CompTIA A+

[Shadow]

Re: CompTIA A+

zames77,

The Comp TIA courses are of significant value in your future endeavors.
should you decide to make a move to another company and you have the A+ N+ S+ or PDI+, then you become the top dog on the pile.
I have the A+, N+ and S+ certs, I did a college course that is far beyond the PDI + program.
unfortunately Comp TIA does not view this as an equivalent to their program, even though it far exceeded the PDI + program.

[MFPTech]

Re: CompTIA A+

I would suggest Microsoft Courses such as exchange, sharepoint, SQL etc.

[JR2ALTA]

Re: CompTIA A+

Everyone needs to get a grip for a second.

Any IT Cert you get in the COPIER industry will almost certainly be a symbolic waste of time.

We are not IT, any knowledge you get will rot in 6-12 months of cleaning toner and swapping feed wheels.

Remember certs may cover the basics, but they also heavy on the intricacies, and they are usually perishable. In other words if you don't keep up you will obsolete.

Also, any customer with a network so complicated you need XYZ-Certification-Super-Tech will have their own IT and trust me they will want your butt as far away from their server as possible.

We've managed this far to understand the copier/network relationship, just as we understood the copier/fax relationship without taking advanced Telecom courses.

I feel bad for seasoned techs who feel they can't compete with the networking side, but don't overreact what we need to know is not that complicated and widely available for free.

[Athlontini]

Re: CompTIA A+

Yeah, not a lot of us are going to be subnetting IP addresses or crimping RJ45 in our line of work. But I have seen the acquisition of these certs emphasized as a positive thing in my present workplace (read: that one previous comment about getting bumped up a pay grade) and it goes without saying that it makes you look good when you're gunning for your next gig.

Plus I like seeing the row of little logos under my name on my business cards.

[MFPTech]

Re: CompTIA A+

zames77 asked if he should go for Security+ or CCNA

Well, if he has time on his hands I gave my opinion because I have done all that and MCSE, etc. and I work as an MFP tech too (hence my handle

If I compare Security + and CCNA with Exchange, SharePoint, SQL I think that ...

- Understanding Exchange is more related to MFPs especially when we setup scan to email in a MS Exchange environment.
- Understanding Sharepoint is more related to MFPs as many of them now come with Sharepoint connectors out of the box.
- Understanding Databases is also more related to MFPs because the control panel now is used for indexing and Database lookup ... etc.

I do not think that a copier tech should feel that has to compete with the network side, on the contrary, I think that the job of a copier tech is to just show the IT or the customer where to put their network info and if it does not work it's their problem.

[JustManuals]

Re: CompTIA A+

zames77,

The Comp TIA courses are of significant value in your future endeavors.
should you decide to make a move to another company and you have the A+ N+ S+ or PDI+, then you become the top dog on the pile.
I have the A+, N+ and S+ certs, I did a college course that is far beyond the PDI + program.
unfortunately Comp TIA does not view this as an equivalent to their program, even though it far exceeded the PDI + program.

When I was first looking for a job in IT. Getting my A+ cert got my foot in the door. Without it I may have gone in a completely direction. I was the first A+ tech to work for Unisys way back in 1997. I failed the drug test but they hired me anyhow and allowed me to take it again. (I followed the directions on the label this time and passed. Had to drink a ton of water & some chemical)

Paul

[leo34staffs]

Re: CompTIA A+

zames77 asked if he should go for Security+ or CCNA

Well, if he has time on his hands I gave my opinion because I have done all that and MCSE, etc. and I work as an MFP tech too (hence my handle

If I compare Security + and CCNA with Exchange, SharePoint, SQL I think that ...

- Understanding Exchange is more related to MFPs especially when we setup scan to email in a MS Exchange environment.
- Understanding Sharepoint is more related to MFPs as many of them now come with Sharepoint connectors out of the box.
- Understanding Databases is also more related to MFPs because the control panel now is used for indexing and Database lookup ... etc.

I do not think that a copier tech should feel that has to compete with the network side, on the contrary, I think that the job of a copier tech is to just show the IT or the customer where to put their network info and if it does not work it's their problem.

Very true, a networking guy would not be expected to learn a whole range of MFP and do it for less than 20k!!