Looking for Certs Advice

[natefish]

Hello,

First time poster, even though I've been reading for a little bit.

I am currently looking for advice on which certs to get and if I need to get them in a specific order. About a year ago I started working as a computer tech, with no certifications at all. The experience I had up until now was simply fixing computers for friends and family. In the last year, I went from an entry level tech, to the lead tech at my current place of employment. However, in that year I have taken on a LOT of extra responsibility. I do everything from check in a customer to training new hires. I open and close the store 6 days per week, and have yet to get a raise or even a review even though they were promised at 3, 6 and 12 months. This has lead me to wanting to nail down my certifications, in order to get a better-paying job with more advancement opportunity.

I personally feel that A+ certification is a waste of time. Mostly becaue, out of the 6 technicians I've had to train in the last year, 5 have had their A+ cert and seemed 100% clueless about what they were doing (no offense intended to the people here who are certified AND good techs :P). That plus what I've read, just tells me that A+ means nothing as long as you have the experience under your belt. But I've read that MCSA, MCSE and a few others are great to have. So this leads me to my questions:

1. What is a good cert to start with for someone with nothing more than general support and repair experience?
2. What would be a good path to follow after that for certifications?
3. Can I actually expect that adding these certs to my resume, will possibly lead to more and better job offers?


Thank you all in advance, this site has already been helpful. I 'm hoping now that I've started posting here, I'll get even more out of it.


Nate

[jlreich]

I personally feel that A+ certification is a waste of time. Mostly becaue, out of the 6 technicians I've had to train in the last year, 5 have had their A+ cert and seemed 100% clueless about what they were doing
I agree just because you have a cert it doesn't mean you know anything. But I do feel getting A+ is necessary. There are a good deal of jobs out there that you will need it to get your foot in the door regardless of experience. It's often a requirement to even get an interview.

[LochLomonder]

There are a good deal of jobs out there that you will need it to get your foot in the door regardless of experience.

I agree with jlreich on this one. I've seen plenty of people with certifications, and yet they're useless working in a business environment. In contrast, I've seen plenty of people with no certifications whatsoever, and yet they're really good technicians who've built their knowledge base in the field.

For many employers, showing the certification will give people an advantage over those who may not have it. So, in that respect, I would recommend getting your A+ and then build on the other certifications from there.

[natefish]

I never really thought of it, but that does make sense. The A+ cert will probably open quite a few doors to begin with. Thanks for the tip there. :)

What certs would you recommend pursuing after that? I'm looking into Cisco certs or MSCA/MSCE, but not sure which way to go there. :confused:

[jlreich]

I'm looking into Cisco certs or MSCA/MSCE, but not sure which way to go there
Either way really. Once you get your A+ you may get a better feel for which direction you want to go. Take a good look into each direction and see which appeals to you the most. Both directions are far removed from fixing desktop computers for the guy down the street. ;)

There was a time I would have said get your Net+ as a good foundation after A+, but since it is only good for three years now I say dive right into whichever area you like.

[yawningdog]

The only place that cares about the A+ cert is Best Buy, and you probably don't want to make a career out of that. In my opinion, you are correct. A+ is a waste of your time.

Remember that certs don't generally mean anything to your future boss, but they mean a great deal to his HR dept. Certs are a check list item. If you have them, you get invited in for an interview. If not, you get to keep looking. But if your certs get you the interview, you still have to nail the interview.

I recommend the Cisco route (No pun intended. Well, maybe a little...) because you are less likely to have to deal with users a lot. Nobody ever calls tech support and says "I downloaded a mahjong game and now the switch is frozen."

[jlreich]

Remember that certs don't generally mean anything to your future boss, but they mean a great deal to his HR dept.
Yep. ;) Haven't heard any mention of any certs ever since I got into the business. But I was asked many times when it came to the hiring process and right after I was first hired. Basically it looks good on paper but means nothing once you are in.


Nobody ever calls tech support and says "I downloaded a mahjong game and now the switch is frozen."
Lol! :D