Microsoft or A+

  • Thread starter Thread starter esara
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E

esara

Hi
Which certificate should I seek to take? A+ or Microsoft one to show
that I am eligiable to be computer technician.. I do not know which
certificate microsoft offer for a technician people (hardware,
OS/software technician). Any help would be very much apprciated.
Thanks
 
esara said:
Hi
Which certificate should I seek to take? A+ or Microsoft one to show
that I am eligiable to be computer technician.. I do not know which
certificate microsoft offer for a technician people (hardware,
OS/software technician). Any help would be very much apprciated.
Thanks
Click to expand...

Phone around some companies to see what they're looking for, though a good,
relevant, CV is always the best qualification for any job. I often went up
for contracts against people with much better paperwork but my background
with IBM, Ministry of Defence and some corporate work got me every job I
applied for.

Alan
 
esara said:
Hi
Which certificate should I seek to take? A+ or Microsoft one to show
that I am eligiable to be computer technician.. I do not know which
certificate microsoft offer for a technician people (hardware,
OS/software technician). Any help would be very much apprciated.
Thanks
Click to expand...

Really? I'm finishing up a comp sci degree after a 5 year leave
of absence. It's really almost a badge at this point - something
to launch me into a different four year degree (and career) and
something to say I didn't quit.

Things have changed.

In the five years away, I saw my class population go from about
50% caucasian, 40% asian, 10% misc to 50% indian, 40% asian and
10% caucasian. Eh, that probably sounds biggoted. Let me put
it in less offensive terms. The majority of the class holds visas
and speaks english as a second language.

The jobs are evaporating, especially technician jobs. You'll
only find work if they can't ship the position overseas.
 
The jobs are evaporating, especially technician jobs. You'll
only find work if they can't ship the position overseas.
Click to expand...

Go for on-site tech, help desk, or field technician jobs if you only plan to
go as far as A+ or MSCE or what have you. Any company with a large network
has a department for ya - Offices, hospitals, you name it.
 
esara said:
Hi
Which certificate should I seek to take? A+ or Microsoft one to show
that I am eligiable to be computer technician.. I do not know which
certificate microsoft offer for a technician people (hardware,
OS/software technician). Any help would be very much apprciated.
Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi,

The A+ is a general, rounded, computer technician qualification. It is not
specific to any operating system, there is bits of Windows, Novell and MACs
on the sofware exam of the qualification. It is more knowing how the
building blocks of _any_ computer fit together and interact with each other.
Its good if you want to get your hands inside the hardware. There are
several CompTIA exams that you can take and they don't lapse after time.
(A+, Server+, Network+ etc)

The Microsoft exams are specific to the operating system. I have various
MCPs. Microsoft qualifications are only valid as lons as the operating
system is a current product. My Win98 its still current at the moment but MS
could drop it and it would no longer be valid and I wouldn't be able to use
it as a qualification. (Although the ones for Win 2000 pro and Server, and
others, are still valid). The Microsoft route is good if you are going to a
company that uses Microsoft products, when I was applying for jobs a couple
of years ago almost no-one wanted Microsoft qualifications, they wanted
Unix, or web language qualifications.

If you want to go into networking then look at the cisco exams, the CCNA is
the basic qualification, but it is hard. I had a couple of cisco courses
and two years of working with routers before I had enough knowledge to
attempt the exam. The CCNA only lasts 18months before you have to take it
agian to say you are still qualified. Cisco training and exams are not
cheap.

Good luck, Adam S
 
Just my 2 cents worth, I currently have A+ was going to get MSCE but not
going to waste my time. In my experience most companies will at the very
minimum want you to have A+. The problem with MSCE is that so many people
became certified buy memorizing the course material long enough to pass the
test, and not learning the stuff. So from what I have seen most companies
will give no credence to a MSCE. As stated in one of the other posts
experience is better than any alphabet soup the follows your name. Now there
is that enviable catch 22, no one will hire you without experience, and you
can't get the experience with out a job.( don't ya love the symmetry in
that, what a lovely world we live in.) In my case I was lucky enough to find
a company that was desperate enough to take a chance on a guy with no
working experience (i.e.previous job in field). The best suggestion I can
give is to get the A+ and try to find a place that you can intern at, you'll
probably have to work for free but the experience will pay you back later.




Thank you, -S --- Bill Sargent CQ Services, Inc. 101 Desmond Street Sayre,
PA 18840-2001 Tel: 1-800-366-2414 Fax: 1-570-882-9679 www.CQServices.com
 
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