# Taking the A+ Essentials in 6 days any last minute advice?



## lazarus2345 (Jul 11, 2007)

On June 17th I'm taking the Essentials part of the exam, but I've had a ton of stuff going on that's been distracting me from studying like I'd prefer. The next few days are clear, I've read the CompTIA A+ Certification Essentials, 2009 Edition cover to cover and jotted down tons of notes. Also I've watched all the Professor Messer videos out there. Any last minute suggestions on what I should refresh myself on, and anything I should pay extra attention to?


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## Armymanis (Feb 19, 2010)

I'm taking the A+ on June 23rd too this month! Good luck to you! Make sure you do lots of practice questions from the books! I've been reading the chapters, studying the notes, doing practice questions, and watching videos. I don't think there's more to do other then the things I listed.


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## lazarus2345 (Jul 11, 2007)

Hey I appreciate it, best of luck to you too! I just had my first "taking the test and I had no idea what was going on" nightmare last night, and it's kind of stuck with me all day. So I've been running around like crazy trying to cram as much in as I can.


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## Armymanis (Feb 19, 2010)

If you don't pass the first time, I recommend getting the COMPTIA A+ complete study guide book. It comes with lots of practice questions along with CD's on how to do certain things. Sure has helped me!


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## tim19889 (Jan 24, 2010)

I'm planning on taking mine June 21st, still have a few more professor messer vids to watch but other than that I think I'm as ready as I'm gonna get. I've been re-reading all the notes I took from mike meyers book constantly. Anyways best of luck to you all, hopefully we will all pass the first time!


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## Armymanis (Feb 19, 2010)

Hey did you ever pass the A+ essentials?


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## lazarus2345 (Jul 11, 2007)

Okay time for an update....Well let me start out by telling what happened the night before the exam. I was getting ready to sit down and have a last minute cram session, when the kids asked to go to the park. Perfect! I'm thinking this will work out great for me trying to study. I get my notes and everything gathered up when the kids come back with a puppy. Supposedly they were at the park when an old lady can up to them and gave them this little Jack Russell puppy and said "Please find him a good home", then walked off. We have a pit bull that loves people, but hates other animals. So I spent 5 hours trying to find this little guy a home, because we could not keep him. I did eventually find him a home, and by this time it's 11:30 at night the kids are hungry, I'm hungry, so I said forget I can't study tonight. So long story short(not really) I did pass with a 780. I'm taking the application part on July 22nd. I'd love to do it sooner, but I have to drive 2 hours to a testing center. So good luck guys and let me know how you all did!


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## Armymanis (Feb 19, 2010)

Glad you passed! Was the exam hard and what did you need to bring to the testing center besides your drivers license? It says that I have to bring two forms of identification and I can't figure out what to bring besides a drivers license.


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## lazarus2345 (Jul 11, 2007)

I brought my drivers license, and my SIGNED credit card, and that was good enough. I heard there were 3 different exams, I don't know that for a fact, but my exam was mostly printers, operational procedure, and installing operating systems. There were a few IP class types, very little networking, and very little about memory. They exam really wasn't that difficult, I was anticipating something much worse. It's 100 questions with 90 minutes to do it. DO NOT RUSH IT!!!! A few of the questions were written in a way to trip you up. I finished the exam in less than 30 then went back and reread every single one and double checked my answer. On my second pass there were 2 answers that I changed. So Just take your time 90 minutes is more than enough time, again don't rush through it. Best of luck and let me know how you do!


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## Armymanis (Feb 19, 2010)

Thanks for the input! I am studying everything I can and will not rush it. Going to be studying a lot today, tomorrow, and Tuesday. I will only bring my drivers license and signed credit card and hopefully that is enough.


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## tim19889 (Jan 24, 2010)

Congrats nice work man . I'm taking mine not this Monday but the next (28th), so I'm going to be cramming this whole next week.

Btw what was the test like? Were there a lot of highly technical questions or was it more so "what is this and what does it do?" type of questions? Did you run into anything you weren't expecting?


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## lazarus2345 (Jul 11, 2007)

Thanks Tim! The questions weren't too technical, but there were some that went into great detail like for the laser printer. However your test might be different, you just never know. Oh yeah one thing I left out earlier was form factors, and power supplies, but they didn't get real specific it just covered ATX form factor I don't remember any questions about any of the other ones though. As far as anything I wasn't expecting about the exam, it felt right on where it should be I guess. Like building blocks I guess would be the best way to describe it. I got my CIW Associate Certification before I started working towards my A+, and it all just builds on top of itself complimenting each other. Just don't be too nervous and over think it, and you'll do great I bet.


