There is a lot to know if you plan on repairing computers for a living. Even if you simply plan on moonlighting with a computer repair business, the amount of information you are expected to know can be daunting. Computer repair classes may make sense for you if you have both time and some money to invest in some training.

The first thing you'll want to determine is what kind of training you will need. Do you need advanced training or are you looking for simple techniques? Knowing what kind of training you need can reduce the time it take you to find the right class for your training needs.

How much of a budget have you set aside for training? Most computer training takes money. The more advanced the training, the more money it will cost. The cost will also depend on whether you follow a course of study. For the computer repair industry, compTia's A+ certification is the one most recognized. Most computer training centers will offer a course on A+ certification.

Other training that makes sense for a computer repair technician includes computer networks including compTia's Network+, Microsoft's MSCE certification and CISCO certifications. You could also benefit from computer security certification like compTia's Security+, MCSE security, Cisco security and even an ethical hacking cert like CISSP training.

Know what you plan on focusing your energies on. If you plan on working for someone else, know what area you plan on concentrating on. If you plan on owning your own business, you should also know what your area of concentration is going to be. Don't take the MSCE certification if you intend to focus your business on Linux based products. While this may seem obvious to some, I've encountered people who were confused on this issue.

Bottom line, choose a computer training firm that has been around a while and is known for their thoroughness and expertise. There is nothing worse than paying big bucks for computer training that fails to prepare you properly for the field. Do some research, ask some people in the industry. In the end, if you've done your homework, you'll be fine.

Joe Duchesne is webmaster of GreatComputerInfo.com specializing in computer repair topics like computer repair classes. Reprint freely as long as you keep the keyword rich link in this resource box with the article.