Hey everybody. I'm 16; a junior in high school, and very interested in earning cerifications. Before I even start studying for them, can I get certifications at my age? I'm interesting in the CompTIA A+ exam, since I could probably get that without having to study for too long. Some other ones I think I definately need a great deal of studying before I can get are the LPI, Linux+ and Network+ certifications. The Network+ I suppose I would need a few months of studying before I could readily approach, but the Linux exams I would need about a year, as I am only a newcomer to Linux. There are other certifications that I would like to acheive someday, but these are the ones I am most interested in.

So what do you guys think? Is it worth getting these certifications early-on? Has anyone here gotten a certification at my age? Would they look impressive on a college application? I'm not getting these just for college applications, but I think that putting it on there wouldn't hurt. I'll put the Linux ones off for a year, but how do you think I should approach that? I've installed and have been using Slackware as my third distro for about 3 weeks now. I have 2 books that look useful: "Running Linux" and "LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell". The way I see it, I can read through and apply Running Linux to help learn Linux, and the book about the LPI cert. can help me see what I need to further or refresh my knowledge on.

There's nothing that says you can't do it below a certain age, just don't make it the end-goal. Over in the UK, education is a little different, so at 16 I went to college specifically to study network communications which although was aimed at slightly older studetns around18/19, as part of which I ended up having gone through the Cisco academy allowing me to sit the CCNA exam at a later date, along with various Microsoft Windows 2000 courses allowing me to gain 3 MCP's when I actually decided to do the exams. The college's aim was for us to get a thorough understanding of the concepts + systems, hence why the exams weren't part of the course, just the content. Employers and prospective colleges may well think it's good that a 16/17 year old has A+, Network+, LPI level 1, etc. but they may also feel it shows what you can get reading from a book... That said, reading through the study guides and taking a lot of hands on practice is a good, structured way to learn something new, especially if you're relatively new to Linux.

While getting these certifications isn't my end goal, they are a goal for me now. I was thinking more along the lines of how you said your courses worked. I will learn the subjects to the best of my knowledge, and then take the exams as a test of my learnings. Of course I'm not just planning on getting these for my own health though; I've only recently learned the value of having such a thing. Since computers will be my source of income, and have always been my hobby and main interest, I might as well do all of this as soon as I can instead of putting it off for after graduating high school and then college.

Just make sure it doesn't affect your high school studies Most decent colleges probably still look at your GPA (that right?) and stuff for sorting out applicants. A+/Network+, etc. always help, and at least by the end of your academic studies you'll also have a bunch of professional qualifications putting you ahead of the game of your buddies applying for the same job! Those exams will also give you additional practical skills if studied properly that will greatly enhance the book-based learning in class. Have fun!

hey I have a very similar question, I would like to know what the A+ certification is for exactly. Because I need to study up for that. I am a 15 year old sophomore and probably will get a work permit. But my first goal is to get the A+ certificate as I can get a few jobs with that. I just need to learn a lot more than I know, and need some good reading and good study software. And is there any websites on where to go to get certified? and maybe any classes I should take? Thanks.

btw, I don't go to a normal high school. I go to an alternative high school as I couldn't do well at the regular high school. I just need to know what I should do to be ahead of the game. I just want to get somewhere sooner if you know what I mean.

http://www.comptia.org/certification/a/default.aspx

They have all of the information about their certification there. I don't want to discourage you but it isn't a pushover. I have been building, setting up and fixing computers and solving problems of all kinds since my first, and getting paid for it for the past 3 years, so getting certified seems like something I should get to have proof of this work. You don't need to go to a normal school, take classes for the exam or anything. You just need to gain all of the knowledge required to pass it.

Get a taste of what you need to know:
http://www.comptia.org/certification...questions.aspx

I'm not sure if any classes are given specifically for the exam, but there are many books you can purchase. There are books that will cover exam questions, and review everything you should know for the test. And books that will be less of a study guide and actually teach you information so you can pass the test and retain your knowledge, instead of just memorizing answers.