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## Ac_Chris (Jun 16, 2010)

Hello, 

I published some tips to passing the A+ Certification test on this forum and I think they would be highly beneficial to you at this point! The link to them is here. Good luck, and I hope to hear good results


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## lazarus2345 (Jul 11, 2007)

Thanks for the link. That was very well written, and having just taken my essentials exam I can say that you nailed it perfectly. Tim and Armymanis you guys will definitely want to take what Chris says to heart.


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## tim19889 (Jan 24, 2010)

Thanks Chris you're awesome man. I'm following your advice, today I just reread mike meyers whole chapter on ram, and also I'm reading through the whole two chapters on hard drives today. I got through the first chapter just one more to go lol. Tuesday I want to hit powersupplys and motherboard form factors, then the rest of the week I work but when I get home I'll study up on the printers as much as possible.

I hope I do alright, I only got about 80-85 percent on mike meyers essentials and practical application exams...but that was two months ago. I've been studying the areas I didn't do well on a lot since then so hopefully I'll be aight :/


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## Armymanis (Feb 19, 2010)

lazarus2345 said:


> Thanks for the link. That was very well written, and having just taken my essentials exam I can say that you nailed it perfectly. Tim and Armymanis you guys will definitely want to take what Chris says to heart.


I have. I usually get 80%-90% on both practice exams. I read that article a long time ago.


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## Ac_Chris (Jun 16, 2010)

Hey guys thanks for the positive reviews! I'm working on launching a site dedicated to compiling various tips and resources to passing a variety of the IT certifications available today, and will post the link here when im done. I'm glad you found the information helpful  Have a nice day


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## tim19889 (Jan 24, 2010)

Okay, taking the test tomorrow! One last question. Were there questions asking the exact pin counts for various CPUs? I've memorized a few of them, but specificially which ones should I know? Any help would be much appreciated. And before tomorrow please lol.


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## Armymanis (Feb 19, 2010)

Can't really tell you what the questions were about. That would be bad and would get me in trouble. If you studied a lot then you should be fine. Just remember relax and you'll do fine.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

As said no one can tell you about the questions because it would break the NDA that you sign. Also be aware that no one gets the same questions there is a large pool and when you get logged onto the exam at the test center your questions are chosen at random from the big pool.

When I took the A+ I got no questions on cpu pin counts but I did get questions on package types.

You will also get questions which are not scored these are beta questions that may appear when the A+ gets revised again. Just make sure you have studied and have done some practice exams to see if your ok.


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## lazarus2345 (Jul 11, 2007)

Just an update on an old thread. Today I had to take the Application (702) portion of the exam, this one today was way more difficult than the Essentials (701) IMO. I lucked out because early July my school started offering LabSim for the A+, however I had several issues that came up this month, and I didn't get to use it like I would have wanted to. So long story short I did pass with a 775, and I'm very happy about that. I'm going to be working on my Security+ and Networking+ next I think, or I may put them off for about 6 months I still have a few days to kick that decision around, but hopefully I will get LabSim for those also, if so that will be a huge help.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

a pass is a pass, well done

As for what you should do next you should do Network + before going anywhere near security+ but even before the security + you should consider doing the MCDST.


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## Thunder7102 (Jul 25, 2010)

Is Security+ that hard? O.O I'm taking CISCO first and only 9 of the 50 students passed the test last year....both my best friends passed and I believe I am better prepared than them, but those numbers don't look too good...

I am considering on buying the A+ book just to study at home for my own benefit and see if I can pick it up. But I figure CISCO and A+ at the same time may not be the best thing to do....


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## lazarus2345 (Jul 11, 2007)

Honestly IMO it's just so much information to take in at one time that I would just pick one and only one. I'm not sure, but I think most will probably tell you to focus on the A+ first. I've decided to go ahead and work on Network+ next then start the Security+. I don't know how hard they are, but at some of the discussion boards at my school the other students have been referring to them by bad bad words.


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## Thunder7102 (Jul 25, 2010)

Lol. I have no choice but to start with CISCO. It has an official name that they named it somewhere here, but I've just started. I'm in high school so I figure if I get that cert in high school and a good college degree, I will have lots of options open. 

