Optimi College (IT academy)

[@josh485]

Hi there. I just finished matric and I want to go into the IT world via Optimi College. I just want to know if it's worth it and if their digital learning courses include digital textbooks. Please help.

 

[WAslayer]

IT world is a broad broad statement.. can you be more specific..?

That said, ideally you want certifications or degrees that are known in the industry and as far as I can tell, this place only offers courses..

As an example, if you want to be AWS Cloud architect, you would want to get AWS certified.. Optimi provides the course to teach you about it, but you still need to register and pay for the actual exam to become AWS certified and obtain the industry known certification.. Optimi seems to provide a certificate of course completion only..

Put this way, if a prospective employer is looking at your CV and it is exactly the same as another candidate but you have a Optimi certificate of course completion and the other is actually industry certified, they may be more inclined to hire the other candidate..

That's not to say you can't get a job with Optimi certificate of completion, just making you aware that you are not going to be industry certified if only do their course work.. you need to also register and pay for the official certification exam..

 

[@josh485]

The certification I want to do is CompTIA A+ and the website of Optimi College(IT Academy) says that it's industry endorsed. I looked at a few YouTube videos and they said that this is the best course to complete to get a foot inside the IT industry. Also that it is on the path of becoming an ethical hacker.

 

[Jam Sandwich]

The certification I want to do is CompTIA A+ and the website of Optimi College(IT Academy) says that it's industry endorsed. I looked at a few YouTube videos and they said that this is the best course to complete to get a foot inside the IT industry. Also that it is on the path of becoming an ethical hacker.

I just had a look at their Comptia courses... Look for Jason Dion on Udemy... Much better value wise i think..Often there are sales and you can get a course for a few hundred Rands. Ive used him from A+ to CASP... Just remember the A+ is two exams at around R2500 or more each (check pricing on ComptiaMarket place) .. There are also plenty of free vids on You Tube and check out O Reilly learning.. Used to be able to get a week or so for free.. Lots of vids and resources there...also remember Comptia certs expire after three years so you have to either do another such as N+ to renew or you can use CE points but i think you still have to pay in a hundred dollars or more anyway..Not a fan of this or the price of Comptia exams for us in SA...

 

[WAslayer]

You should really go read their website in detail.. they provide details for each course..

Here is the page for Comptia A+:

CompTIA A+ (IT Technician) - Optimi College

CompTIA is accepted as the industry standard for IT certifications. The CompTIA A+ is a performance-based certification that is ideal for candidates seeking employment in technical support and IT operational roles.

optimicollege.co.za

As you will clearly note:
Certification: Certificate confirming course completion.

Certification issued by: Optimi College

That's not going to make you A+ certified.. it is just a certificate to say you completed a course for it..

To be certified, again, you need to register and pay for and write the official certification exam to be recognised as certified..

 

[@josh485]

I just had a look at their Comptia courses... Look for Jason Dion on Udemy... Much better value wise i think..Often there are sales and you can get a course for a few hundred Rands. Ive used him from A+ to CASP... Just remember the A+ is two exams at around R2500 or more each (check pricing on ComptiaMarket place) .. There are also plenty of free vids on You Tube and check out O Reilly learning.. Used to be able to get a week or so for free.. Lots of vids and resources there...also remember Comptia certs expire after three years so you have to either do another such as N+ to renew or you can use CE points but i think you still have to pay in a hundred dollars or more anyway..Not a fan of this or the price of Comptia exams for us in SA...

So basically what you are saying is that I could use any other resources to learn the content of the CompTIA A+ exam or any other CompTIA exam to pass them? And did this work for you?

 

[@josh485]

You should really go read their website in detail.. they provide details for each course..

Here is the page for Comptia A+:

CompTIA A+ (IT Technician) - Optimi College

CompTIA is accepted as the industry standard for IT certifications. The CompTIA A+ is a performance-based certification that is ideal for candidates seeking employment in technical support and IT operational roles.

optimicollege.co.za

As you will clearly note:
Certification: Certificate confirming course completion.

Certification issued by: Optimi College

That's not going to make you A+ certified.. it is just a certificate to say you completed a course for it..

To be certified, again, you need to register and pay for and write the official certification exam to be recognised as certified..

I knew that I would need to pay for the exam and such but I just thought that they would kind of help me through the process but today I'm clearly learning new info, thanx. Did you also use other resources to complete the CompTIA certifications?

 

[Jam Sandwich]

So basically what you are saying is that I could use any other resources to learn the content of the CompTIA A+ exam or any other CompTIA exam to pass them? And did this work for you?

Yep... As mentioned it was just the Jason Dion courses and whatever i could find online... Either way its still up to you to put in the effort...you can do your exams online or in my case as i am using crappy RAIN and its not stable, i wrote at my local Boston College...that way if something goes wrong you are not losing your money... You will book your exam through Pearson Vue. And buy your voucher from Comptia Market place as it used to be cheaper by a few hundres Rand.

 

[WAslayer]

I knew that I would need to pay for the exam and such but I just thought that they would kind of help me through the process but today I'm clearly learning new info, thanx. Did you also use other resources to complete the CompTIA certifications?

I used whatever up to date free resources i could find to study up..

Then I searched for places that offered a venue to write the exams and booked through Pearson Vue.. Think Pearson Vue also offer a list of venues you can write at or there may be a write at home option now, after COVID.. did mine long before COVID was a thing..

 

[Jam Sandwich]

I see the JD course is on special right now... Less than R300...

You will also learn about how Comptia pads up their exam questions... Half a page of waffle just to ask a simple question...

 

[@josh485]

And the CompTIA study guides? Did you not experience any backlogs without it?

 

[@josh485]

And what are you both now in the IT industry? And did you find it easy to get your first job...as helpdesk/IT technician?

 

[Jam Sandwich]

And the CompTIA study guides? Did you not experience any backlogs without it?

The only study guide i bought was one for CASP and if memory serves me right it was on special on Takealot.. Otherwise just videos and researching what i didnt understand or grasp.

 

[Jam Sandwich]

And what are you both now in the IT industry? And did you find it easy to get your first job...as helpdesk/IT technician?

No job for me but i am too old. i just do IT work in my area. I likely did waste time and money and should have rather carried on doing tool and die but its kept me busy and i enjoyed the learning.

You shouldnt have an issue as a youngster starting off. Although be mindful of the current unemployment rate in SA...there will be a lot of candidates applying.

 

[@josh485]

No job for me but i am too old. i just do IT work in my area. I likely did waste time and money and should have rather carried on doing tool and die but its kept me busy and i enjoyed the learning.

You shouldnt have an issue as a youngster starting off. Although be mindful of the current unemployment rate in SA...there will be a lot of candidates applying.

Thank you for your help Jam Sandwich.

 

[@josh485]

I used whatever up to date free resources i could find to study up..

Then I searched for places that offered a venue to write the exams and booked through Pearson Vue.. Think Pearson Vue also offer a list of venues you can write at or there may be a write at home option now, after COVID.. did mine long before COVID was a thing..

Thank you for your help WAslayer.