PC Maintenance Courses

[Jamesx81x]

Hi

 

Not sure if i am in the right section but does anyone know of any decent course providers in computer maintenance and repair?

 

Courses such as the A+ certification.

 

Thanks

[Conniff]

Your attention is drawn to the following forum - http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/students/244467-advent-computer-training-barclays.html

 

You would be wise to read this before signing up to any one.

[andydd]

Hi

 

Not sure if i am in the right section but does anyone know of any decent course providers in computer maintenance and repair?

 

Courses such as the A+ certification.

 

Thanks

Hi..Im doing this course at the moment, (CompTIA A+), this was organised by the job center, I was eligible when I reached the 6 month mark, its done at my local college...it hasnt cost my anything, when I started I was offered a IT contract job for 3 months but they've let me carry on doing the course (you have to attaend college 3 hours a week minimum).

 

So I belive your best bet would be to approach your local/college/business help/job center, I believe you can do the course privately, the costs on my form were £300 + £75 x 2 exams = £450, however I've no idea if that is the price you'd pay privately, and unlike the recent training company collapses, the college/government is going to go bust..well..not just yet anyway.

 

So...Is it worth doing ?..~HHmm..Generally having worked in IT Support for 5 years or so, I'd say 'no', employers look far more at your work record than exams (but some do specify MS exams such as MCSE, etc).

 

The A+ course is ok, it does take you back to basics which isnt a bad thing, but the course is a bit out of date, it deals mostly with 2000 (yuk!) and XP, but the hardware side of it is good, if like me you can do it for free and are 'between jobs' then I'd snap it up, but it does appear there are far too many people taking IT related courses thinkingf they can walk into a high-paid job straight after, it just isn't gonna happen.

 

Andy

[Jamesx81x]

Thanks for the advice.

 

Am currently working as a firefighter and am interested in pc repair to boost my income.

 

Think college or the like will be best bet as all the home providers seem to be dodgy rip off merchants.

[jo1lygrngiant]

I did the scheidigger course comptiia A+ & N+ a good few years ago.. (Even with being on benefits, the cost came close to £1300, spread over 2 years)..well before I knew about cag..

 

I have to agree with whats already been said. The course is really basis, mostly up to win 2k, even studied things like isa slots!!.. anyhow.. Personally I found it a complete waste of time, as I already had the knowledge of fixing and building computers, but didnt have the 'paper' qualifications..

 

Anyhow cutting a long story short, I found, that you can get the same if not better course material at your local library. With books, and even online courses, which can help and aid you far better.

 

Get hold of a couple of old pc's for testing, rebuilding etc.. take your time, and away you go.. (If you sign up to Greencycle on yahoo), there are always old(ish) pc's and parts going free, which will give you a head start, which you could repair, and then put them back on greencycle, I do this all the time, to give something back to the community..

 

Best thing I have ever done to be honest. I've been self employed now, for a good 6 years, building and repairing computers, and laptops. I don't earn a great deal of money, as the area i'm in won't support high costs, but as im the only pc goto guy in the area, I have a really good and loyal customer base.

 

Hope this helps

 

take care for now

be safe

JGG

 

Just remembered a really good guide to the A+ is Micheal Meyers A+ Certification Exam Guide.

Edited March 24, 2010 by jo1lygrngiant
additional info

[locutus]

Similar boat to the rest above. I've been repairing / building PC's since I was 16 so have all that information already. I studied myself at home last year to get the MCDST qualification (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician) 2 exams at a cost of £88 each. However I've always worked in call centers and have never managed to make the change to the "IT Support / maintenance" side of things, and I am currently unemployed. Bottom line is qualifications don't mean a great deal when compared next to experience and references in the job market.

 

For personal knowledge buy cheep parts and build cheep PC's. Post here if you need any advice on what parts you need. All the above posters are very knowledgeable and as they're subbed to this thread they'll be able to pass experience and advice (as will I)!

[andydd]

Thanks for the advice.

 

Am currently working as a firefighter and am interested in pc repair to boost my income.

 

Think college or the like will be best bet as all the home providers seem to be dodgy rip off merchants.

 

As posted above this course isnt really going to teach you much about PC Maintainence you shouldnt already know.

 

To even think about PC maintainence as some sort of career I'd suggest you need quite a few years experience of building your own PC's and preferably in a company enviroment, also to be honest, most problems that people have are going to be software related not hardware problems, IT Support is different from pure PC Maintainence, unless you are already very skilled in this area or are desperate to do it, there are far better ways to supplement your income.

 

Also..another point..on the course Im on, you dont actually take apart any PC's, its all done virtually on a PC program !..and even then it only really covers the basics (and a bit out of date basics too).

 

Andy

[pin1onu]

I've been in IT and Networking since the mid 1980's and I've found that the best experience is investigating things yourself when they're broken.

 

There are a lot of free guides that can teach you how to diagnose and correct problems on the net. If you encounter a problem you're not sure where to then a few posts on a forum can answer your questions. The chances are someone else has had the same problem or one similar.

 

The IT industry does tend to put a premium on experience, but getting that experience can be hard to do. To confound things a lot of companies require an industry qualification (e.g. Microsoft (MCSE) or Cisco (CCNA)) or a degree. That said an industry qualification may provide you with an entry to the IT world.

 

I'd recommend you do a search to see if there are any free online courses in computer maintenance rather than forking out shed loads of dosh. I've found video footage that provided step by step of how to perform a particular procedure (check out youtube),