<p>My DS has taken several classes at the “Academy” portion of his high school. They offer computer/engineering classes - among other things. He would come to Bama being Microsoft Certified, TIA A+(computer tech) certified, CISCO CCNA and CCENT certified and he’ll have completed the equivalent of the Intro to Engineering course at our local university (George Mason). He plans to talk to the Engineering school about how this would impact his course selection, getting credits etc. He’s looking at a CS or Eng. major. I was just curious whether all of these certifications are useful in college, or more useful for getting an internship and/or part-time job. He’ll have a boat-load of AP credits too, which are pretty clear cut, but the Academy courses are bit more unusual.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about the other certifications but I am certified in the Microsoft Office suite and Alabama did not recognize this at all. Being a business major I hoped it would get me out of CS 102 (basic computer class) but that wasn’t the case. I had to test out of the class so no credit was awarded.</p>
<p>Thanks. Sort of what i figured. The classes are all very hands-on, which he loves, but I was guessing not directly relatable to college courses. May help him get a job at the computer lab on campus! We’ll still talk to dept. when we visit again. No regrets that he took them as electives. He is our resident computer geek when something breaks - and his Robotics team appreciates the skills (although a lot of them are together in these classes :-))</p>
<p>I agree that they will have little impact on his courses. It is possible that he’d get credit for an intro class, you will have to speak to them.</p>
<p>The certifications should help him get a part time job on campus. On the student job board there are always quite a few computer lab assistant positions avaialble. His certifications would qualify him to do a more hands on troubleshooting/maintenance position, I’m not certain if the campus IT group has their own job postings somewhere - I see very few of these more technical positions listed on the student job boards.</p>
<p>The certifications can help him in industry, but I’d have him try to determine his career path. The A+ is a very low level certification for those focussing on desktop support - the certification will mainly be beneficial for those with no degree or a 2-year degree. Most people with a 4 year degree don’t follow this very hands on career path. But having the cert may be seen as an asset in related fields.</p>
<p>The Cisco certs are in big demand in industry right now and can definitely help to find an opportunity in a network admin/engineering role. But if he’s not interested in pursuing that career path long term, then I’d say to look for an internship/co-op in the area he is ultimately interested in and not be overly focussed on feeling obligated to take advantage of the certificaitons.</p>
<p>I can’t comment on how they’ll be considered at Alabama, but I do know they are essential to remaining employed for my husband. He is a Data Network Engineer with AT&T and he maintains Microsoft and Cisco certifications (and, despite the fact that they are an expectation, he pays to take the courses and tests out of pocket!).</p>
<p>Lots of good info. Thanks. Guess he’s really lucky that the HS pays for the exams. I believe his CISCO class is considered concurrent enrollment at the community college too. FWIW. I’m glad he’s also taking AP computer science this year. I think he’s more of a hardware guy but this’ll be a chance to try his hand at programming to see what he thinks before deciding what direction he wants to go. Oh the decisions of modern youth :-)</p>
<p>I’m a junior in high school and I’m certified in Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. My teacher says they look really good on college apps. I’m assuming this isn’t true?</p>
<p>OP, has your son done any internships anywhere? I want to look into that for this summer.</p>
<p>Nope - no internships yet. He’s a Senior in HS. They’ve done some job shadowing with the classes and I know there were some internship opportunities presented to them - however, he hasn’t figured out how to fit that into his life. I do know that even if the Microsoft certification isn’t a big deal for college - it certainly is nice for being able to easily do those HS projects - knowing the ins and outs of MS products.</p>
<p>That’s really cool. Can I ask what class he’s taking? I live in the same area (near George Mason), hopefully that class is offered in my school.</p>
<p>All of his “tech” classes he has taken through Chantilly Academy (part of Chantilly HS). They were Engineering Systems (1 and 2), CISCO and Computer Systems Technology. If you’re an FCPS student, you are allowed to apply to any of the academies - although scheduling is tricky. He is at Chantilly HS so it’s easy for him. Chantilly specializes in STEM academy courses.</p>
<p>VAmomof4 - my 10th grade son is in a similar program in Roanoke County (in conjunction with Virginia Western CC). He’s also planning on taking AP Computer Programming. </p>