CompTIA Support Training Simplified

By Jason Kendall

The CompTIA A+ training program covers four areas of training; you're thought of as competent at A+ once you've passed your exams for two of the four areas. This is the reason that most training providers only have two of the courses on their syllabus. You'll find that to carry out a job effectively, you'll need the information on each subject as many jobs will ask for an awareness of the whole A+ program. You don't have to qualify in them all, however we'd advise that you at least have a working knowledge of every area.

Once on the A+ computer training course you'll be taught how to build, fix, repair and work in antistatic conditions. You'll also cover fault finding and diagnostics, through both hands-on and remote access.

You might also choose to consider adding the CompTIA Network+ training as you'll then be in a position to work with networks, and have a more responsible working role.

It's not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees - they always involve paying for the exam fees up-front, when you pay for the rest of your course. Before you get carried away with a course with such a promise, why not look at the following:

You'll be charged for it ultimately. It's definitely not free - they've simply charged more for the whole training package.

It's everybody's ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Entering examinations one by one and paying for them just before taking them puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt - you put the effort in and are mindful of the investment you've made.

Don't you think it's more sensible to hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the time, not to pay the fees marked up by the training company, and to do it locally - instead of the remote centre that's convenient only to the trainer?

A lot of extra profit is netted by a number of companies that get money upfront for exam fees. Many students don't take them for one reason or another but the company keeps the money. Believe it or not, providers exist who rely on that fact - and that's how they increase their profits.

You should fully understand that re-takes with organisations with an 'Exam Guarantee' are tightly controlled. They will insist that you take pre-tests first until you've proven that you're likely to pass.

VUE and Prometric examinations are in the region of 112 pounds in Great Britain. Why spend so much more on fees for 'exam guarantees' (usually wrapped up in the course package price) - when good quality study materials, the proper support and a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

The somewhat scary thought of finding your first job is often eased by some training providers because they offer a Job Placement Assistance service. With the huge skills shortage in the UK right now, it's not too important to get too caught up in this feature though. It isn't so complicated as you might think to secure your first job as long as you're correctly trained and certified.

You would ideally have advice and support about your CV and interviews though; and we'd recommend everyone to work on polishing up their CV the day they start training - don't procrastinate and leave it until you've graduated or passed any exams.

Various junior support jobs have been offered to trainees who're still on their course and have yet to take their exams. This will at the very least get your CV into the 'possible' pile and not the 'no' pile.

You can usually expect quicker service from a local IT focused recruitment consultant or service than any training course provider's national service, as they'll know the area better.

A good number of students, it seems, conscientiously work through their course materials (for years sometimes), and just give up when it comes to trying to get a good job. Promote yourself... Do your best to put yourself out there. Don't think a job's just going to jump out in front of you.

Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always full 24x7 support with professional mentors and instructors. Far too often we see trainers who only provide office hours (or extended office hours) support.

Avoid, like the plague, any organisations that use messaging services 'out-of-hours' - where an advisor will call back during office hours. This is useless when you're stuck and need an answer now.

Keep your eyes open for colleges that utilise many support facilities across multiple time-zones. Each one should be integrated to enable simple one-stop access together with 24 hours-a-day access, when it's convenient for you, with no fuss.

If you fail to get yourself support round-the-clock, you'll quickly find yourself regretting it. It may be that you don't use it throughout the night, but you may need weekends, early mornings or late evenings.

We're regularly asked to explain why traditional academic studies are now falling behind more commercial certificates?

Industry now recognises that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, official accreditation supplied for example by CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA often is more effective in the commercial field - for considerably less.

In essence, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. Actually, it's not quite as pared down as that, but the principle objective is to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (with some necessary background) - without trying to cram in every other area (as academia often does).

If an employer understands what they're looking for, then they just need to look for a person with the appropriate exam numbers. The syllabuses are set to exacting standards and aren't allowed to deviate (like academia frequently can and does). - 33376

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here