The A+ Cert is, IMHO , a building block. What I got out of it was generally how to be prepared for certification testing. The A+ wasn't bad once I understood the basic tenant of what they were testing FOR.
A majority of the Network admins I know at school districts are not A+ Certified and still pull a good salary.
A majority of the Network admins I know at school districts are not A+ Certified and still pull a good salary.