I'm really concerned about the pay. I know that the pathway for CISCO pays 60k a year. I'm trying to figure out which pays the most and what I'm willing to give up to get there. I have a bit of programming experience, but I almost failed Algebra II and aced Geometry so I don't see myself doing too well in Calculus... I may have to rethink that one.

Like you, I would LOVE to get a part time job working with computers. I don't care if I only sell them, it would bring my any amount of joy. Of course, I live in a small town where all the Tech support jobs are filled so without a diploma or a cert, I would be thrown into the wind.


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## lazarus2345 (Jul 11, 2007)

LOL Algebra yuck!! In high school I had to take Algebra I for two years and Algebra II for two years, but Geometry aced it. Have no idea what was up with that. I lost my little intern spot I had, they had to close their doors for good, so now I'm stuck trying to get anything at all. I've hit every pc shop in town, but nobody wants/needs the extra hand. In fact, a couple of them were almost hateful when I asked about interning for them, just a sign of the times I guess. I'm contemplating just putting an ad in the paper offering free pc repair, just to spite some of those guys, and get some much needed experience on my resume. I've decided to skip getting my CCNA and other certs, and just sticking with the CompTIA and Microsoft certifications. Best advice I can give you is not to worry too much about the $$$$ just figure out what it is you like doing the best focus on that and the $$$$ will work itself out. Keep in mind that this is coming from a broke 32 yr old college freshman, so just take whatever I say with a grain of salt.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Thunder7102 said:


> Lol. I have no choice but to start with CISCO. It has an official name that they named it somewhere here, but I've just started. I'm in high school so I figure if I get that cert in high school and a good college degree, I will have lots of options open.
> 
> I'm really concerned about the pay. I know that the pathway for CISCO pays 60k a year. I'm trying to figure out which pays the most and what I'm willing to give up to get there. I have a bit of programming experience, but I almost failed Algebra II and aced Geometry so I don't see myself doing too well in Calculus... I may have to rethink that one.
> 
> Like you, I would LOVE to get a part time job working with computers. I don't care if I only sell them, it would bring my any amount of joy. Of course, I live in a small town where all the Tech support jobs are filled so without a diploma or a cert, I would be thrown into the wind.


firstly you will never earn 60k as year with any cert until you have experience, also no network manager will hire you even if you have the CCNA without experience of working with cisco kit.

There are certs for beginners who want to get into IT and certs for people who already work in IT to backup their experience. The CCNA is the latter.

Certs like the MCSA,MCSE and CCNA require that you already work with those technologies having them is pointless with no experience however learning the material is a good thing but being certified in them is a bad thing.


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## Thunder7102 (Jul 25, 2010)

I understand that I could never do anything with pay in high school, but it would look good at if I applied for a computer repair shop right? It is something I am wanting to do, and I figure with my CCNA cert, it just proves that I know what I'm doing. 

How exactly is it a bad thing? I have no prior experience and I don't have any certs. Does it look bad to employers to take a course that it considered harder and have the cert before the easier? That is the impression I was given.


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## Armymanis (Feb 19, 2010)

Thunder7102 said:


> I understand that I could never do anything with pay in high school, but it would look good at if I applied for a computer repair shop right? It is something I am wanting to do, and I figure with my CCNA cert, it just proves that I know what I'm doing.
> 
> How exactly is it a bad thing? I have no prior experience and I don't have any certs. Does it look bad to employers to take a course that it considered harder and have the cert before the easier? That is the impression I was given.


I heard that, "certifications were mainly to make your resume look "glossy" and that it really depended on the person hiring you. Some hiring manager's love certifications and others really despise them. It just depends on who you are applying with." said my current IT Instructor at Bellevue College. 
I have also heard many people say even though it says you have the knowledge, you do not have the "hands on" experience. AA's and Bachelors are a lot better.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

Thunder7102 said:


> I understand that I could never do anything with pay in high school, but it would look good at if I applied for a computer repair shop right? It is something I am wanting to do, and I figure with my CCNA cert, it just proves that I know what I'm doing.
> 
> How exactly is it a bad thing? I have no prior experience and I don't have any certs. Does it look bad to employers to take a course that it considered harder and have the cert before the easier? That is the impression I was given.


There are certs that will make you stand out to an employer when your looking for your first break into IT and there are certs designed to backup your experience.

The certs that are designed to help you break into IT are:

compTIA A+
compTiA Network +
Microsofts MCDST plus the Vista or Windows 7 upgrades if you wish.

