrong, please correct me.)

To Cyanotical, I would have absolutely loved to have been in that type of certification class!

CCNA is looked for more than Net+ because companies get a discount from Cisco based on the number of certified employees they have, also, if i understand it right, the new Net+ is more focused on OSI model theory, where as the older version was pretty much CCNA minus iOS and cisco brand specifics

and i guess that class type is pretty rare, as my friend went to take the same class, from the same teacher, and the schools administration has forced him into using a crappy online program called labsim, so my friend basically wasted a semester