By Georgia Stath

1. The A plus is what most people start with

Comptia (the vendor offering this certification) got it right with the A+ certification. It’s extremely popular and no wonder why. The A+ is the very first step in our career ladder and a very important one. Studying for this cert we get down to the basics of what computers are – hardware and software – and in depth learn everything that is important about them. This is what the A+ gives you – an extremely important foundation to work on. Nearly nobody stops at the A+ – it’s our very first step towards obtaining other higher certs which gives us higher positions and more money in our pockets.

Computer technician training is provided by two types of institutes. There are two kinds of computer technicians – computer engineers (with recognized degrees in computer engineering or computer science from a college or university) and computer technicians (with a basic knowledge of computer hardware and software with or without any recognized degrees in computer engineering or computer science). Basic computer training, such as the parts of a computer system and their functions are sometimes part of some school curricula. Also, such information is part of basic computer training courses provided by specialised computer training institutes. However, being a computer technician requires more knowledge than the basics provided by such courses. A computer technician needs more specialised knowledge about computer hardware. For such computer technician training, one can enroll at a local computer training institute. Some employers require a certificate such as an A+ or a MCSE certificate. The A+ certification is also called the ComTia A+ Certification (after the Computing Technology Industry Association). This certificate is vendor neutral which means it covers products made by different hardware and software manufacturers. The course outline is roughly as follows: basics of computer installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance and basic networking. Some other topics in this course are the domains of security, safety, and even environmental issues and professional standards. A+ boot camps are intensive training courses which provide a lot of practical experience. CompTIA Network+ consists of fundamentals about computer networking. CompTIA Linux+ is a certification that validates the knowledge of computer technicians with at least six months of practical Linux experience.