Q: The economy has finally caused the collapse of my company of 25 years. And at age 72, it’s difficult to find an employer willing to hire me.

The only alternative I have is to retrain into a new career that has parallels to my old company.

Do you have any recommendations or suggestions for online courses for CompTIA  A+ certification? With this certification, an opportunity is sure to be forthcoming; even if it’s opening the doors again as a computer service.

My current unemployment plus my lack of the skills in today’s computer areas are a really difficult combination to overcome.

A: Since I specialize in writing beginning computer books, I don’t know anything about online courses for CompTIA A+ certification.

However, I know that many people skip the expensive online courses and buy study guides, like the CompTIA A+ Complete Certification Kit (Exams 220-701 and 220-702) from Amazon.

Certification study guides aren’t cheap, and I’ve never read that particular book, but the reviews look solid. It contains both a sample exam and study guides to help people pass the real exam.

You might drop by your local bookstore to check out some of the competing books, as well. Your local library might have some of the books to compare, as well.

Any other suggestions out there, readers?