CompTIA A Plus PC Support Training Simplified

There are a total of 4 specialist training sectors in the A+ syllabus, of which 2 passes are needed for your A+ qualification. Be aware though that limiting yourself to 2 of the specialised areas could expose flaws in your knowledge when applying for a job. Choose a course with all 4 subjects - employers will notice the difference.

If you decide to become a student on the A+ training program you will develop an understanding of how to work in antistatic conditions and build and fix computers. You'll also cover fault-finding and diagnostic techniques, both remotely and via direct access.

You may also want to consider adding the CompTIA Network+ training as it will give you the knowledge to become a networking engineer, which means greater employment benefits.

The age-old way of teaching, involving piles of reference textbooks, is usually pretty hard going. If all this is ringing some familiar bells, look for learning programmes that are on-screen and interactive.

Memory is vastly improved with an involvement of all our senses - learning experts have been saying this for years now.

You can now study via interactive discs. Through instructor-led video classes you'll learn your subject through the demonstrations and explanations. Then you test your knowledge by interacting with the software and practicing yourself.

You'll definitely want a study material demo' from the training company. The materials should incorporate expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and fully interactive skills-lab's.

Plump for actual CD or DVD ROM's if possible. You can then avoid all the difficulties of broadband outages, failure and signal quality issues etc.

Validated exam preparation and simulation materials are vital - and really must be obtained from your course provider.

Sometimes people can get confused by practising exam questions that don't come from the authorised examining boards. It's not uncommon that the question formats and phraseology is startlingly different and you should be prepared for this.

Ensure that you verify your knowledge through tests and simulated exams prior to taking the real thing.

Most people don't even think to ask about a vitally important element - how their training provider actually breaks down and delivers the courseware, and into how many bits.

Often, you will join a program requiring 1-3 years study and get sent one module each time you pass an exam. It seems to make sense on one level, but consider these issues:

What if you don't finish each and every exam? And what if you find the order of the modules counter-intuitive? Without any fault on your part, you may go a little slower and consequently not get all your materials.

To provide the maximum security and flexibility, it's normal for most trainees to make sure that every element of their training is posted to them in one go, with nothing held back. It's then your own choice in which order and at what speed you want to work.

Does job security truly exist anymore? In the UK for instance, with industry changing its mind at alarming speeds, it seems increasingly unlikely.

We're able though to reveal security at the market sector level, by searching for high demand areas, together with a lack of qualified workers.

A recent national e-Skills survey showed that over 26 percent of all available IT positions cannot be filled due to a chronic shortage of appropriately certified professionals. Basically, we can't properly place more than 3 out of each four job positions in IT.

This disturbing truth reveals the requirement for more properly qualified IT professionals throughout the UK.

Actually, retraining in Information Technology throughout the next year or two is very likely the best choice of careers you could make.

(C) Scott Edwards 2009. Navigate to www.mcse-training-uk.co.uk or Comptia Certification.