Lol what?
Dude, you don't need any fucking classes to start out in IT
You can buy textbooks and earn certs while spending minimum amounts of money
Do not sign up for some fucking ridiculous 23k course. That's insane.
This field is so beautiful because you can dive in without any student debt whatsoever, don't hamstring yourself by going into debt like that
If you want an entry level job, go buy the A+ cert book on amazon
Maybe do network+ too(that's the path i started out with so I'm biased I suppose).
You're talking like less than 50 bucks for the textbooks and then a couple hundred bucks for the tests(total), and with those 2 certs you can easily get an entry level help desk job and start working your way up.
It beats the fuck out of manual labor, that's for sure
There sure are books!
My favorite authors are Mike Myers and Todd Lammle.
Here's a guide for the CompTIA A+ certification.
These books can be a bit pricey, but it's EVERYTHING you need to know for the certification. If you have this book and a computer to practice on, you have everything you need to pass. The book is nearly 1,500 pages long as well. If you struggle to afford the books, you can always search online for illegal copies of older versions and possibly even the latest version that I linked. I assume the copyright police aren't going to be breaking down your doors.
The A+ certification estimates 6-9 months of hands-on training to be able to pass, but it can definitely be done in a shorter amount of time. Don't get dissuaded if after a month you feel tired of studying. Even if you don't have the means to take the exam, the information you can learn will help you so much.
I came across this book not too long ago:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hacking-Xbox-Introduction-Reverse-Engineering/dp/1593270291
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Not sure how good it is tho.
There is an all in one A+ book on amazon (https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Certification-Guide-220-901-220-902/dp/125958951X) This book is a good read through for general concepts - read it quickly, don't go super hardcore study mode on this book, its quite long. This along with professor messer (free, google it)after quickly reading through was all I used to get my A+.
If you have some knowledge of computers and perhaps built your own you could be ready for a helpdesk role already. I know all I had was "customer service" and some basic technical knowledge before I got my first job. Just be sure to word your customer service skills as if you were on the phone doing customer service - since this may be a large portion of the job. Asides from that - google common helpdesk interview questions, their answers, and then google the specific terms like dhcp and dns to understand how they work.
What are you using to study right now?
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I have my second test today, but I've used Mike Meyer's book as well as his Udemy course. Then I used Jason Dion's practice exams. Those are all very popular resources to get started.
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Another popular (and free) resource is professor Messer on Youtube.
https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Certification-Guide-220-901-220-902/dp/125958951X
Basically the A+ bible right there. Mike Meyers cert books are pretty much the go to. For CCNA, they publish their own stuff.
This is the book I started with. Still a bit dry, but I refer back to it every now and again to refresh myself.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Linux-Device-Drivers-Jonathan-Corbet/dp/0596005903/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&hvadid=80195728628459&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvqmt=p&keywords=linux+device+driver&qid=1619600423&s=books&sr=1-3
Awesome! I'm feeling more and more confident about this now! I'll most likely attempt a networking certification through CompTIA as well, but later on. I believe you're referring to the book that I saw on Amazon:
CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Ninth Edition (Exams 220-901 & 220-902)
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/125958951X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_nTIlybCJWQ4J1
It's the one I was considering buying, but I saw 2015 somewhere on the page and didn't know if it was still applicable.
I'm not sure of any websites but if you look up Professor Messer on youtube he streams a study group that you could follow along with. His channel is here:https://www.youtube.com/user/professormesser . You can buy the book from amazon for like 30 bucks I think. Good luck!
Yes everyone gets the cup, it comes with your webcam. How much IT experience do you have? Are you bringing any certs in with you(A+ maybe?). If not I'd suggest beginning to study for them now because they can eat a lot of time. There's a lot of resources for A+ out there that are free or close to it. I really liked Mike Meyers A+ book. It's $24 on Amazon but well worth it. Same for his Network+ book.
I think these are the defacto study guides:
Hi @afofa, I think that studying by book is definitely fine as long as you make sure that you're up to date on what content might have been added to the exam. One that I might recommend is the Comptia A+ cert book, I'm pretty savvy with computers, but this is definitely an easy read and quite interesting, PLUS it isn't that expensive for the amount of knowledge it contains. If you're interested in getting a copy you can get one from Amazon for about $30.
I wish you the best of luck in learning and pursuing your certificate!
Sybex or All-in-One are the only 2 I ever recommend
I would say only using 1 resource to study for an exam is a bad idea: better to use at least 2
So supplement Messer with something else and you'll be on the right path
Don't get Mike's book! Get the one by Quentin Docter and Jon Buhagiar. By purchasing the physical book you're able to a copy of the ebook in pdf and epub format. You also get access to the Wiley Efficient Learning with the 1101 and 1102 flashcards, practice questions, and practice exams. The app is phenomenal if you look into it.
They also offer a hardcover version for more money but you get 1102 labs included. I highly recommend that one since you get everything mentioned above plus the 1102 labs.
https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Complete-Study-Guide-220-1101/dp/1119862914
https://www.amazon.ca/CompTIA-Complete-Study-Guide-220-1101/dp/1119862914 try this book.
