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I plan on (next week) going to take my A+ exam through Panurgy and would love to hear some feedback on how peoples experiences have gone with not only the A+ but with other +'s such as the Network or Linux+.

Also I would like to hear some feedback on where those certifications have gotten people or are they somewhat useless?

I can attest from the opposite standpoint.

I've never taken those certifications, most of which are actually biased, but I have seen/taken them via example tests and whatnot. Most of the people that I have met, who have taken such tests/certs, generally know very little and don't seem to understand the concepts that the certifications claim they know.

Most places that hire do so through "Human Resources", or some other name for such a "unique" department, where such certifications give them a warm feeling inside and usually is the deciding factor when education is being compared across fairly equal candidates. Unfortunately, such "warm feelings" are necessary since the person hiring you most likely doesn't know a damn thing about technology beyond the today's buzz-words. Don't take that as a free ride, however, as when it comes time to perform... any modern-day business will not hesitate to drop you like a rock and call up the other candidates that applied for the position you just lost

PS: Real experience trumps all of those silly certs any day

I got a A+ certification about four years ago. You should try to pass the test and get yours.

I'm just wondering which of these certifications are US-specific, being that I am not familiar with any of those
I just have a simple low end CS degree atm... (studying for a BSc)

Combuster wrote:I'm just wondering which of these certifications are US-specific, being that I am not familiar with any of those

I'm in the US, and have heard of all of them, so maybe they are...

Combuster wrote:I just have a simple low end CS degree atm... (studying for a BSc)

I think they're mainly for people not wanting\able to go to college to get a full CS degree, but at the same time, be able to do tech support or computer repair for a larger company.

All those certifications are to do with networking. How about us programmers!

I did not mention the programming certifications (like the ones from M$) because I am not currently focusing on them. I just wanted feedback on the set that I am looking to pursue.

01000101 wrote:I did not mention the programming certifications (like the ones from M$) because I am not currently focusing on them. I just wanted feedback on the set that I am looking to pursue.

I'm very sure that a proper reputation with good references is a much better indication of what you can do. Do an open source project that allows people to see what kind of work you can do, get into some IT company and do work for them - with the emphasis of leaving a good reputation and being able to use them as references. Don't complain about only earning $25K or so during the first year, as soon as you have your first two (not one, two) references up, you can apply for a much better job pretty much instantly, and get it.

Most of all, don't study in synthetic environments until you have enough certifications to wallpaper your house - people that do their work get longer periods of work much easier than people that have papers that don't do their work.

Candy wrote:

01000101 wrote:I did not mention the programming certifications (like the ones from M$) because I am not currently focusing on them. I just wanted feedback on the set that I am looking to pursue.

I'm very sure that a proper reputation with good references is a much better indication of what you can do. Do an open source project that allows people to see what kind of work you can do, get into some IT company and do work for them - with the emphasis of leaving a good reputation and being able to use them as references. Don't complain about only earning $25K or so during the first year, as soon as you have your first two (not one, two) references up, you can apply for a much better job pretty much instantly, and get it.

Most of all, don't study in synthetic environments until you have enough certifications to wallpaper your house - people that do their work get longer periods of work much easier than people that have papers that don't do their work.

I somewhat agree with what you're saying. If you are good at what you can do, and a company has proof of that, then they will hire you regardless of you academic history. In saying that, studying at a college or university can also leave you with valuable skills, not just a fancy certificate/degree.

I can only speak for myself (I'm studying a Bach. of Interactive Entertainment - majoring in game programming) and we cover much more than just programming: essay writing, presentation, 3D modelling, level design, game design, 3d mathematics, UML, script writing, character/narrative development, intro to C++, 2D programming, and touching 3D programming - and I'm only in my first year so far. I doubt any future employers will care about what you specifically studied, but I believe a lot of these skills will be essential to survive/stand-out in the industry.

Before I began studying I would I say I was experienced in C++ and fairly basic at 3D modelling. I could work my way around DirectX and make a few 3D mini-games. I found the course a little slow to begin with (since we covered over the basics of C++), but the pace picks up pretty quickly after that. And by the time the programming assignments came in those with prior knowledge of C++ really stood out (imagine the bragging rights I earned when I was showing off my 3D Pacman with particle effects while everyone else was working with 2D sprites). And the lecturers/tutors have all had industry experience, so they are a great help and are interesting to listen/talk to. There are also some things you learn that you would probably never use on your own or outside of academia - such as being forced to use your own matrix/vector/quaternion mathematics than DirectX's to gain an understand of how they work.

Anyway, I'm drifting away from my point. Getting back to it, I don't think a certification is necessary in getting a job. An employer would hire someone with real world experience over someone with only a degree, but having a degree helps in giving you the skills while starting out to survive and stand out in the industry.

References get you a job in a field. Education (official ones) get you a job in the next field.

ive heard of none of these, so chances are they wouldnt do me any good in my country. Anyway i voted none, as i have no certifications.
I was going to take CCNA, CCNP and MCSE, but it was simply too... well... BORING!
I still have the books though.

Voted "none" as I never heard of them.

I appologize as I am beginning to notice these certifications seem to be US only. The discussion still stands even if your certified with another set or in another country.