In total, there are 4 A+ examinations and study sections, but your only requirement is to get certified in 2 to be thought of as qualified. Because of this, a great number of colleges restrict their course to just 2 areas. But allowing you to learn about all 4 options will give you a far greater perspective of your subject, which you’ll find vital in the working environment.

Passing the A+ exam on its own will mean that you’re able to repair and fix computers and Macs; ones that are most often not part of a network – essentially the domestic or small business sector.

If you’re considering being someone who works for a larger company – in network support, build on A+ with Network+, or follow the Microsoft route – MCP’s, MCSA or MCSE in order to have a wider knowledge of how networks work.

A study programme should always lead to a nationally (or globally) recognised qualification at the finale – not a useless ‘in-house’ printed certificate to hang in your hallway.

To an employer, only the top companies such as Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco (for instance) will get you short-listed. Nothing else will cut the mustard.

Get rid of any salesperson that just tells you what course you should do without an in-depth conversation to assess your abilities as well as level of experience. Make sure they can draw from a generous range of products so they’re actually equipped to give you an appropriate solution.

Where you have a strong background, or maybe some live experience (maybe some existing accreditation?) then it could be that your starting level will be very different from a student that is completely new to the industry.

If this is going to be your first effort at studying for an IT examination then you may want to begin with some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first.

Considering the amount of options that are available, it’s not really surprising that nearly all trainees don’t really understand the best career path they will follow.

Perusing lists of IT career possibilities is no use whatsoever. Surely, most of us have no concept what our own family members do for a living – let alone understand the ins and outs of a particular IT career.

Ultimately, the right resolution really only appears from a meticulous study across many changing factors:

* What hobbies you’re involved with in your spare-time – these can define what areas you’ll get the most enjoyment out of.

* Do you hope to accomplish a specific aspiration – for instance, working from home in the near future?

* Where do you stand on travelling time and locality vs salary?

* Because there are so many ways to train in computing – you’ll need to get a solid grounding on what differentiates them.

* Having a good look at how much time and effort that you’re going to put into it.

The bottom line is, the best way of understanding everything necessary is by means of a meeting with someone that knows the industry well enough to give you the information required.

Look at the following facts and pay great regard to them if you believe the marketing blurb about a guarantee for your exam looks like a reason to buy:

Patently it’s not free – you are paying for it – the price has simply been included in the whole thing.

The honest truth is that when trainees fund their relevant examinations, one by one, they will be much more likely to get through on the first attempt – as they are conscious of the cost and will therefore apply themselves appropriately.

Why should you pay your training course provider at the start of the course for exam fees? Find the best deal you can at the time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance – and do it in a local testing centre – rather than possibly hours away from your area.

Big margins are secured by a number of companies that get money for exam fees in advance. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons but the company keeps the money. Believe it or not, there are training companies who rely on that fact – as that’s how they make a lot of their profit.

Many training companies will require you to sit pre-tests and prohibit you from re-taking an exam until you’ve demonstrated an excellent ability to pass – making an ‘exam guarantee’ just about worthless.

Exam fees averaged about 112 pounds in the last 12 months via VUE or Pro-metric centres in the UK. So why pay hundreds or thousands of pounds extra for ‘an Exam Guarantee’, when common sense dictates that the responsible approach is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.

(C) S. Edwards 2009. Pop over to A+ Course or learninglolly.com/IT_Certification.html.