I also suggest watching NetworkChuck on YouTube or CBT Nuggets, heck even old Techquickie videos are still mostly relevant for the basics and foundations. NetworkChuck and CBT are more for Cisco proprietary hardware rather than general Net+ but the basic concepts of how network function is the same.
If anyone has any other suggestions, that would help.
When I was studying for A+ in 2014, I bought this book and just read it as much as I could while taking notes on things that looked important or interesting. The book was bigger than necessary and I passed easily without getting all the way to the end (some chapters went unnecessarily deep into registry settings and were quite dull imo). There might be better books out there 🤷♂️
I focus and retain info better with written material, but if you prefer video courses I can recommend Pluralsight.
From one Noob to another.. If you haven't already, pick up a good reference book, or a good book for beginners. Its helped me tremendously. I too am familiar with some electronics components, can solder, etc. I know what I want to do with the hardware, but dont know how to write it. Programming Arduino by Simon Monk 2nd edition is great for noobs. ISBN 978-1-25-964163-3. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1259641635/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_ADEEJJ27YEF8VBH504D2
I started my journey with linux device drivers https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Device-Drivers-Jonathan-Corbet/dp/0596005903 . There may be illegal free pdf online that you may use. I would totally recommend it.
Yo... I literally just typed “mike Meyers a+” and it was the first amazon link that comes up. As an aspiring IT tech, it’s something you should be able to do without guidance. - https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Certification-Guide-220-901-220-902/dp/125958951X
I would start with Comp TIA A+ Certification.
https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Certification-Guide-220-901-220-902/dp/125958951X
It's all the hardware inside and how it works, networking, and security. There are a ton of books with varying levels of detail and knowledge once you become familiar with the basics.
I totally recommend buying this book to study for your A+. His book goes over everything you could possibly need for the exam and tons more. It's also a great reference to have on you.
Im looking to buy the videos / practice exams for A+. Should i just buy the practice exams if i plan on using messors videos? Or should i watch both?
Im just trying to gain more efficiency here.
Edit: Also is this the book i need for the course?
https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Certification-Guide-220-901-220-902/dp/125958951X
Not at all. Comptia, here is the guide I was going to buy. CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Ninth Edition (Exams 220-901 & 220-902) https://www.amazon.com/dp/125958951X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_JOJSBbE0TQG0B
The book I used for A+ 9xx comes with a pdf ebook format and practice tests.
Is this the book I should get? I know nothing about nothing, but want to get my A+
This is the book I used:
CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Ninth Edition (Exams 220-901 & 220-902) https://www.amazon.com/dp/125958951X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_t2ZDBb4Y0SGMP
Might be a little overkill, as it goes into some history and real world tips, but it will be a fun read if it's something that interests you. I read through the book in about a month, studied for another 2 weeks, and passed both tests (you need to pass both to achieve the A+) on the same day.
This is the same book, that one is usually found as a classroom set. But this one is cheaper.
>I'm assuming the test is timed but how long do we get?
90 minutes for up to 90 questions. In practice you will have more than enough time- while there are certainly complex questions, there are also, 'Which is the fastest connection for peripheral devices?' style questions and 'the internet is broken, what should you do first?' style questions.
And I say 'up to' because sometimes you will get combo questions that have you working with something like a command line, or giving you a picture of an IO screen and asking you to ID all the connections on the back.
>For test centers how often are exams given? I have about 8 different test centers around me are they going to be given on a weekly basis or a monthly?
You schedule the test, you don't just show up at a time.
>Finally, I hope I pass on the first try but if I don't how many tries do I get? I assume there is probably a cool down period before you get to try it again. Thanks, I'm currently studying for the exam by watching professor Messer's videos. Also taking the practice exams from crucial and compass. Is there any other free websites/practice exams/notes that would be good to know of?
You can try it as many times as you want, but it does cost per attempt.
Personally I recommend buying the All-In-One CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Guide. It costs 20 bucks and even after you've gotten the certification it's a nice utility. Do bear in mind that for the cost- 200 bucks if you don't have a discount or a voucher- means you should take the advice to study seriously. That book I linked recommends anywhere from 60 to 240 hours depending on if you're an experienced tech or if you're a complete newbie. That's over a month's worth of food for me so while I can pay it, it's not something you just do.
>And for those of you that have purchased the class how long did it take to complete before you can take the exam?
Unless you somehow enjoy classes that passively yell information at you, there's no good reason to pay for them. For the ~2,500 dollars you spend it's just not worth it unless it was being sponsored by someone else.
While people's tastes will vary, I recommend the All In One books Mike Meyers does. For 25 bucks it's kind of hard to say no. Outside of that there's plenty of resources online- practice exams, for example- and youtube is a great resource as well.
I'd just remind you that certifications are no replacement for on-the-job experience. It's better pay for the same job, and it can push you ahead in consideration over someone else, but on it's own it ain't nothin'.