I’m looking to get the A+ and Networking certs only because I’ll probably be laid off soon and I want to make myself even more marketable. Right now I’m a software developer with 8 years of Java experience, and from my initial studying I think the certifications shouldn’t be too hard.
However, I may not have the time (or money) to make multiple attempts, so I was wondering if anyone had any good resources tailored to folks who are already technical to help me study.
I know some folks might say I don’t need them, but my resume needs more buzzwords to get picked up by recruiters and hiring managers, and I’m open to all kinds of work as long as it keeps a roof over my family’s head.
My advice?
Keep an eye out for when they do beta tests of exams. You’ll get the cert for dirt cheap if you pass - we’re talking £50.
There are two catches. The first is that some of the materials won’t be covered in the existing books - the point of these is to update the contents. They do tell you the basic tech that will be covered though. If you have a solid understanding of them, you’ll be fine.
The second is that you will be waiting MONTHS to get your result. I believe they wait until the exam you tested goes hold before giving you the cert. Last time, I waited something stupid like 6 months.
Neither one of those will help you as a developer. If anything, I would look at that combo and be skeptical. Project+ would be a better choice. A good GitHub profile would be even better. But I don’t think you will have much trouble as a Java developer. There are still a lot of jobs out there.