A+ Certification
I am now CompTIA A+ certified! Not that this is much to brag about. It is mostly rote-learning and is heavily Windows-focused. In fact, a major part of it is knowing how to perform tasks like set up a modem or printer in Windows, right down to memorising exactly what you need to click on and how the procedures differ across Windows versions.
There are two components, each with its own exam: Core Hardware and Operating System Technologies. You are supposed to do them in that order, but I decided to do it the other way round (fighting with DOS/Windows problems over many years made me feel more confident with the OS module). They cover a lot of legacy material, like daisy-wheel printers, EISA and MCA buses and Token Ring networks. Having been involved with PCs since the IBM PC XT, I could relate to much of it. Overall I would say that it was quite easy.
I did my A+ Core Hardware exam on Thursday March 31 (10 days ago) and since then I’ve been working towards the CompTIA Network+ certification.