The CompTIA A+ training program covers four areas of training; you’re qualified as an A+ achiever when you’ve passed the test for two of the four areas. Because of this, it’s usual for colleges to limit themselves to 2 study areas. The truth is to carry out a job effectively, you’ll need the training for all four areas as industry will require an understanding of the whole A+ program. Don’t feel pressured to qualify in them all, but we would recommend you learn about all four.

If you decide to become a student on the A+ training course you’ll be taught how to build, fix, repair and work in antistatic conditions. Fault finding and diagnostic techniques through hands on and remote access are also covered.

Should you be thinking of being responsible for networks of computers, you’ll need to add CompTIA Network+ to the CompTIA A+ training you’re doing. This qualification will mean you can command a more senior job role. Alternatively, you may prefer the networking qualifications from Microsoft, i.e. MCP, MCSA MCSE.

A fatal Faux-Pas that students everywhere can make is to concentrate on the course itself, rather than starting with where they want to get to. Colleges are stacked to the hilt with direction-less students who chose a course based on what sounded good – in place of something that could gain them the career they desired.

It’s possible, in some situations, to obtain tremendous satisfaction from a year of studying only to end up putting 20 long years into a tiresome job role, as a consequence of not performing the correct level of soul-searching at the beginning.

Set targets for the income level you aspire to and how ambitious you are. Sometimes, this affects what particular accreditations will be expected and how much effort you’ll have to give in return.

The best advice for students is to talk with a skilled advisor before deciding on their retraining program. This is required to ensure it has the required elements for the chosen career path.

A lot of training schools still use the rather old-fashioned idea of classroom days. Very often portrayed as a huge benefit, following a chat with most students who’ve had to attend a couple, you’ll hear a common theme of many or most of the following problems:

* A lot of journeys to the centre – normally quite a distance away.

* Getting time out of work – many trainers only offer Mon-Fri workshop availability and typically group 2-3 days together. This is generally difficult for those of us who work for a living, even more so if you include the travel time on top.

* Let’s not disregard the lost holiday days. Most of us have 4 weeks off each year. If over 50 percent is used in classes, then there’s very little left over for us.

* Workshops typically get way too big.

* Workshop pace – classes can feature trainees of different abilities, so tension can run high between those that want to go quickly as opposed to those with less experience.

* You shouldn’t overlook the added financial outlay of driving or taking public transport and over-night accommodation either. This can run to 00’s or even 000’s extra. Do the maths yourself – you’ll get a shock.

* We all enjoy our privacy. We should never risk losing any advancement that could awarded to us because our employer knows we’re retraining.

* It’s not unusual to avoid posing questions in a class full of our fellow attendees – because none of us wants to look like we don’t understand.

* There are those of us who on occasion live away for part of the week, consider the added problems of making the requisite days in-centre, as time is now more scarce than ever.

Wouldn’t it be better to watch a video and study with instructors one-to-one in pre-filmed modules, doing them at your convenience – not somebody else’s.

Do them at home on your PC or if you have laptop, why not get outside if the weather’s nice. If you’ve got questions, then use the provided 24×7 live support (that should come with any technical program.)

There’s no need to take notes – all the lessons and background info are laid out on a plate. Any time you want to repeat something, just go for it.

The result: Reduced hassle, saved money, and no wasted travelling time.

(C) Jason Kendall. Check out LearningLolly.com for clear advice on Comptia Certification and Comptia Networking.