Book Suggestions (and other resources)

[TenthAveN]

Hey everyone,

So as some of you know, I’m in school for IT (started not too long ago) and I’m wondering what books you would suggest (or resources) that could help me to be prepared for the A+ exam. Thanks.

 

[ImAllLikeOkWaitWat]

Exam cram is really good.

 

[TenthAveN]

Exam cram is really good.

I’ve heard about some books that contain a lot of information that won’t be on the test, is this one of them?

 

[ImAllLikeOkWaitWat]

I’ve heard about some books that contain a lot of information that won’t be on the test, is this one of them?

I wouldn't really approach it that way. If you're going into this as a career you're gonna want to know as much as you can anyway.

 

[TenthAveN]

I wouldn't really approach it that way. If you're going into this as a career you're gonna want to know as much as you can anyway.

That’s a good point.

 

[Sketcher]

I used Self-Test Software to prepare when I got mine. I would do a practice session every day, investigate the answers, make my own notes, study them, and when I was consistently hitting 90-odd percent, I scheduled my exams, and then I aced them.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Hey everyone,

So as some of you know, I’m in school for IT (started not too long ago) and I’m wondering what books you would suggest (or resources) that could help me to be prepared for the A+ exam. Thanks.

There was a COMP/TIA book specifically on A+ at least a few years ago that worked pretty well as a study guide to the test. Find that. The other thing I would do is go ahead and build your own computer. A good place to go for the parts would be MicroCenter if you have access to one of those. Then do the OS as a dual boot Linux/Windows. You will have learned the good stuff in a hands on way then too as well as the book learning.

 

[TenthAveN]

There was a COMP/TIA book specifically on A+ at least a few years ago that worked pretty well as a study guide to the test. Find that. The other thing I would do is go ahead and build your own computer. A good place to go for the parts would be MicroCenter if you have access to one of those. Then do the OS as a dual boot Linux/Windows. You will have learned the good stuff in a hands on way then too as well as the book learning.

I’m hoping to get parts for Christmas. We’ve been with our computer guy for years, so I’m thinking of getting his advice.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I’m hoping to get parts for Christmas. We’ve been with our computer guy for years, so I’m thinking of getting his advice.

I just had a laptop HDD crash and burn. So I replaced it with a SSD and boosted the RAM. Crazy tiny screws, but only eleven of them and only three different sizes. And it works. Crazy too setting up the OS again. It was dual boot, and I'll get to that part if I get a free day to re-partition. For now it's just Windoz and a Fedora thumb drive. It was that Fedora that got my old HDD working again for long enough to copy off files.

 

[TenthAveN]

I just had a laptop HDD crash and burn. So I replaced it with a SSD and boosted the RAM. Crazy tiny screws, but only eleven of them and only three different sizes. And it works. Crazy too setting up the OS again. It was dual boot, and I'll get to that part if I get a free day to re-partition. For now it's just Windoz and a Fedora thumb drive. It was that Fedora that got my old HDD working again for long enough to copy off files.

If I build one I might just go straight-up Linux

 

[Sketcher]

If I build one I might just go straight-up Linux

Plan on multi-booting anyway. If you start with one distro, you'll want to try a different one too.

 

[chevyontheriver]

If I build one I might just go straight-up Linux

Makes sense. The only reason I use Windows at all is that I am setting up remote desktop sessions with other technicians who are clueless about Linux. So I have to feed them a Windows experience or they fall flat.

 

[morse86]

If you're in school for IT.....why do you need A+ certs???

 

[TenthAveN]

If you're in school for IT.....why do you need A+ certs???

I will need an A+ cert eventually. It’s good to have knowledge, though the requirements to change often.

 

[GreekOrthodox]

I have no idea if Mike Myers is still writing, but his guide back in 2000 (cough... the Pentium 3 was the most advanced CPU and I dont think it was covered on the exam) was the best. A+ is still a good cert to get started. Couldnt tell you how to build a PC nowadays Heck the last time I built a server was in 2010. I think it was a Proliant G6 DL360.

 

[adrianmonk]

I will need an A+ cert eventually. It’s good to have knowledge, though the requirements to change often.

I worked multiple years of Help Desk without an A+. Even in the late 90s, I always felt that A+ was too generic (and maybe outdated) to be of any use.

I hire techs for my company and value "I don't know the answer, but this is how I will find out" more than any certifications in most cases. The exceptions being AWS, Azure and Cisco certs, but even these can be overlooked with the relevant experience.

 

[TenthAveN]

I worked multiple years of Help Desk without an A+. Even in the late 90s, I always felt that A+ was too generic (and maybe outdated) to be of any use.

I hire techs for my company and value "I don't know the answer, but this is how I will find out" more than any certifications in most cases. The exceptions being AWS, Azure and Cisco certs, but even these can be overlooked with the relevant experience.

I don’t have any experience really. It seems difficult to get into the IT field without prior experience

 

[adrianmonk]

I don’t have any experience really. It seems difficult to get into the IT field without prior experience

Well first and foremost, welcome to the IT field

Getting experience is not the easiest part, we end up in a catch-22, need a job to get experience, need experience to get a job. But before I can provide any advise, what are you studying ? Is it a degree program ? Certifications ? What do you see yourself doing in 5 years in IT ? There are a lot of "IT" fields, like development, network engineering, tech support etc, so based on what you want to do, I can try and help get you the right resources.

 

[TenthAveN]

Well first and foremost, welcome to the IT field

Getting experience is not the easiest part, we end up in a catch-22, need a job to get experience, need experience to get a job. But before I can provide any advise, what are you studying ? Is it a degree program ? Certifications ? What do you see yourself doing in 5 years in IT ? There are a lot of "IT" fields, like development, network engineering, tech support etc, so based on what you want to do, I can try and help get you the right resources.

I was hoping to get into cyber security at Lockheed Martin where my dad, aunt and uncle work. My aunt works in the cyber security department, though I’m not sure what she does. One of her coworkers recommended that I get my Sec+ certification. I’m currently taking classes at a community college for a two-year degree.

 

[adrianmonk]

I was hoping to get into cyber security at Lockheed Martin where my dad, aunt and uncle work. My aunt works in the cyber security department, though I’m not sure what she does. One of her coworkers recommended that I get my Sec+ certification. I’m currently taking classes at a community college for a two-year degree.

Sec+ is a good course for sure. I would also recommend looking into Security oriented linux distros like Kali Linux and others from this list and look around for tutorials on how to effectively use these tools to find vulnerabilities. Read up on sites like CVE - Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) to see what the latest vulnerabilities are. It's a ton of work to keep yourself updated in the cybersecurity field but it pays off.

I am not a cybersecurity professional, but if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. I'll help in any way I can.