I got my A+ when I changed careers 7 years ago. It was bundled with my MCSE (NT4) classes. This was back before there were bootcamps and cheating courses that train you to MEMORIZE the questions and answers to the tests you will be taking, so the courses I took actually TAUGHT me how to do the work involved with each respective course.
If you don't know a thing about computers, A+ is a definite must. Or else you will be lost in any other courses you take. If you have EXPERIENCE(not building a few computers and selliing them) fixing computers, whether in a call center for a "reputable" multibillion dollar computer company or by doing the work for them onsite, you should not need the A+. If you are gonna be an IT guy, you need to decide which part of IT you will be covering.
If it is Windows network related, MCSE is a must. It will get you in the door and help you work your way up whatever career path is set for your position and department. Again, if you have the certs but no experience, expect to start at the bottom, possibly doing grunt work in a callcenter.
Going for security, then the Cisco certs are a must. Again, start with the basic cert if you have no experience with Cisco products. Get the most difficult certs once you know what you are doing.
As for me, working at Dell with an MCSE, MCP+I and A+ only got me so far. That is why I left after working there for 5 yrs. Now I'm THE network admin at a school, which is definitely a great job with great pay, however i never thought it would take working at Dell and Chevron before getting to a job like this. BTW, with my experience (which matters so much more than any certs you have), has landed me a second job as a consultant
which has pretty much doubled my salary while only working 60 hr weeks between both jobs. My next step? independence as an IT consultant on my own.
oh yeh, last bit of advice i can give you, dont learn everything there is to learn on FIXING the problem. Unless you love computers more than people, that is work that will never pay as much as an admin, supervisor or project manager that can get the right people together in a project thatinvolves all types of IT disciplines to complete. THAT IT person gets the best pay