The big debate, is A+ Certification worth it?

[supadupac]

Tell me, is it worth it? And why or why not?

[minorcharacter]

In terms of getting a job or just as a novelty achievement? 

Yes, if your company pays for it.  No, if you don't have previous experience in the background.  I'm not sure any company would hire someone who doesn't already have a good grasp in the background and that's not something you can get with the two weeks needed in order to study for andd pass the A+ cert. test. 

Personally, I would recommend people get their foot in the door and work from the bottom up.  Start at the help desk and work your way up to a systems engineer or however that path works.

[supadupac]

In terms of getting a job or just as a novelty achievement? 

Yes, if your company pays for it.  No, if you don't have previous experience in the background.  I'm not sure any company would hire someone who doesn't already have a good grasp in the background and that's not something you can get with the two weeks needed in order to study for andd pass the A+ cert. test. 

Personally, I would recommend people get their foot in the door and work from the bottom up.  Start at the help desk and work your way up to a systems engineer or however that path works.

I would agree with this, i am kind of on the side where I don't find it to be worth the $200 dollars unless your company pays for it.. i mean even if you have it and you have to renew it  it kind of stinks.. ialso find that a lot of those jobs that want A+ you can kind of get in nayways and they pay small :/

[minorcharacter]

I would agree with this, i am kind of on the side where I don't find it to be worth the $200 dollars unless your company pays for it.. i mean even if you have it and you have to renew it  it kind of stinks.. ialso find that a lot of those jobs that want A+ you can kind of get in nayways and they pay small :/

Yes, which is why I personally wouldn't shell out that kind of money for it unless I was going to be reimbursed.  I think we can take this discussion a bit farther and ask if CCNA is worth it.  I know a lot of people who get reeled in on the grand idea of landing a job that will pay about $70,000/year so they shell out hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a six month course to help them pass the CCNA certification.  This is no different from a get rich quick scheme on a different scale.

[supadupac]

Yes, which is why I personally wouldn't shell out that kind of money for it unless I was going to be reimbursed.  I think we can take this discussion a bit farther and ask if CCNA is worth it.  I know a lot of people who get reeled in on the grand idea of landing a job that will pay about $70,000/year so they shell out hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a six month course to help them pass the CCNA certification.  This is no different from a get rich quick scheme on a different scale.

Lol agreed.. man i thought about doing CCNA but eh, it really depends man, i mean.. you need the connection for sure and you need your foot in.. i would say getting a under grad is better for you if you have a lot of experience cause that's the next step up rather than certifciations .. i mean if you are helpdesk and you are doing good and you move in to IT and then youre stuckcasue you dont have a undergrad..

[tsabsuav]

A+ and N+ are a good starter, but shoot for MCSE, CCNA, CCNA Security, CCNP and CCNP Security if you can. This is what employers are looking for. My company paid for my CCNA and was willing to pay for any cisco certs on my wish list, unfortunately just when I was about to complete my CCNA Security studies I had a chronic medical condition so had to stop.