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Hi all,

So I’m looking into getting certified, probably starting with the CompTIA certs (A+, Network+), which don’t seem to have overly long periods of studying required to pass. After that, I’m thinking of going the Cisco path, but I wasn’t planning on doing that yet.

My question is, when should I start? For background, I’m currently an intern working in the IT field, am going to be graduating with a BS in Computer Science next spring, and am beginning to get into the networking aspect of csci. I’m not at a point where I can pass with no studying, but I also want to make sure that I get certs at a time that will strategically work out best for me. Do I get it during school/before graduating? During the summer (not preferable as I work full time, work out most nights, spend weekends with my girlfriend, etc. so I’m usually busy)? After graduating? Should I be in a hurry?

Any advice is much appreciated! I can’t guarantee that the optimal solution will work for me, but I can do my best to let whatever you guys suggest guide me in my studies!

(For reference, I have not begun studying for the CompTIA exams yet. Sort of just decided to prioritize them before Cisco or higher level certs since they’re lower level.)

@Cisco @CompTIA

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A+ is a “pre-professional” certification. It’s only applicable to people who have never worked in IT and only are looking to get their foot in the door of their first job. If you’ve ever worked in IT, you are past the point where the A+ will help you.

Even for people looking to get their foot in the door I don’t recommend it anymore. Start higher. The A+ is a waste unless your goal is Best Buy.

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Internship and degree… EITHER of these would rule out the A+ on their own. You are clearly past the A+ point in your career. Network+ is where you should focus.

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Network+ is great for even high schoolers. No reason to wait on it.

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Noted, thanks for the advice in that regard. I was looking through online study guides of the Network+ so in a way, sort of figured I’d worry about that moreso than the A+. I guess my question applies moreso to the Network+.

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Not to be contradicting here but I am in the same shoes as Bill Barr. Wouldn’t getting the A+ certification be useful to show employers that you KNOW the basic information about computers?

@CompTIA

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The basics, sure. If your goal is to show them that you have spent time and a lot of money showing that you can do GeekSquad work and that you can’t do anything more than that, yes.

But the Network+ demonstrates that you can do the A+ material that applies to IT and do so at a higher, more advanced level.

Why get a middle school diploma when you could just get your high school diploma? The high school diploma demonstrates that you can do the easy stuff and also demonstrates that you make better use of your time.

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If your goal is to due pure help desk, than the A+ may be beneficial anything more than that and I would agree with Scott that it is really not worth your time.

I view CompTIA on the lower end of the scale. Their an OK place to start if your feeling unsure, but if you feel comfortable, just skip them and go for something higher and certainly don’t stop with them.

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I’m definitely not planning on stopping at CompTIA as previously mentioned. I feel that getting a cert at least before I graduate and start job hunting is at least a good start. From there, hopefully I’ll already be working on the CCNA R&S or something comparable if I go a different route. I think starting with the CompTIA is in my best interest, seeing as the extent of my networking knowledge is a semester-long class in networking at a mainly programming school (therefore, theres a networking and network security class which I’m taking this fall) and a couple of weeks as an intern learning the very basics.

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Why get a middle school diploma when you could just get your high school diploma? The high school diploma demonstrates that you can do the easy stuff and also demonstrates that you make better use of your time.

Because you can’t get into High School without the Middle School diploma. A+ isn’t some BS cert except to those that have been in the field for a while. Even still, keeping the certification requires renewal every three years to keep the credential relevant for the changes that take place with regard to computers and operating systems.

In some cases, A+ is a requirement to obtain an employment position and not just at Best Buy. Some companies that are looking for support personnel will require that certification along with Network+ and in some cases Server+.

The benefit of the CompTIA certifications is that they are vendor neutral. A Cisco certification, while it has some background on general IT applications (according to Cisco), is still specific to Cisco’s gear and OSes. If you are planning to work on only Cisco security products then it will have its value. But, what if you are working with Juniper or SonicWall or Fortigate?

If you are looking to get any of these, I would recommend doing so while you still have the time to do so. Having them before you interview will look better than promising to get them if you get the job.

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The first thing you mentioned was cisco, i would just forget the A+ and network+ and go straight for cisco.

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Go for CCNA CCNA+N+ are redundant

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I tend to view an A+ on a resume as a space filler that takes the place of real, actual experience. I have the certification(I think it’s lifetime), but there’s no way I’d put it on my resume and when I see it, I assume someone’s just filling up space.

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My problem with the CCNA right now is financial. While I know that both the Network+ and CCNA cost money, I’d rather wait until I can assure myself the means of paying for lab equipment, actually have lab room, and pay for the exam without basically draining my bank account.

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I went for my CCNA first, I highly recommend it (y)

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A+ , Network+ , CCNA, MCSE - They mean different things to different people. The guy you interview with might be from HR and hasn’t formed an opinion on the weight of a particular cert. The point is, IT people are much more critical towards certs while the person / company that you interview with isn’t.

Figure out the direction you would like to take your career and build on certs that get you there. No point in getting CCNA if you can’t use what you’ve learned at your job, maybe MCSE is more appropriate. That’s not to say you won’t learn anything in the CCNA classroom, you will; but with all the available certs out there, pick the one(s) that help you reach your goal and not one that just looks good on paper.

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Currently working on getting my CCNA and then the CCNP. I would definitely recommend going for the Network+ first and then go for the CCNA, as you would only need to worry about the Cisco specific material. As for the A+, completely up to you, I found it as a good refresher course and once you pass the A+ and then your Network+ you only need to recertify for the Net+ as CompTIA only requires recertify on the highest cert you have obtained. Also the MCSA and MCSE’s are becoming more relevant now as companied want people certified in Exchange and SharePoint, so I would also consider that if you want to become a Network or Sys Admin

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Lifetime A+ was ended by comptia I thought I had one too.

Certs are a good way to learn new stuff, get as many as you can asap. The world is dying for good SQL dba’s, they have zero percent unemployment right now

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GeekSquad in the stores, sure… break/fix is what you get. GeekSquad in the field, you have the opportunity to grow and utilize your skillsets from Net+ to MCSA/MCSE and CCNA level.

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I highly recommend looking going after certs. I would do so in college. My experience says some employers value them but some don’t. However, the way I look at it is if an employer sees you right out of college with certs, then chances are you’re one of the students who put some extra effort in.

I saw someone get a perfect score on the A+, however this person couldn’t identify that a network cable being unplugged from the computer was the reason Internet wouldn’t work. On the other hand, most of the people I went to school with who actually got their CCNAs, MCSAs/MCSEs, etc… actually landed some pretty sweet starting positions and since then have blown into some nice careers. These are all the people who actually put effort into their work. Employers saw this. My career has paid of well because of the extra effort.

I do networking (routing, switching, a lot of VPN work, Exchange servers, Windows servers, etc…) regularly, and so far I think my Cisco training has paid off the most. I have some certs from Microsoft, but their stuff changes all the time. Cisco will carry into other vendors. I work with Juniper’s quite a bit, and the Cisco material I learned carried right into it. Granted, CCENT (I recommend) and CCNA training is focused on Cisco. It will help you understand concepts.

If I were in school working on a degree today and know what I know now, I’d be reading through a Network+ book on the side. I wouldn’t kill yourself trying to cram for an exam, but reading through it casually will help you develop and understanding to this type of work.

I’m not sure what kind of IT work you want to get into, but I can tell you everyone I have met who knows the A+ material and how to build a computer really wants, and needs, to understand the networking side.

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