The certs that are desined to show your experience level in an IT background are:

70-270
MCSA 6 - 12 months experience as a network administrator
MCSE 12-18 months experience as a systems engineer
CCNA at least 6 months experience of adminstering and supporting cisco hubs and switches.

I am a network administrator and hardware engineer, I would not hire anyone with the CCNA who had no experience and neither would any of my previous bosses.

Think of it like this: If you can drive a car, does that mean you could be an F1 driver? no it doesn't youd kill yourself. So with that analogy just because you have the CCNA does that actually mean you could deal with all the problems and issues you would face dealing with hubs and switches? again no it doesn't. You would likely bring the network down costing the company you work for time and money.

Nobody gets into networking as their first job in IT anyway, the idea is to work upto it. You should also ideally have Network + before attenpting the CCNA anyway and probably CCENT but then again CCENT also requires you have some experience.

I am not trying to put your aim of working with cisco kit off, I am just trying to tell you to be realisitic. YOu can ask on various certification forums if you want more proof of why doing the CCNA is bad idea until you have experience if you want.

Like I said there is no harm in learning the material but getting the actually certification is a bad idea if your looking for first job.


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## Thunder7102 (Jul 25, 2010)

Oh, I'm not looking for a job as an IT at all. From what I hear, you won't get hired until you have a college degree anyway. I would just like to use it to prove I could get a decent job fixing up computers. Not much pay, but for high school, it would work. My main goal is to get a small job while in college, get a masters in computer science, get a few real certs and apply as an IT. After that, I would try to find a way to get my CCIE.

Could be wrong, but I don't believe the CCIE is something to ignore by an employer....


You know, work at like Staples as the computer tech for high school? It pays more than McDonalds. 

But I figure it would look a ton better to my employer. This teenager with no prior experience or this one with a CCNA and no experience....

Just to add a little something to stick out.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

errr If you get the CCIE before any experience then you will basically wave your chances in IT goodbye (requres 4 years exp plus MCSE,CCNA. thats 9 exams plus experience).

Now you can believe me or not believe me that is entirely upto you, but at some point you will realise that you will have to hide the fact you have the CCNA on your resume as for the reasons I have stated.

If your looking for a networking posisition the Network + is plenty for starters then the MCSA then the CCNA when you have experience.

And btw it bs that you need a degree to work in IT. Infact most employers would rather get someone who has entry level certs like the A+,N+ and MCDST to work for them part time whilst doing a degree. Again having the ccna this way around would spoil your chances.

LIke I said go an ask on various certification forums who have people on them who creat certifications , people who are employers and people who create the exams ask them, you will get the same answer I gave you.

Like I said I am trying to guide you in the right way, so many times have I seen 'why cant I get a foot in the door I have the CCNA'? or MCSE but I dont have experience. Thats your answer.

I knew a guy who have A+,N+,MCDST,MCSA,MCSE and CCNA but no experience. He had to keep dropping the levels of positions he was applying for he eventually applied for a helpdesk job confident that he would get it.

To his suprise he was passed over for a guy who had no IT qualifications but was working towards his A+ and he had experience of building and fixing PCs.

experience is king in the world of IT and thats job experience not at home pissing about experience.

So do what you will, I have tried to advise you in the correct way, if you follow your planned path you will learn and have a long road ahead of you. If you go the way I have advised then you should be ok.


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## tim19889 (Jan 24, 2010)

Wow that makes me really happy to hear you say it's bs that you absolutely must have a degree to get a job in IT. I had been hearing from others the opposite. I just got my A+ and applied last week to Best Buy and one other place. Anyways so I was wondering what would you advise me to do in order to get a job doing PC repair? I already have A+ but have no hands on experience except for doing some stuff on the computers around the house...installing graphics cards, ram, processors, NICs, etc. What else can I do to make myself stand out to any employer? And please don;t say get your bachelor's lol.


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## tim19889 (Jan 24, 2010)

Also, would you mind looking at my resume sometime and giving me some feedback? I'll private message it to you.


