I am unemployed, and the state of Nevada (15% unemployment!!!) sent me to school. I studied and passed my A+ certification, but have given up on ever passing the Network + test. You see, to the person WITHOUT actual job experience, there is no way to pass 25% of questions on the CompTIA test(s).
FURTHER MORE, there has not yet been so much as one job listing that welcomes people who have just passed their tests and want to break into the IT field. It sounds like a classic case of 'catch 22' to me. Any positive suggestions???
I ran this past MJ Shoer, the president of Jenaly Technology Group, a reseller and technical service company in Portsmouth, N.H. He's also a former board member of CompTIA and the co-chair of the group's Managed IT Services (MITS) Executive Forum. He came back with:
I empathize with your frustration, but you should know that there are many people working to break into the IT field who are taking and passing this test. While real world experience is always a plus, the CompTIA curriculum and exams are widely used to help educate workers looking to break in. (In fact, the CompTIA Educational Foundation helps train disadvantaged and returning military veterans to help them break into the IT field - and that includes taking and passing different CompTIA exams, including Network +.) I would recommend you look for an entry level help desk position, to break into the field.
These positions are often geared to people with no or a very few years of basic experience. This is a front line position, often dealing with either e-mail or telephone generated help requests. These positions quality, triage and when necessary, escalate to higher level engineers for resolution. It¿s an excellent way to break into the business, gain more experience and expose yourself to more opportunities within the field. Good luck and try not be discouraged.
So, my read: Is breaking in difficult? Yes. Is it possible? Again, yes. But you have to match your talents and experience to the right job, and keep at it. Remember, not everyone passes these exams the first time.