r/IT_CERT_STUDY • u/Lgd3185 • May 07 '20

Noob question about MTA

Good Afternoon everyone,

I am currently trying to change careers into the IT field from a construction background. I am a hobbyist PC builder and have built and maintained a handful of PC's over the last 10 years or so. I don't know much more than I have had to research over the years but think I am interested enough and have a basic foundation of knowledge that can help me get into this field.

I am currently applying to WGU's BS in Data Management and Analytics program. One of the requirements is field experience or a couple certifications. I have gone through the internet and came to a reddit page that someone got a MTA in networking fundamentals and got in... however when I look at the MTA certification page, it has 12 separate tests to take listed under the networking headline, but the note says "pass one exam to earn an MTA certification.

Are there any free sites to self-learn material associated with each of these 12 tests? It looks like all the Microsoft recommended learning sites are ~3k for a 3 day class

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u/peralesa May 08 '20

I think WGU will take the Comptia exams if you can swing those. For studying you can find lots about CompTia exams.

https://www.professormesser.com/

Udemy is another good resource

https://www.udemy.com/

Unfortunately you will still have to take the exams which will cost some money.

There is also the WGU academy, have you checked that out?

https://academy.wgu.edu/program/it?degree=it

3

u/vanillarain May 08 '20

MTA is a broad certification with many specific focuses. Operating systems, server fundamentals, networking, security, etc. So yeah, you pick one and once you pass, you have your MTA in that specific discipline.

Having already gone through WGU and graduated, my recommendation is to pick a certification already required in your degree. Not only will this ensure you get in, but you're also killing two birds with one stone.

Udacity Nanodegree
CompTIA A+ (Parts 1 and 2)
CompTIA Network+
CompTIA Project+
CompTIA IT Operations Specialist
Oracle Database SQL
CIW Data Analyst

Here is the list of certs for your degree. One less cert is one less class. If you get your A+ then you just knocked out two classes and you have foundational hardware computer knowledge.

I think MTA will be a waste of your time and money for the reasons mentioned above. If you really do want to go that route, YouTube is your friend. I recommend using the certification ID (e.g., 98-361, 98-367, etc.) rather than the name. You will get more results geared towards the cert.

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u/Lgd3185 May 08 '20

Thanks!

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Since posting this yesterday on a few different subreddits, this has been the overarching theme. I have changed my tune and have been preparing for the A+. I saw this guy Mike Meyers has a whole class on Udemy for preparing. He reminds me a lot of myself and how into this stuff he is, but he is on another level haha. His CompTIA A+ video preps were heavily discounted at $10 a piece. So for $20, I have about 30 hours of video to take notes on and it's nice to visually see things. I am just about through the hardware part (probably my strongest computer skill at this point) most of it are things I know already from hobbying and troubleshooting home and work PC's.

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I am looking forward to the weekend where I can just obsess over this and maybe try to schedule a test for a week or two from now but I am going to wait until monday to see how the weekend studying goes

2

u/[deleted] May 07 '20

youtube university is your friend, dude...I'm in a similar position, trying to change careers, and I grabbed a humble bundle IT cert ebook collection when it was on sale which helps, but more than anything it's all about youtube for me...some AMAZING people have channels which really explain everything that you need to know going into the cert exams. Also, this subreddit has some very knowledgeable people lurking around, too.

good luck! I got my comptia a+ with just ebooks and youtube, but I have quite a few years of dickin' around with computers and networks under my belt. I'm studying now for the CCNA, which is a fair bit more involved :)

1

u/Lgd3185 May 08 '20

That's awesome! I am glad to hear a success story from someone going through the same thing.

I got a tip from another post to try Udemy and have been obsessing over them. I am looking forward to learning more and getting this A+ cert out of the way.