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## lazarus2345 (Jul 11, 2007)

Tim you're in the exact spot I'm in. I mentioned earlier where I was interning closed down. They were nice people, but they just didn't have any business which resulted in me gaining no real experience. I also applied at Best Buy, and a few other places, but it's pretty much pointless so far. The town I live in has about 117,000 people, and in this town there are 3 universities, 1 junior college, and 2 technical colleges, and all of them offer some sort of tech class. So competition for jobs in any technical field is unreal, and right now I just don't stand out enough to be valuable. I mentioned earlier also that I haven't even been able to find any other place that will let me intern for them, so I'm just stuck. I have school which is pushing me forward and I will be continuing to get certifications, and I've been successful at arranging my schedule where I will be just getting the basics A+, Network+, and Security+, but after Christmas I will be getting into the more technical classes. So I'm starting to get nervous about employment, and I am honestly not sure about how to proceed after the first of next year if nothing changes here.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

tim19889 said:


> Wow that makes me really happy to hear you say it's bs that you absolutely must have a degree to get a job in IT. I had been hearing from others the opposite. I just got my A+ and applied last week to Best Buy and one other place. Anyways so I was wondering what would you advise me to do in order to get a job doing PC repair? I already have A+ but have no hands on experience except for doing some stuff on the computers around the house...installing graphics cards, ram, processors, NICs, etc. What else can I do to make myself stand out to any employer? And please don;t say get your bachelor's lol.


Well you have your A+ so thats good and you have some experience and thats even better. When writing out your cv/resume

Start with something like

compTIA A+ certified IT technician with a proactive and concientious approach to solving PC issues including hardware and software issues. I am looking to gain employment within the IT sector as an IT technician.

List experience in bullet points

List certs in bullet point

Then either say references available upon request or list two referees.

I would also suggest that you start learning for Network+ and the MCDST just be aware that the MCDST is being retire on March 31st 2011.

Keep on applying, IT is very difficult to get into for a few reasons such as

People using braindumps to get loads of certs then get fired for screwing things up, so IT managers etc are starting to distrust no employees. This is also the reason the wages in IT are not as good as they used to be.

The recession

lots of unemployed experienced people.


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## tim19889 (Jan 24, 2010)

Okay will do thanks for the help. So you still think I should get the MCDST even though it's being retired pretty soon? Or should I just go for the MCTS:configuring windows 7? Also should I wait till I get some experience before earning Net+ and a microsoft cert or would it be okay to have a+, net+, and a microsoft cert before even having any real work experience in the field?


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## tim19889 (Jan 24, 2010)

Yeah Lazarus it looks like it's going to be real hard getting hired out there now. Hopefully the economy will turn around eventually tho. I'm hoping... :/.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

tim19889 said:


> Okay will do thanks for the help. So you still think I should get the MCDST even though it's being retired pretty soon? Or should I just go for the MCTS:configuring windows 7? Also should I wait till I get some experience before earning Net+ and a microsoft cert or would it be okay to have a+, net+, and a microsoft cert before even having any real work experience in the field?


A+,N+ and MCDST you dont really need experience also beaware that not every company has the budget to move to a new os everytime microsoft release one. A lot of companies will still be using xp for years to come.

In my company we still use windows 2000 win2k3 and xp there are no plans to move away from xp even when microsoft officially stop supporting it in 2014.


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## Thunder7102 (Jul 25, 2010)

I still have no idea if this helps my case, but I am trying to get a job just helping others setting up networks can working with computers for basic experience. And if this helps even a little, the class I am taking will include the following certifications assuming I pass. It is a 2 years class:

Comptia Network +
CCENT
CCNA


I figured the Comptia Network + would help just a little. I really WANT to get my A+ but with a workload with this and 2 AP classes, I don't know if I could handle it. So in 2 years (before I graduate high school), I will have a least 1 year of experience working with computers and these three certifications. Is that any better before I go and try to get a masters degree in computer science at Georgia Tech?


My primary goal is to eventually graduate to getting the highly acclaimed CCIE. I know it will take many years of experience before I am ready, but I want to know the best suggestion to get there, and this is the plan I have in my head. Also, I will have to have a job during college so that is 6 more years of working experience that I will get.

I just know that I have developed a passion for computers and I am an entrepreneur. So I want to work with computers every day of my life along with maxing out my income but still make sure my job is stable. I don't want any of this, "Rich one day, poor the next", business. I want a stable pay.


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## greenbrucelee (Apr 24, 2007)

I have already told you.

Yes the N+ will help but you must get experience with cisco kit before attempting the CCNA.

I have already said no one walks into a networking job regardless of their certs or qualifications it is a progressive thing. Usually you start in a support role or IT tech role and then progress into networking.

If your thinking of going into business yourself then the A+,N+ and MCDST are more important than getting the CCNA.


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