Tushman Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 Well yippie-kai-yay; koom ba ya; whatever......I took the OS portion of the A+ exam over this past weekend and passed with flying colors. I've still got some beef with CompTIA over hte hardware (core) exam which i took a few months ago. When i took the exam, they threw some very surprising awkward questions at me and i was totally thrown off-guard. To make matters worse, they actually threw in OS questions in the Hardware exam and i was more than just a little p*ssed off about it. I studied for weeks and spent a lot of time and energy and I missed the pass score by a lousy 2 questions!! I even called and wrote to CompTIA about the unfair/ fraudulent practice... and they denied ever knowing about such practices going on. whatever dude... they are scum. But now that I'm 1/2 way to getting my A+ certification, looks like i'll have to find some way to scrounge up the cabbage to take the hardware portion again. They love to make a good coin off farts like me. Well enough ranting... i'm still grinning from ear to ear for passing the OS for which I am grateful for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeber Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 Congratulations, Tushman.You're almost there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 Congrats.I did my A+ and Net+ a few years ago and then went on to MCP (2k Pro). I'm usually a good test taker and I'm very fast, but that MCP exam and I fought a long hard battle. I won. Wanted to continue but taking the classes was too much money and I ran out of motivation to do MCSE on my own.tbird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rons Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Good job and congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siebkens Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Tushman - way to go on passing the software test!! I passed my A+ tests last summer - LOTS of hard work & studying. The hardware test was much more difficult than I expected. I felt that I had more experience with hardware than software, but I found the hardware test was more difficult - lots of questions about older hardware. I am working on Win 2kPro now - hope to take the test by the end of March. Keep working at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_P Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Congratulations, Tushman. No wild parties now to celebrate. What are your plans for this new found knowledge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Great job Tushman! Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linuxdude32 Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Congrats tushman! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tushman Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Thanks you guyz. At this time i'd like to thank the Academy for this award and my mother for... err wait, wrong speech. Woops. Ahem... Thanks all for the thumbs up and support. Siebkens, i couldn't agree more with you on that. I heard from several people how they thought the OS was much more difficult and i gotta tell ya, the OS was a walk in the park compared to the Core exam i took few months ago. It was quite bad - as the aforementioned reason(s) that i listed above. I'm not at all a fan of CompTIA right now. I mean if they're gonna mix n' match questions why not have just one big exam to cover everything? What's the point of having two separate exam titles???Nevertheless, since now I am 1/2 way there - i figure i should finish the job. I hate doing things 1/2 a*s and leaving loose strands behind. Good luck on your exam. Out of curiosity, are you trying for you MCP certification for a job promotion or just for the sake of being more competitive in the job market? The hardware test was much more difficult than I expected. I felt that I had more experience with hardware than software, but I found the hardware test was more difficult - lots of questions about older hardware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jodef Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I mean if they're gonna mix n' match questions why not have just one big exam to cover everything? What's the point of having two separate exam titles???More money perhaps hmmm It seems a lot of the technical certifications would rather see you fail really some of the questions seem plucked right out of obscurity.Did my MCSE a while back in Win2k or maybe it was NT4 at least it seemed that way when I did the exams.Well done Tushman I've held off on doing A+ for a long time maybe one of these days I'll do it.My pocket is still crying from my MCSE excursion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Congrats on your passing the first test.That is a good achievment. Having said that I also wonder if certifications are a bit overrated. I have an A+ and an MCP. At one time I was pursuing a MSCE but I gave up on it. I'm self employed. I NEVER had a customer or end user inquire about any certifications. The only places that ever did are service companies, warrentech and the like. And they have such a bad rep on paying bills that I refuse to work for any of them unless the want to put up a bond. They never do...Employers ask about them but they always seem more interested in real on the job experience. Anybody can bone up and pass a test. Doesn't make you a good tech, doesn't make you a bad one either. But it isn't a ticket to a instant new job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_P Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Anybody can bone up and pass a test. Not necessarily true and a little harsh. There are some people who can memorize everything they read but can't put the pieces together to solve problems or remember anything when stressed.In the ideal world everything we learn we can apply and use and of course remember. Unfortuantely we don't live in an ideal world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siebkens Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Good luck on your exam. Out of curiosity, are you trying for you MCP certification for a job promotion or just for the sake of being more competitive in the job market?Competitive in the job market - will be jumping back into the salaried (not volunteer) world!