Kathryn
Can I get a good job in the IT field without taking some of the CompTIA Certs?
#information-technology-and-services #information-technology #certifications
9 answers
Mohamed Rilvan
Mohamed’s Answer
Usually CompTIA A+ is recommended certification for desktop support jobs. IT is a very broad area, that said there other ways to get a good job,
- - Completing an associates in IT or Computer Science
- - Completing a four year degree in IT or Computer Science
- - 12 Week bootcamps mostly offered in software engineering, data science, AI - In most of these bootcamps, after you complete it you will also get a full time job.
- In order to get a good job, most companies require some sort of education as well as experience. I currently work as an information security analyst without any certs. I have a degree in Computer Science and I did many internships in IT field during my college days. Currently inorder to improve my knowledge in InfoSec I am studying CompTIA Security +.
- So you really do not need to get a certification if you have some experience or education background.
Brendan McGeever
Brendan’s Answer
I personally have never studied for nor completed any CompTIA certifications and I'm presently working professionally in IT. My path was completing a B.S in Networking and Systems Administration and getting my foot in the door through paid internships (Co-op) I completed as part of my curriculum.
However, depending on your situation, you may want to look at completing certifications (like CompTIA's) in order to get a foot in the door in the industry. Depending on your interests, you can pursue many types of certifications like those provided by Red Hat, IBM, Cisco, VMWare, and many others.
Personally, at this point, I think it would be wise to consider what you want to *do* in IT. This "do" can be a certain job you want to do, like taking support calls or managing IT projects. This "do" can also be a specific technology you find interesting, like computer networking, systems administration, or software engineering/development.
You may not be able to answer what you want to do yet, but it's something to keep in mind while you're exploring things like certifications and/or formal degree programs. For example, while working on completing CompTIA certifications, pay attention to what you find interesting. If networking becomes an interest, maybe take the Network+ certification. If servers become interesting, maybe Server+.
From here, you'll begin to understand what the different technologies are and how they work together, and potentially find something you have a very strong interest in. At this point also you'll probably have a better grasp of what your next steps could be for advancing finding a career in IT.
I hope this helps!
Rebecca Tang
Rebecca’s Answer
In fact, it is also subject to the IT aspects you are looking for. If you would like to work as developer, this can give you an overview on the IT fundamentals. However, I believe you would also learn this knowledge in the college as well.
On the other hand, if you would like to work on the infrastructure aspect, it may be helpful to you. On the other hand, you can also consider to take other relevant certificates subject to the aspects you are interested in, e.g. CISSP, CISA on security, CCNA on network, etc.
I would suggest you can explore more on different options and industry requirements to decide which certification route you would like to take.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Cesar Alberto Outon Leiro
Cesar Alberto’s Answer
HI Kathryn
Let me give you some advise based on my personal experience, certifications are not always the answer but do help, if you think about your presentation letter to a company is your CV, things that matters most are Experience and Education and depending on your experience education is really important.
My suggestions is that you get some certifications, for example ComTia A+ is a good one to start with and will help you to gain an entry level position or at least to get into that internship that will allow you to gain the necessary experience to progress in your career.
Also please think on your career as a marathon and not like a sprint, everyone want to work for companies like google, airbnb, amazon, Uber, etc... But before you can get there you have to gain experience, my advise is that you go to a small company with a small IT department, this will give you the ability to touch many different sides of IT and you will become good in many different fields of IT, don't rush your career, managers and recruiters also like cvs where people stay in jobs for longer, let's say that you jump from one job to another and in the last 2 years you had 4 jobs in IT, doesn't look nice right? instead if you have just one job for the last 2 years means that you are a loyal person and this is something that they are also looking for.
My advise is, yes get some certifications, you don't need to have them all, you can gain more as you work, gain the right experience in small companies, this will help you to be ready to go to a bigger company, and remember this is not a sprint, is a marathon.
Thanks
Cesar Alberto recommends the following next steps:
Quang Truong
Quang’s Answer
Sumaa Faizy
Sumaa’s Answer
Certification requirements are typically dependent on the job description. Some descriptions will say "preferred" while others may not mention it at all. A certification is a nice competitive advantage but your hands on experience will always take you the furthest. When I started my career in IT, I was still a college student in my undergrad. I did a lot of personal projects and applied to internships in order to get my foot in the door.
Michael Ryerse
Michael’s Answer
Yes. But it will probably require more than just a CompTIA certification. Good jobs are looking for people with experience in their field. If you don't have experience, then you need to get some, and that might mean getting a good education in the field, or working a not good job for a while then making a move after several few years. If you do go for a certification, I'd suggest getting one that's product specific like the microsoft google or salesforce certs. Unless you want to work as a desktop support engineer, but that's not typically considered a "good IT job".
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Lisa Towles
Lisa’s Answer
Hi Kathryn, There are a wide variety of IT jobs, and each requires a different set of skills, education, and core competencies that likely depend on the organization and its customers. I don't necessarily think CompTIA is the only IT certification of value and there are lots of options for expanding your IT knowledge. If you already have a degree (in something), that's a great advantage in the job market. If not, you can find lots of useful software and IT training from sites like Lynda.com, Khan Academy, and also edX, which is a new program that colleges and universities are participating in that offer free online training: https://www.edx.org/course/subject/computer-science.
I think a hiring manager would care as much about your education/training as they would your real world experience working in IT. You might consider taking some online courses in computer science or technical support training, and then try to get a few contract jobs (like on dice.com) to gain some field experience. Good luck and let me know if I can help further!
Prem Shankar Pandey
Prem Shankar’s Answer
Yes, you will surely get a good job in some domestic companies. Thus, you just required a good technology knowledge and deep understanding.
For multinational companies you need both of them. You need your certification as well as excellent knowledge about the technology where you are applying for the job.
Hope this will answer your queries.