Desperate for a certification

[englandr1]

I am just starting in a Business Info.
Systems bachelors degree program, but have no IT education, yet, not do I have any applicaple work experience but want to get into the IT field. I don't want to wait until I graduate to start applying for entry-level jobs in the field. I figured that gaining a certification now would at least give me something to put on my resume for now. But I don't know which cert to go for. I am a novice PC and internet user. Does anyone have a suggestion on a simple certification that I could possibly pass. I hate to try to focus on certifications, based on simplicity, but at this point, that's what I need to do. Any suggestions? (and/or does anyone have any other suggestions for me, besides a certification?). Thank you.

 

[MattWray]

Try A+ Matt Wray
CCNA, MCP
mwray77518@yahoo.com

 

[Zelandakh]

A+ is a good place to start - gives a really good grounding in IT. It may appear a bit boring at first, but if you know the A+ stuff, you'll find a lot of the rest of IT just falls into place.

 

[turbokitty]

Even with braindumps you're never going to pass A+ without more hands-on experience in IT. A+ is definately the easiest cert to get (that I've come across), but it still covers a lot of material and if you're a PC and Internet novice, I highly doubt you'll pass.
Go to your library and take out an A+ certification study guide. Take a look and see if you're over your head or not. Who knows? Perhaps you're underestimating your knowledge.

TK
AScT.

 

[MattWray]

Apparently I was misunderstanding the post. There is no "easy" cert out there, unless your a 20 year guru. You should build yourself a home lab, and STUDY for the A+ as a good place to get the basics down. Certs were not designed to be something easy, they were made to prove knowledge of a particular platform, ie windows or whatever. If you want easy, you picked the wrong field. IT is constantly changing and you will forever be on the quest for more knowledge... Matt Wray
CCNA, MCP
mwray77518@yahoo.com

 

[svanels]

What A+ stands for? In my country we do not have these certification boot camps, so I got my knowledge the old fashioned way, with a good book and hands on . S. van Els
SAvanEls@cq-link.sr

 

[shipman]

A+ is definitely a good starting point in terms of certification, and if you have at least an intermediate understanding of hardware and operating systems, then you can buy an A+ prep book and pass the exams. My recommendation is the A+ For Dummies book.

 

[CiscoKid3]

I suggest making a lot friends who are CS (Computer Science) majors and work in the school's computer lab. This is exactly what I did. I got my BS degree in Business - High Tech Management and worked in the computer lab for a couple semesters and picked up a lot of computer/troubleshooting experience. The next step that you can pursue is a QA or Support position to give you some real-world working experience. This could be a good career path for an IT Director.

 

[SteveTheGeek]

"A+" is the title of the certification, it doesn't stand for anything. I agree with the advice here, but would add that I-Net+ is similarly entry-level but on the networking level rather than the PC hardware level, so it may be more up your alley. I don't know many managers that know device drivers, mobo jumpers, laserprinter processes, etc, but they are familiar with FTP, web basics, TCP/IP routing and the like.

Also, remember that you're using the certification exam as a goal, and a somewhat artificial one, so be cautious of getting too braindumpish and concentrate on truly understanding the material.
-Steve