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tushman Posted March 10, 2004 Author Share Posted March 10, 2004 certs show incentive and capacity to learn in addition to having knowledge useful to prospective employers. I agree with that.One of my reasons for pursuing my A+ cert is that i'm trying to break into the IT field. With my recent professional gig in sales, I wasn't getting a lot of responses to my resume. I figured this would be a good way to get my foot in the door so to speak. If not, I figured i could start my own business fixing computers for people in my neighborhood and pass out some flyers. Rather than simply saying that I can fix computers, i figured if I stated I was A+ certifiied, i might get more interest that way. But Nline's comments are intriguing in that he's never had a computer inquire about his credentials or certifications. Makes me think i should just pursue the home business option right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jodef Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Employers ask about them but they always seem more interested in real on the job experience. Anybody can bone up and pass a test. Doesn't make you a good tech, doesn't make you a bad one either. But it isn't a ticket to a instant new job.I don't live in the USA but I find this to be very true employers are interested in your ability to do the job and nothing says that like past experience.It's a catch 22 in my country you can't get an IT job without job experience so then how do I get the experience to begin with. Part of the problem with certifications were the cheat sheets etc that became part of the mix so a lot of people got certified on paper w/out really having to study; you memorise details and go into the exam.And believe me the tutors recommended it saying it was how everyone passed the exams and a # of students who used them indcated many were exact duplicates of the exam.Coming to the end anyone could get an NT4 MCSE certification with no effort at all because you could go to anyone of 100s of websites and get the pool of questions for the exam.Win2k in early stages at least didn't have them as widely available but I'm sure that changed eventually.Employers became afraid of paper MCSEs.As nline pointed out they are a good starting point even a way to good in the door depending on where you live (in my country it's not even good for that) but nothing beats real life experience I've now started fixing computers for friends etc. as a way to get some experience as limited as it may be.All that said was you approach certs the honest way you do tend to learn alot but it also requires a great deal of effort I have sat a lot of exams, certs and otherwise maybe about 20 or 30 from about 5 or 6 examining bodies from accounting to computing I have settled on wanting to get into IT but man it's a b**ch to break into the field.Tushman it's a really good starting point at least nowadays.It would be interesting to know how long nline has been into technology because I think your reputation also has a lot to do with it.There's nothing like the words of satisfied customers as a recommendation many don't need anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linuxdude32 Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 That is a good achievment. Having said that I also wonder if certifications are a bit overrated.I wonder that too, Nathan. I think the preparation for certifications can be very good but I sometimes wonder if the expense involved is worth it. Very few techs I know have certifications but they're all very good at what they do and usually make a lot of money doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 Well I think it also depends on the area to. I'm in a bit of a semi rural area in Texas so most people don't know about certifications or care. My brother lives in Austin Tx. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting 10 unemployed MSCEs. I think if I was in the market instead of working for myself I might be a bit more inclined to get a certification but I'd probably do RedHat or Cisco. They aren't as common and thus gives you some marketablility. MSCEs are dime a dozen and many are paper MSCEs. Not anyone that I'd want near a network. Microsoft is improving the tests but the market is still overloaded with them and that dilutes the value of the title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jodef Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 Microsoft is improving the tests but the market is still overloaded with them and that dilutes the value of the title.The problem is the same that it has always been there's no point in improving the tests if in the end someone is going to leak the questions and up till I did my MCSE this was still a big problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tushman Posted March 11, 2004 Author Share Posted March 11, 2004 I'm somewhat new to the world of IT certifications and my A+ is the first one that i'm goin for. So i'll just say a short piece.Looks like there is a mix bag opinion (from many people i've talked to including here) that IT certifications are overrated/hyped up/etc., while some do not believe so and that you should pursue them to your hearts content. I think you could probably make a valid argument from either perspective and disbate this until the cows come home. Really... who's right? Probably a mix of both.In my eyes, the single most important thing you have to sell to a prospective employer is YOURSELF. Yes skills, are important. Yes experience is too for that matter. But given that the interview process is a human interaction process as much as it is about assessing skills & whatnot, there are a lot of things that go into a hiring decision that will sway an employer. Such as how you come across to that person, how he/she will form a first-impression of you just within the first few minutes of meeting. Even the most imcompentent worker can convince a hiring manager if they are convincing enough that they have the right credentials/skills/whatever.If two heavy-hitters were going after an IT job and both had the same level of experience and just as many IT certifications to their name. Guess which one the manager will hire? The one that he/she feels most comfortable with. In such a case, it becomes more about selling your assets rather than selling your skills. By no means am I suggesting that you lie or present a false front. But what i am saying is that as an interviewee, you need to not only present the best of yourself, but convince them in your own way, with your own words why you are better than the next candidate waiting in the hallway. To that end, if you can show figures, numbers, awards you've won, something tangible that the employer can see -- that will go a long way in being competitive int he job market. Regardless of what certifications you have, there is nothing like past accomplishments you can show that you are the real deal.The only reason I am trying to get my A+ is to simply get my foot in the door and generate some interest from potential employers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacher Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 It never hurts to have certifications. It does not matter what career field you are in, the pieces of paper can help to validate your credentials. As a teacher, when I made national certification this year, my students were stunned to know that I was a "real" teacher, much less that I now hold the highest teaching certification I can get here (other than having a doctorate). Even with that, things like my various computer certificates (which are toys compared to the A+ certs are viewed as important to my administration. It helps to keep me employed long enough to reach tenure. You are very right. It does not matter what you have if you can not present yourself, be the best at what you do, and get along with people. Missing any of the elements makes it hard to sell yourself to a prospective emplyoer, much less obtain and retain the job you want. Too many folks today don't take into consideration how they come across to others nor care to be professional about what they do. Julia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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