By James Copper

Computer training courses have become the last refuge of the jobless. Unemployment has been rising at an unprecedented rate. If you look at the newspapers, you will feel like there are no job openings coming up in the near future: economic recession, downsizing, outsourcing, and off-shoring is all that newspapers are full of. Because of all this, many people are being forced to think about a career change.

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.