Established twenty-eight years ago, the 'Computing Technology Industry Association' (or 'CompTIA' for short) is a not-for-profit institution. The operation produces vendor-neutral accreditations that have made it a global leader in its industry. So they can freely create & monitor an entire range of IT industry exams & produce their own accreditations that don't just apply to one specific company's solutions. With the current move to inter-connectivity and systems convergence, this is seen as a welcome step for the IT trainee, because it delivers cross platform learning & an understanding of 'integration'. Each time a new exam is being developed (or an earlier one up-graded), CompTIA discusses the content with leading members of the industrial and academic world to produce balanced and extremely relevant content.

Essentially the most well known of all of the CompTIA qualifications are without doubt the 'A+' & Network+. These two, as a pair, create the building blocks for many contemporary IT career tracks - & for a good reason. Students get to grips with many fundamental computer concepts with A+ , such as support, repair, maintenance security, installation and fault-finding. In addition , it covers a number of personal and communication skills required to get into IT. 'Network+' takes things further, by developing a greater understanding of how networks operate & connect with each other. Security is obviously vital, and wireless-technology is discussed to a certain degree. Both qualifications complement each other well, & together form a very good start-up platform for other examination packages, or a solid career in IT support.

Be expecting to allow in the region of one hundred to one hundred and fifty hrs studying time for the A+ exams, and for the N+ close to seventy five to a hundred hrs. This means acquiring them both in six months part-time studying totally possible, provided that superior multi-media training products are used, in conjunction with good examination preparation-software.

These certifications and job-roles are in many cases taken on the way to a advanced I.T. job. Before you commit yourself to a training-program, keep in mind exactly where you would like your ultimate destination to be. Take the opportunity to discuss everything with a training program & IT specialist - it will protect you against set-backs later on. Many companies offer 'packaged' career tracks which incorporate these accreditations, and so buying in a training bundle may offer significant financial savings.

Any of the employment roles that follow will be appropriate for the applicant with a CompTIA 'A+' accreditation: P.C. Technician, I.T. Administrator, Field Service Technician, Remote Support Technician, Call Centre and Depot Technician & Help Desk Technician. Job opportunities open up to include Network Administrators, Technicians and Installers for those who attain the 'CompTIA' Network+ as well.

In relation to Network+ , the earlier 'N10-003' has now been replaced by the N10-004, the 2009 version. Along with keeping it's attention on network management & infrastructure, the upgraded '2009' examination points to a greater emphasis on Security, wireless-networking abilities & network design principles.

The two examinations have fairly recently gone through a 2009 'facelift' in-line with CompTIA's work towards ISO standardisation. The former 'A+' (edition 2006/2007) exams which were classified with the '600' pre-fix are now being retired worldwide throughout 2010. Come the end of Aug 2010, the examinations will retire in the British Isles. As both the '600', & the new 700 examinations are currently allowed to be taken in 'prometric' and Vue test-centres, it seems sensible to study the '700' exams now, and not have to certify again later on. The specific A+ 2009 exams have become: 'CompTIA' A+ Essentials (examination 220/701) and CompTIA A+ Practical Application (examination 220/702.) In addition to some more subject matter on newer technologies, there are now two exams that cover components of all 4 of the previous examinations. Even though the older 'A+' had 4 examinations in the total program, only two were necessary for the accreditation. During the last four years, the industry has evolved to the stage where all four examinations have become considered essential - hence the re-formatting in to two required examinations. A bridging examination has been produced by 'CompTIA' for everyone with the old qualification. 'BR-003' is the reference number. This will almost certainly require extra study, although less so if you studied all four of the previous exams, instead of only the two that were required. Enough study hours really should be factored in for the new technology elements however.

Anyone looking to establish themselves in IT will certainly profit from training & certifications developed by CompTIA. Whatever area a trainee chooses to work in IT, there are CompTIA accreditations that will increase their skills. People who are particularly considering Networks, Support, Systems, Security, Communications & Servers are especially well-served. 'CompTIA' are also now promoting STRATA certifications - they're not necessarily for men and women working in the IT market, but for people whose positions would benefit from a fundamental understanding of computers.

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