At 02:54 PM 1/31/1999 Barry Hill wrote:
>
>>>My main reservation is whether these 35 to 40 hour prep courses,
>>>at around $750 from the local community colleges, are worth the expense.
>
>A friend of mine who is very knowledgeable about computer hardware, largely
>self-taught, took a local college evening course.  He found it very
>worth-while. . . .


I teach at community college in Miami, Florida. We have
a curriculum which includes three computer service and
maintenance courses, a basic network (hardware) course,
and an A+ Certification Exam review course. If you take
all of them, you are taught the technical skills and the
theory, and should be able to pass the A+ Exam. Completing
these courses, and a college math course, entitles you to
a completion award. You can also earn an Associate of
Science in Computer Engineering Technology, with the full
curriculum.

I believe an A+ Certification without the completion of any
curriculum or degree is not very helpful in the job market
unless the company is looking for apprentices.  If you have
your own shop, consulting firm or business, then the A+
Certification is useful to show customers as credentials.
An A+ Certification essentially means you have the equivalent
of six months experience as a technician.

My experience is that many students who think they know
the material have large gaps in overall knowledge. Not so
much as to prevent them from building computers or passing
the A+ Exam, but enough to make their skill level questionable
in a job situation.

Training is a matter of developing good work habits,
understanding the concepts, thinking logically, applying
the knowledge and solving the problem in a manner most
acceptable to trade and industry standards.

A prep course is really only useful if you know the material
well. Then again, you can buy a book like the A+ Exam Cram
and just practice doing the questions. The A+ Exam is not so
hard as it is tricky.

In summary, don't take a review course if you don't know the
material. A course designed only to teach a novice how to pass
the A+ Exam is worthless. If you need to learn the material,
take a curriculum or hire on as an apprentice. Self instruction
is only good if you are a good book learner, have the variety
of equipment to practice hands on and have the time (lots of it).
A review course isn't designed to teach you the material, it is
intended to mentally prepare you to take the exam.

JMHO.

John Chin

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