Tech News & Reviews

I was embarking upon a new journey. I had invested several hundred dollars and was now taking my certification exam. Just over an hour later, I had the great news … I passed!!! was now an official CompTia A+ Certified computer tech. But what does that mean? To most people it means … well, … nothing. If I’m going out to look for a job in the tech support industry, the A+ certification means one thing … I’m a beginner. That’s what it really means. Now, if you get a M$ certification, that’s a different story. There are enough hoops and requirements to jump through that if you get your MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer), you really know your stuff! Does that mean I don’t know my stuff? Not necessarily, but it does mean that I haven’t taken the time and spent the money to prove it to someone.

However, there are other alternatives. Fore example, I am working on my DCSE (Dell Certified Systems Expert) right now through an online service provider that I am a part of. So what’s the difference. Well, the M$ certification is probably more widely recognized, and, of course, it’s costs a lot more as well. The Dell certification testing is free for me as a member of the aforementioned service provider company, as is the training material. Now this is a certification I can get my head into!

The bottom line in certifications is this: they only mean something if they really are saying something. The CompTia line of certifications are meant to be general certifications, not specializing in any particular brand of hardware or software. That being the case, some people are looking for Microsoft certified people, others are looking for Dell, others may be looking for Cisco, etc. It’s all in what you know the best, and sometimes the generalized guy just might have enough to get the job done all the way around. As a consumer, it’s a good idea to get a provider that is certified, but don’t let that be the be all and end all of your experience.

With rising gasoline prices, on-site tech support is beginning to feel the crunch of the tech services sector costs. I should know … with gas hovering around $3.00 per gallon for the el-cheapo regular unleaded, this is a nightmare for someone on the road alot. Customers who have never had to pay for mileage on service calls before are now being squeezed for additional costs to cover the added expense. The bottom line is that with these increases and more increases in sight, who is the real winner here? Is there a benefit for the customer or the service provider?

When gasoline prices rise, everything goes up. Like it or not, that’s just the way it is in our service driven economy. Everything come to us via some sort of gasoline driven transportation. Even tech support. If you decide to carry your equipment in to the shop, you still have your own added gasoline costs. But, also consider that the costs of the parts will eventually go up, because the cost of transporting them from the manufacturer to the warehouse to the tech shop will also rise, added on to the final bill of the end user of the parts.

When you consider all of these factors, on-site tech support is not quite the win-win scenario that it was just a few years ago. At this point I think it would be safe to say that nobody wins in our current situation … unless it is the billion dollar oil and gas companies, who are still churning out a nice healthy profit each quarter.