Technical Support Fundamentals

When hiring a help desk, very entry level, I look for an A+ certification. That being said, the A+ proves only very basic competency. A+ needs to update the curriculum to reflect enterprise practices, or offer an A+ "Enterprise" certification.

I'm currently auditing the Technical Support Fundamentals Google and Coursera put together. Only 2 weeks in and I think it's far better than A+. It's teaching the things I wish entry level people knew.

If I had two candidates in front of me, everything is equal but one is A+ certified and other completed the Technical Support course with Coursera, I would select the person with Coursera.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/technical-support-fundamentals/home/welcome

That kinda depends on where you are now. Assuming we start at the very beginning (a good choice), Coursea offers the Google tech pathway, which is fairly popular (and therefore hireable).

https://www.coursera.org/learn/technical-support-fundamentals

In addition to that you need a helpful attitude and not to be scared away by problems. There's a little bit of learning the vocabulary as well. To start, it may take you ages to find and fix issues, but keep at it. It gets easier with experience, so you will learn to be comfortable with the complexity.

Thank you guys for your recommendations. In the meanwhile I have found a Google and Coursera collaboration course called Tehnical Support Fundamentals. (https://www.coursera.org/learn/technical-support-fundamentals)

Thats always the hard part, I would recommend starting with Comptias A+ certification as well as looking at Google IT Support certification. These will help you build a foundation of knowledge, as well as something to put onto a resume.

Also, professor Messer has a video that may be of interest for you, gives advice on this very subject.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/technical-support-fundamentals?specialization=google-it-support

https://youtu.be/XkTNQCtuRPY

Also, don't let my rough tone be discouraging.

The /r/ITcareerquestions subreddit links this useful PDF by category. It really depends if this is a career possibility or part time job until /during Uni.

Unfortunately the paperwork may not guarantee they treat you as an equal, some companies are just ageist, sexist jerks. Regardless studying for it via a book or online course from your library for free / cheap is going to be a good introduction to all IT stuff and a great time investment for you. It's the money you gotta debate. PS you might like places like Ask a Manager if you need to look for answers to specific how do I make people stop acting like I'm an intern questions.

TDLR I suggest you study it either way, but you probably don't need to take it. You should get a raise and have an easier time finding another tech job when you do though.

First, suggested certs;

• A+, Security+, Network+ and / or MCSA or CCNA.
• Avoid, MTA & IT Fundamentals

If Actual Job;

• Skip CompTIA IT Fundamentals. Skip MTA (Microsoft Technology Associate) exams unless free.
• The A+ is a good investment for the first 3 years of your career and covers everything super shallowly. It's good to study either way. Will def help for next job and should get you a small raise. It expires in 3 years.
• Unless you are staying here for 2+ years, I'd do it asap. It will be less important once you have 2+ years work experience and will make finding next job easier. If you are staying long it may be better to invest in other certs.
• The Network+ and Security+ are the other major intro certs after this, Security+ is more popular then Network+ as a requirement. Both are harder then the A+.
• If you like networking.... people have skipped the Network+ exam and went to CCNA (Cisco Certified Networking Associate) but both are good for networking. Do not take the CCNET (Entry Network Technician) which is the one lower, either do Network+ and CCNA or CCNA only.
• Or if you don't like Cisco you could see the MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) certificates.
• There's a very large salary guide from 2016 aimed at North America which covers various categories of jobs.
• If you like physical repairs, Vendor specific ones like Apple Certified Mac Technician (ACMT) can be good.

If Part Time;

• The A+ is a pretty good to keep some cushy tech-support roles open, but only if its a decent cost for the raise you'll get here or next job. Also check if it can be used as credit hours with your school, not sure how things work in the UK but Canada and US you usually could use it for a credit.
• If you can get the free tuition (you have to email them) Coursera has an IT Fundamentals course from Google that's pretty OK. It's not worth a lot but if you don't intend on staying in IT it will look good for help desk and costumer service.
• Do not take a MTA certificate unless free or insanely cheap, about 80$ US is their usual price.
• Microsoft Office Specialist is better then MTA, its about 90$ with 5 exams on things like Excel. Excel is important to learn for many jobs, and it looks impressive to HR for your college job as a receptionist. Again, not worth investing in unless you have cash or discounts.
• If you get into web design or artsy stuff, Adobe Certifications can be good, Hootsuite has a marketing certificate I think was free, Google Ads, HubSpot, and Facebook have their own marketing / SEO certs. YouTube has a certification as well. These are unnecessary but if some small company needs someone to keep their Facebook up to date look at the free ones and maybe rush it out.