CompTIA A Plus Retraining Courses Clarified - By: Jason Kendall

The CompTIA A+ training program covers four areas of training; you're thought of as an A+ achiever when you've gained exams for half of them. This is why most training providers only have two of the courses on their syllabus. You'll find that you will need the information on each subject as a lot of employment will ask for the skills and knowledge of all four areas. Don't feel pressured to take all four exams, although it would seem prudent that you at least have a working knowledge of every area.

Alongside being taught how to build and fix computers, trainees involved in this training will have instruction on how to work in antistatic conditions, along with remote access, fault finding and diagnostics. Were you to add Network+ training, you'll additionally be equipped to take care of networks, meaning you're in a position to command a higher salary.

One fatal mistake that potential students often succumb to is to choose a career based on a course, and take their eye off the end result they want to achieve. Schools are stacked to the hilt with students that chose an 'interesting' course - in place of something that could gain them the job they want. Don't be one of those unfortunate students that choose a course that on the surface appears interesting - only to end up with a qualification for an unrewarding career path.

You also need to know what your attitude is towards career development, earning potential, and if you're ambitious or not. It's vital to know what (if any) sacrifices you'll need to make for a particular role, which accreditations will be required and in what way you can develop commercial experience. Seek advice from an experienced professional, irrespective of whether you have to pay - as it's a lot cheaper and safer to find out at the beginning if a chosen track will suit, rather than find out after 2 years that you aren't going to enjoy the job you've chosen and have to return to the start of another program.

Now, why might we choose commercial qualifications instead of the usual academic qualifications obtained from schools and Further Education colleges? The IT sector is now aware that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, certified accreditation from the likes of Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA is far more effective and specialised - for considerably less. The training is effectively done through focusing on the actual skills required (alongside a relevant amount of background knowledge,) instead of going into the heightened depths of background detail and 'fluff' that degrees in computing often do - to fill a three or four year course.

The crux of the matter is this: Accredited IT qualifications give employers exactly what they're looking for - the title says it all: as an example - I am a 'Microsoft Certified Professional' in 'Windows XP Administration and Configuration'. Therefore an employer can look at their needs and which qualifications are required to fulfil that.

Ask a proficient advisor and we'd be amazed if they couldn't provide you with many awful tales of students who've been sold completely the wrong course for them. Stick to an experienced professional who asks some in-depth questions to uncover the best thing for you - not for their retirement-fund! You need to find a starting-point that will suit you. An important point to note is that, if you've had any relevant accreditation or direct-experience, then it's not unreasonable to expect to pick-up at a different starting-point to a trainee with no history to speak of. Starting with a basic PC skills module first is often the best way to get up and running on your IT studies, but really depends on your level of familiarity with computers.

One thing you must always insist on is proper direct-access 24x7 support via dedicated instructors and mentors. Far too often we see trainers who only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later (but not weekends usually). Avoid, like the plague, any organisations who use call-centres 'out-of-hours' - where an advisor will call back during standard office hours. It's no use when you're stuck on a problem and need an answer now.

World-class organisations opt for a web-based 24x7 facility utilising a variety of support centres over many time-zones. You will have a simple interface that switches seamlessly to the best choice of centres irrespective of the time of day: Support when it's needed. Unless you insist on direct-access round-the-clock support, you'll regret it. You may avoid using the support late in the night, but what about weekends, early mornings or late evenings.

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