Founded twenty eight years ago, the Computing Technology Industry Association (or CompTIA in short) is a not for profit institution. They've developed progressively and right now are world leaders in IT qualifications that are vendor-neutral. This effectively means they are absolutely free to independently deliver and monitor exams and accreditations which are needed by the IT market, regardless of a specific business' commercial interests. This really is excellent for trainees, as they can learn about various platforms & how they inter-connect & integrate with one another - a common situation now in industry. Every time a new syllabus is created, CompTIA invites several academic and industrial groups to join them and validate that each area has been thought about equally, & the programs are commercially appropriate.

A number of these positions are often starting-points for higher level IT careers, and so, much like all career-tracks, it's extremely important to first consider just what your end goals are, and which learning-style suits you. The best way to optimise your career-path fully is always to take advice from an IT expert before starting on your training. It's often really useful to think about tailored career-training bundles that include the A+ & 'Network+' courses. Bundling a number of course materials into one can be quite cost effective.

The 'A+' program & the Network+ training are CompTIAs most widely recognised qualifications. A very beneficial group considered as a bundle, they are the starting point for quite a number of productive career-tracks. The 'CompTIA' 'A+' accreditation covers the basics of computer maintenance, support, security, installation, fault finding & repair. Additionally , it covers various personal & communication skillsets required to get established in I.T.. Advancing this awareness, the 'Network+' accreditation goes into networks, (which includes routers & servers) & demonstrates exactly how they communicate with each other. Both 'Security' and Wi-Fi are covered to some extent. Both qualifications complement one another well, & together form a good starting platform for other examination packages, or a good career in IT support.

In relation to 'Network+' , the old 'N10-003' has currently been replaced by the 'N10-004', the 2009 version. A larger importance is placed upon security in the '2009' Network+ exam, together with network design & wireless networking. This obviously is in addition to the primary aspects of network-management & infrastructure.

As part of their 'ISO' standardisation drive, 'CompTIA' have up-dated both A+ and N+ examinations to '2009' versions. 'A+' examinations that started using the number 600 (i.e. the 2006/2007 version) are being phased out globally. In Great Britain, they discontinue on 31st August 2010. As 2009 exams (700) are already offered at test centres across the country, the newer study programs are probably a more valuable option for someone just getting started. 'CompTIA' A+ Essentials and 'CompTIA' 'A+' Practical Application are the new examination titles (220/701 and 220/702 respectively). The four previous examinations have been streamlined into 2 new examinations, & some more up-dated material has been added in. Initially, the A+ was split into four exams: one essential and 3 elective specialisations. But as the industry has moved on, the knowledge from all 4 examinations is now regarded as essential, and therefore has been fine-tuned in to two required assessments. 'CompTIA' also have produced the BR-003 bridging test, for students qualified under the 600 examinations who need to up-date to the new 700 exams. Passing the upgrade examination will generally require additional study, although it shouldn't be too much of a challenge for those who formerly studied all electives. Adequate study time should be factored in for the new aspects however.

Expect to allow yourself close to a hundred to a hundred and fifty hrs learning time for the 'A+' exams, & for the N+ close to seventy five to one hundred hours. This means achieving them both inside of 6 months part-time studying very possible, providing superior multi-media training materials are used, along with decent exam preparation software.

If you're focused on any of the following roles, the 'A+' would certainly serve you well : I.T. Administrator, P.C. Technician, Field Service Technician, Remote Support Technician, Help Desk Technician and Call Centre & Depot Technician. Employment prospects open up to include Network Technicians, Installers and Administrators for those who have the 'CompTIA' 'Network+' too.

Anybody who is new to IT will certainly profit from programs and certifications developed by 'CompTIA'. Anyone looking to get into networking & support, or security, systems & servers should usually begin with CompTIA, though it's reasonable to say that 'CompTIA' certifications can enhance virtually any Curriculum Vitae targeted towards the IT sector. The latest set of starter level programs named 'STRATA' have been put together by CompTIA. These are for people who could do with a better idea of basic IT information, but don't necessarily work with I.T. themselves.

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